SOLD 1970 O-Pee-Chee Bill Whisler #71 Winnipeg Blue Bombers VG-EX 4

Description

1970 O-Pee-Chee Bill Whisler #71 Winnipeg Blue Bombers VG-EX 4 Add a rugged defensive presence to your showcase with this classic 1970 O-Pee-Chee Bill Whisler #71 Winnipeg Blue Bombers VG-EX 4 card, celebrating one of the Blue Bombers most dependable two way linemen from an era when toughness defined the Canadian game. The 1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL set is revered by hobby historians as the quintessential Canadian football issue of its decade, a compact 115 card collection that mirrors the 1970 Topps CFL photography but is distinguished by its authentic Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back, featuring black card stock, full player biographies in both English and French, and the now iconic green cartoon box that delivers a fun fact and illustration unique to each player, all printed in Canada and far scarcer than its American cousin, making every card a true piece of Canadiana. Bill Whisler personifies that era of iron man football, an import defensive end from the University of Iowa who stands six feet three inches and 250 pounds and came to Winnipeg by way of the Washington Redskins organization where he learned the craft of two way line play before finding a home in Manitoba, a player the card back aptly describes as a two way player who came to the Bombers from the Washington Redskins and who was nicknamed Steady by his teammates for his lunch pail consistency snap after snap. Whislers cartoon on this card humorously notes BILL HAS BEEN NICKNAMED STEADY BY HIS TEAM MATES and BILL A ETE SURNOMME STEADY PAR SES COEQUIPIERS, cementing his reputation as the reliable anchor of the defensive front during the late sixties and early seventies when Winnipeg was known for hard nosed defense. The front image is pure vintage CFL charm, Whisler in his white jersey number 66 with gold pants and striped socks, hands on knees in a classic three point stance on the Winnipeg Stadium turf with the open stands behind him, a photograph that transports you directly to a sunny game day on the prairies. This 1970 O-Pee-Chee Bill Whisler #71 Winnipeg Blue Bombers VG-EX 4 card is perfect for team collectors, defensive line enthusiasts or anyone building the complete 1970 bilingual set, and as a Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back it is the correct and more desirable Canadian version for serious CFL collectors. The front displays pleasing color with centering at about 50/50 left to right which is excellent for this issue and 58/42 top to bottom, corners show even softening with the top right remaining relatively sharp while the bottom corners exhibit light rounding and pinpoint whitening, edge chipping is limited to a few tiny white dots along the upper border, no creases, wrinkles or surface creases are present and gloss is intact, while the back shows moderate corner blunting, light edge whitening on the black stock especially at the top, and a clean, fully legible green cartoon panel with no stains, supporting a conservative VG-EX 4 grade that presents well above its technical assessment. Grade Estimate: VG-EX 4