1969-70 O-Pee-Chee Bill McCreary #181 St. Louis Blues (EX)

Description

1969-70 O-Pee-Chee Bill McCreary #181 St. Louis Blues (EX) One of the strongest condition cards in this group: a sharp, eye-appealing example of Bill McCreary's 1969-70 O-Pee-Chee card #181, featuring the veteran winger in a dynamic on-ice action pose from the third series of the classic 231-card set. Bill McCreary Sr. (note: not the Hall of Fame NHL referee of the same name) was a durable, hard-nosed left-winger from Sundridge, Ontario who played professional hockey for over 15 years by the time this card was issued — a fact the back of the card proudly highlights in both languages. After stops in Detroit, Montreal, Toronto, and New York during the Original Six era, McCreary was claimed by the expansion St. Louis Blues in 1967 and became a steady presence on their forward lines, contributing 13 goals and 17 assists in 71 games during the 1968-69 season shown on this card. Though listed at just 5'10" and 172 lbs, the famous cartoon on this card's back leaves no doubt about his weapon of choice: "BILL POSSESSES A BOOMING SHOT" / "BILL A UN LANCER FOUDROYANT," paired with a cartoon of Bill winding up for a slapshot and a starburst graphic highlighting that he "averaged 24 goals per year in the C. P. H. L." (Central Professional Hockey League). This 1969-70 O-Pee-Chee Bill McCreary #181 features the full-length on-ice pose against the rich teal-blue arena background unique to the third-series Blues cards — McCreary hunched over his stick in the blue #15 Blues sweater with the bold gold/yellow waist and sleeve stripes, Cooper gloves on display, the pink Wing position disc (one of the most attractive position colour combinations in the set) in the lower-right, and the familiar red stick graphic and circular Blues crest patch completing the design. As a third-series high-number (#181 out of 231), this card was printed later in the production run than the early-series cards, which often helps explain why high-number 1969-70 OPC cards tend to survive in slightly nicer shape than their low-number counterparts. The reverse features the standard bilingual layout: vitals (age 35, 5'10", 172 lbs, Sundridge, Ontario, second NHL season after his long minor-pro/O6 journey), dual-language bios, the 24-goals-per-year cartoon, season-by-season and lifetime NHL stats, and the vertical © T. C. G. PRINTED IN CANADA stamp. This is one of the nicest cards in the nine-card collection. Corners: all four corners retain good point with only the very lightest touches; the top-left and bottom-right show marginally more handling but are far from rounded. Edges: perimeter wear is very mild, with just a tiny micro-nick visible along the top edge near one corner and no major chipping or edge fraying. Surface: the front photo is bright and clean with strong ink registration, vivid teal background colour, and no visible creases, wrinkles, stains, or gum marks. Centering: slightly off-center horizontally, leaving a touch more white border on one side; top-to-bottom centering is close to perfect. The back of this copy shows moderate tanning/foxing concentrated in the upper-left quadrant (consistent with decades of light exposure through the sleeve), but the cartoon, stats, and bios remain fully legible with no paper loss. Grade Estimate: EX 5