1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Pit Martin #24 Chicago Black Hawks Bill Masterton Winner

Description

1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Pit Martin #24 Chicago Black Hawks Bill Masterton Winner Capture the heart of the early seventies Black Hawks with this 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Pit Martin #24 Chicago Black Hawks Bill Masterton Winner card celebrating the slick center who combined sportsmanship with speed. For collectors who love cards with character, Pit Martin was more than a stat line, he was a respected leader who played the game the right way, and this issue places him front and center in the white Chicago sweater against the bold blue O-Pee-Chee background that makes this set so instantly recognizable. Whether you are chasing the Masterton Trophy story, completing the Chicago team set, or simply adding a fan favorite center to your vintage lineup, this low number delivers strong eye appeal and historical depth. Pit Martin was traded to Chicago from Detroit via Boston in the late sixties and quickly became a mainstay through the middle, winning the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 1970 for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey, an honor noted directly on the back of this card. The citation celebrates his journey to remain in the NHL and his reputation as one of the slickest centers in the league, and contemporary French text on the reverse mirrors that praise for O-Pee-Chee collectors. On the ice he was a consistent 25 to 30 goal scorer, a 1971 and 1972 All Star who centered a deep Hawks attack alongside Mikita and later led by example, reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 1971 and 1973. His tragic passing in 2008 after an accident on Lake Kamaniskeg has only deepened respect for his legacy in Canadian hockey culture, where he is remembered as a gentleman competitor. This card number 24 is from the coveted 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee hockey series, the Canadian bilingual edition printed in Canada with English and French biographies, orange side strip, yellow name bar and cartoon graphic that cheekily calls him a dapper dresser. The card back includes his yearly NHL Career Record from Detroit through Chicago and the distinctive cartoon that makes this set so collectible. This is a Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back with English and French text, not a Topps single language or puzzle back, and retains the classic O-Pee-Chee layout collectors expect. The front exhibits balanced centering near 60/40 both ways with a clean beige frame, the white jersey and Black Hawks crest are sharp and well registered, corners show only light wear with the lower left retaining a strong point and the upper right showing a whisper of fuzz when magnified, edges are intact with minimal chipping along the orange yellow border transition, and the surface is free of creases, dents, or surface scuffs with strong gloss for a card viewed through a sleeve. The back displays even light cardboard toning, crisp printing on the orange header, and no writing or staining, with only minor speckling and edge roughness consistent with factory cutting of the era. No wrinkles or heavy corner folds are present. The combination of subtle centering bias and micro corner softness supports a conservative raw grade in the Excellent range while overall eye appeal remains high, making this 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Pit Martin #24 Chicago Black Hawks Bill Masterton Winner a worthy addition for Hawks specialists and trophy winner collectors alike. Grade Estimate: EX 5