1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL Charlie Brown #29 British Columbia Lions EX 5

Description

1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL Charlie Brown #29 British Columbia Lions EX 5 The 1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL set is one of the great underappreciated vintage Canadian issues, and card number 29 featuring Charlie Brown of the British Columbia Lions captures the energetic young running back at the very start of his professional journey. Brown came out of South Carolina State and signed with the Lions, quickly earning carries in the wide-open Western Football Conference. As this card's back text proudly notes, despite being just 24 years old, Brown was already in his second season and displayed plenty of poise, a charming editorial touch that makes early O-Pee-Chee CFL backs so collectible. The front shows Brown charging with the ball in the orange-and-black Lions uniform, one of the classic early West Coast CFL looks, set against a stadium behind the white border of the 1970 design. This card also holds a special place for the set builder because it is a young running back's early card in the Canadian league, adding depth to a Lions run on a checklist that heavily features the powerhouse outfits from British Columbia. The 1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL issue is historically significant because it was the first year O-Pee-Chee fully embraced the bilingual English and French card back to observe Canadian language regulations, giving the whole set a distinctly Canadian character. For collectors assembling the 115-card set by team, the Lion cards form a sought-after grouping, and a raw, clean Brown is an easy pickup that strengthens any CFL lineup. The card shows fairly sharp corners with light, very soft tip wear, generally clean edges, a smooth uncreased surface with no visible wrinkles, and centering that sits modestly left of true with a slightly heavier left white border, and the back is the standard Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back and not a puzzle back. On balance, with no creases and only typical era softness, a conservative raw grade estimate of EX 5 is appropriate. It is a clean, honest vintage CFL card at an accessible price point. Grade Estimate: EX 5