1971 O-Pee-Chee Tony Cloninger #218 Cincinnati Reds

Description

1971 O-Pee-Chee Tony Cloninger #218 Cincinnati Reds Add one of baseball’s most unforgettable power hitting pitchers to your vintage collection with the 1971 O-Pee-Chee Tony Cloninger #218 Cincinnati Reds. Cloninger is shown in a classic spring training pitching pose beneath the bold orange REDS nameplate, with the green player name, white position text and printed facsimile signature that define the memorable 1971 design. The signature is part of the original card image and is not a hand signed autograph. Produced for the Canadian market, this scarcer O-Pee-Chee issue mirrors the famous 1971 Topps black border look while using a distinctive yellow and black reverse printed in Canada. Its English and French biography and debut wording make this a Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back, not a puzzle back. Those easily chipped black borders are a central part of the set’s visual appeal and also make attractive surviving examples challenging to find. Tony Cloninger earned a lasting place in baseball history on July 3, 1966, when he became the only pitcher in Major League history to hit two grand slams in one game. He drove in nine runs that day, an extraordinary performance that still gives his cards crossover appeal among pitching historians, home run collectors and fans of unusual MLB records. Cloninger was more than a novelty at the plate. The hard throwing right hander won 24 games for the 1965 Milwaukee Braves and later brought veteran depth to Cincinnati during the rise of the Big Red Machine. His 1970 season placed him with the National League champion Reds, connecting this card to the club’s first pennant of that celebrated era. The reverse offers period statistics, personal details, a compact career biography and a black and white portrait, all presented in the appealing Canadian format. The front shows visible white chipping along the top black edge, intermittent flecking on both vertical borders and additional wear along the bottom border, with the lower right corner showing the most obvious whitening and the other corners displaying light softening; the image remains colourful, the printed signature is strong, and centering appears close to balanced with only a small side to side shift. The reverse has even age toning, light edge rub and mild corner wear, with no handwriting, paper loss or major stain visible in the supplied scan. Scattered pale specks and fine lines are visible against the black front, although some may be on the protective nine pocket sleeve rather than the card itself. No definite full crease or deep wrinkle can be confirmed from the photographs. A conservative VG-EX 4 estimate accounts for the black border chipping, softened corners and the limits of evaluating gloss and surface under plastic. This is a character rich, displayable Canadian vintage single with an exceptional baseball story behind it. Grade Estimate: VG-EX 4