1971 O-Pee-Chee Bill Sudakis #253 Los Angeles Dodgers

Description

1971 O-Pee-Chee Bill Sudakis #253 Los Angeles Dodgers Switch-hitting power from the heart of the Dodgers lineup arrives in Canadian cardboard form with this 1971 O-Pee-Chee Bill Sudakis #253, a card that captures the Hollywood-born infielder poised in his batting stance against a sunlit spring training backdrop. The 1971 O-Pee-Chee set is one of the most beloved Canadian issues of the vintage era because it duplicated the famous 752 card Topps checklist while printing its reverses in yellow and black with fully bilingual French and English text, and this card sits comfortably within that bilingual run below number 524. Collectors pursuit of the Canadian parallel has only intensified as OPC survivors grow scarcer than their American cousins, particularly in the black border design that chipped and wore with the slightest handling. Sudakis earned his reputation as a switch-hitting threat at third base and behind the plate, and his 1969 campaign of eighteen home runs announced him as one of the youngest power sources on the roster, a promise reflected in the confident bat-over-shoulder pose used here. The reverse lists him as batting from both sides of the plate, a rarity that always adds conversational appeal for collectors assembling Dodgers team sets or switch-hitter theme collections. the four corners show light softening consistent with pack-to-pocket handling, the bottom black border carries a couple of small white chips, and centering is pleasingly even at close to 55/45 left to right with a touch of vertical drift. The photo retains strong gloss and skin tones, the yellow reverse shows only faint edge toning with no wax stains or pen marks, and no creases or wrinkles appear anywhere on either side under angled light. That combination of solid surfaces with modest corner and edge wear lands the card squarely in solid Excellent territory by conservative raw standards. Buyers seeking a 1971 O-Pee-Chee Bill Sudakis #253 for a Dodgers team set or OPC master set will find this an attractively priced, honestly graded example that ships sleeved and top loaded. Grade Estimate: EX 5