1972 O-Pee-Chee Paul Williams #117 Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Description

1972 O-Pee-Chee Paul Williams #117 Winnipeg Blue Bombers Import stars with NFL pedigrees always punch above their weight in the vintage market, and collectors searching for a 1972 O-Pee-Chee Paul Williams #117 Winnipeg Blue Bombers card will appreciate this raw example from the gold-banded Blue Bombers block of the set. O-Pee-Chee of London, Ontario issued the 1972 CFL series as 132 cards across nine team runs, and the Winnipeg singles wear the bright yellow header band seen here above a portrait of Williams in the royal blue jersey with white numerals and gold trim. The horizontal reverse, bordered in deep blue with a green statistical sidebar and a cartoon vignette, carries the parallel English and French text panels that identify the genuine Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back format prized by collectors of domestic printings. The back text notes that this was Paul's second year with the Blue Bombers, that he was drafted very high out of college, and that he spent time with the Atlanta Falcons, an NFL apprenticeship that lent credibility to Winnipeg's secondary during the early 1970s. Most colorfully, the card records that Paul performed an Indian war dance after each touchdown he scores, a celebration that made him one of the most recognizable personalities at Winnipeg's home grounds and a favorite of program vendors and photographers alike. For set builders, Williams's card anchors the Blue Bombers defensive run of the team block, and because import defensive backs from this era saw heavier play wear in collections, honest raw examples with clean bilingual backs are steadily harder to locate at accessible prices. corners show softening at two points with visible whitening at the top left and bottom right, edges carry slight chipping along the top border, and centering sits approximately 60/40 left to right with the photo shifted toward the left of the yellow frame. The yellow border shows faint handling smudges consistent with age, while the reverse presents light even toning without stains, creases, wrinkles, or print marks, and the front gloss remains present though slightly muted in the photos. The card is a Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back, not a puzzle back, with both language panels legible. Factoring the corner softening and centering shift, a conservative raw grade of VG-EX 4 is the honest placement, with upside to EX 5 if in-hand corners prove tighter than the scans suggest. Grade Estimate: VG-EX 4