SOLD 1969-70 Topps Bob McCord #123 Minnesota North Stars VG-EX 4

Description

1969-70 Topps Bob McCord #123 Minnesota North Stars VG-EX 4 The 1969-70 Topps Bob McCord #123 Minnesota North Stars VG-EX 4 card features one of professional hockey’s most respected minor league defensemen during his NHL tenure with Minnesota. McCord is presented in a close portrait against a green background, with the North Stars emblem in the upper-right corner and the bold red team name beneath the image. The black skate graphic and green defense circle complete the set’s distinctive late 1960s presentation. Born in Matheson, Ontario, Bob McCord built an exceptionally long professional career based on physical play, durability and dependable work in his own zone. Although he spent significant time in the NHL with the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota North Stars, some of his greatest accomplishments occurred in the American Hockey League. McCord won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s outstanding defenseman twice, a major distinction that confirms how highly his all-around play was regarded. The reverse refers to that recognition and describes his reputation as one of hockey’s strongest fighters. McCord brought veteran stability to Minnesota during the franchise’s formative expansion years and appeared in 69 games for the North Stars during the 1968-69 season. His professional record eventually included hundreds of NHL games and extensive service in the AHL, giving the card appeal to collectors of both leagues. The reverse also includes a period cartoon explaining that McCord worked as a carpenter during the offseason, an engaging detail that reflects a time when professional athletes frequently maintained additional employment. This is the United States Topps version, as confirmed by the English-only blue and yellow reverse and the printed-in-USA statement. It is not a Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back and is not a puzzle back. The card’s corners show moderate rounding and compression, with the upper-left and lower-left corners appearing particularly soft. The cream border is toned and has scattered dark marks, small print defects and chipping along the bottom and side edges. Centering is noticeably shifted toward the left, leaving a narrow left border and a wider right border near the skate design. The portrait retains strong colour, but several surface specks and light handling marks are visible. No conclusive heavy crease runs through the card in the supplied scan, although fine wrinkles cannot be excluded while it remains inside the protective page. The reverse has softened corners, light border soiling and perimeter wear but remains complete and clearly readable. A conservative VG-EX 4 estimate accounts for the corner rounding, edge chipping, off-centering and surface marks. The card still presents well as an authentic vintage example, but its structural wear prevents a higher Excellent assessment. This raw grade opinion is based exclusively on the photographs and is not a promise of a third-party grading outcome. Grade Estimate: VG-EX 4