1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL Henry Dorsch #74 Saskatchewan Roughriders EX 6

Description

1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL Henry Dorsch #74 Saskatchewan Roughriders EX 6 The 1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL set captures a golden, unglamorous era of Canadian football, and Henry Dorsch's card number 74 is a wonderful slice of that time, showing the dual-threat athlete listed as running back and defensive halfback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Dorsch arrived in Regina by way of Tulsa, and as the back of this card notes, he was acquired via trade from Ottawa, which illustrates how the nine-team CFL of 1970 operated with players moving between Canadian cities almost as readily as they toured the country. The photo on the front uses the white-bordered design that O-Pee-Chee adapted from its American partner for the 1970 season, framing Dorsch in the green Riders jersey with a stadium backdrop and the team logo printed in the lower right corner. This card carries genuine historic appeal because 1970 O-Pee-Chee is the set that introduced the bilingual English and French backs that became a Canadian collecting signature, marking a subtle but important shift in how Canadian cards were produced and how CFL players were marketed to fans in both official languages. Dorsch's position listing, covering both a running and defensive role, is a reminder of the two-way, unselfish football common in the Canadian game before specialization took over. For a modest player without Hall of Fame status, this listing is priced for the set builder and the collector who appreciates the charm and print quality of early O-Pee-Chee CFL issues rather than for the star-chaser. The card shows sharp, nearly-square corners with only the faintest tip softness, clean edges free of noticeable chipping, a smooth surface with no visible creases or wrinkles, good centering with only a marginally heavier right margin, and an occasional light print speck that reflects the era's card stock rather than any storage damage, and the back is the standard Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back and not a puzzle back. After careful review, and weighing the excellent corners and clean, bright surface against only the mildest printing and centering imperfections, a conservative raw grade estimate of EX 6 is appropriate. It is an honest, well-preserved copy of a lesser-known CFL card that would fit nicely into a completed 1970 set. Grade Estimate: EX 6