1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL Basil Back #88 Name Error Calgary Stampeders EX 5

Description

1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL Basil Back #88 Name Error Calgary Stampeders EX 5 Bring home a distinctive piece of Canadian football history with this 1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL Basil Back #88 Name Error Calgary Stampeders EX 5 trading card. The card features the Calgary centre in a classic full-colour stadium portrait, crouched over the football in his red Stampeders uniform, with the club logo and period typography completing the vintage design. This is an especially interesting example because the printed name reads Basil Back, while the player is correctly known as Basil Bark. That uncorrected name error is an important identifying feature for collectors who catalogue Canadian football variations and vintage O-Pee-Chee issues. The 1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL set consists of 115 standard-size cards and is remembered for its colourful player photography, cream borders, bold red and black lettering, and Canadian bilingual production. Unlike a modern glossy release, this card has the warm paper tone, slightly muted colour and hand-printed character that make early 1970s Canadian sports cards so appealing. Basil Bark had already established himself as a dependable offensive lineman before arriving in Calgary from Montreal for the 1970 season. He went on to become a fixture at centre for the Stampeders, earned Western All-Star recognition in 1971 and 1973, and helped Calgary win the 1971 Grey Cup. The reverse shown in the photographs is a Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back, not a puzzle back. It is printed in English and French, identifies Calgary, lists Bark as a non-import centre, records his Montreal trade, and includes the green cartoon trivia panel and Printed in Canada line that distinguish this Canadian issue. The front presents well with strong red uniform colour and a clear image, while the cream border shows modest age toning. The top corners are softly touched rather than sharp, the lower left corner has light rounding, and the lower right corner has a small amount of whitening near the border. The long edges show minor intermittent chipping and handling wear, most noticeable along the lower edge. A few tiny marks and fine lines are visible in the sky and jersey areas, but no major full-length crease is clearly confirmed in the supplied photographs. The reverse has light surface rubbing and several fine vertical hairlines in the black field, with mild whitening at the exposed edges and around the corners. Some diagonal lines may be reflections from the protective sheet, so the grade is intentionally conservative. Front centering appears close to 55/45 left to right and approximately 50/50 top to bottom, with the reverse panel similarly balanced. The card remains an attractive raw collectible for a Calgary Stampeders, CFL, Basil Bark or O-Pee-Chee set collector, and the name error adds a useful talking point without claiming a rare insert or certified variation. Grade Estimate: EX 5