1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL Greg Findlay #35 British Columbia Lions EX-MT 6

Description

1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL Greg Findlay #35 British Columbia Lions EX-MT 6 Greg Findlay's card number 35 from the 1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL set is a great look at a homegrown Canadian linebacker playing a rugged position for the British Columbia Lions. Born in Timmins, Ontario, Findlay was a proud non-import, meaning a Canadian-born player, which gave him special value in an era when Canadian teams were required to field Canadian talent. As the back of this card notes, Findlay was entering his fourth season as a linebacker, and he was regarded as an exceptional athlete, a physical, instinctive defender in a conference full of hard-nosed football. The front image shows Findlay charging downfield in the orange-and-black Lions uniform, his number 79 visible, framed by the white border and stadium backdrop that define the 1970 issue. This card is a lovely representation of the Canadian content that made O-Pee-Chee's CFL product unique, because unlike its American counterparts, this set celebrated players who toiled in Regina, Calgary, Vancouver, Winnipeg, and all the other Canadian football towns that took the three-down game so seriously. The 1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL set is also notable as the first bilingual Canadian CFL issue, and the back of this card carries both English and French text on the classic black and green design. Findlay's career may not have the headline star power of a quarterback, but his card is exactly the kind of solid role-player issue that rounds out a Lions team set and gives vintage CFL collectors a complete picture of the era's rosters. This card displays strong corners with only faint softness at the tips, clean edges with no notable chipping, a bright surface free of creases and wrinkles, and fairly even centering with a slight lean toward the right, and the back is the standard Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back and is not a puzzle back. Given the clean, nearly crisp presentation and only the mildest era-level wear, a conservative raw grade estimate of EX-MT 6 is the honest call. Grade Estimate: EX-MT 6