1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Rod Gilbert #153 Hockey Hall of Fame New York Rangers

Description

1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Rod Gilbert #153 Hockey Hall of Fame New York Rangers Rod Gilbert is Mr. Ranger, and this 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Rod Gilbert #153 Hockey Hall of Fame New York Rangers card is one of the most beloved singles of the entire 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee hockey set, showing the lifelong Ranger in his home blue with the number 7 on his sleeve. Gilbert played his entire 18 season career with New York, scored 406 goals and 1021 points, and did it all while overcoming a spinal condition that required two fusion surgeries as a teenager, a comeback story that made him one of the most admired athletes in the city and later earned him Hockey Hall of Fame induction in 1982 and the retirement of his number 7 at Madison Square Garden. The 1971-72 season documented on this card was his finest hour: 43 goals and 97 points, both career bests, as the GAG line carried the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Final and Gilbert earned the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance and sportsmanship. The reverse is a genuine Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back with English and French text and the O. P. C. printed in Canada imprint, not a puzzle back, and the back text proudly notes that his best season ever helped the Rangers reach the Stanley Cup finals. For set builders, Gilbert is one of the key cards of the 264 card release, and for Rangers fans he is the franchise icon whose name still headlines any discussion of the team's greatest players, which keeps demand for his OPC singles steady year after year. this example shows the classic vintage OPC character collectors expect, with light corner fuzz at the bottom left, a tiny chip on the left edge, otherwise clean borders, centering that sits comfortably at 60/40 with slightly more border on the right, and a glossy surface that retains strong shine with a couple of faint scuffs visible only under direct light. The tan borders show light even toning with no staining, and there is no writing or creasing anywhere. Because we grade conservatively at Alex Collect and vintage OPC cardboard rarely survives five decades without microscopic edge texture, this card earns EX-MT 6, an honest and display worthy grade for a Hall of Famer's classic orange border single. Grade Estimate: EX-MT 6