1970 O-Pee-Chee Dave Tobey #27 British Columbia Lions EX-MT 6

Description

1970 O-Pee-Chee Dave Tobey #27 British Columbia Lions EX-MT 6 The 1970 O-Pee-Chee Dave Tobey #27 British Columbia Lions EX-MT 6 card delivers the classic visual character that makes vintage Canadian football cards so engaging. Tobey is photographed in a ready stance wearing number 51, with both hands resting above his knees as he faces the camera. His white Lions uniform, orange shoulder panels, dark socks, and imposing linebacker posture contrast sharply with the green field and saturated blue sky. Stadium seating and light standards complete the period scene, while the original British Columbia lion emblem appears prominently near the lower right corner. This card belongs to the celebrated 115-card 1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL set. Its design is closely related to the second series of the 1969 Topps football issue, but the Canadian release features CFL players and atmospheric stadium photography. The reverse combines player information with a lighthearted green cartoon panel. Tobey’s biography appears in English and French, confirming that this is a Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back. It is not a puzzle back. The text identifies Tobey as a linebacker in his second season with the Lions and notes that he was considered one of the finest linebackers in the Western Football Conference. It also records his background at the University of Oregon. Tobey’s position made him responsible for stopping running plays, covering receivers, and organizing responses to the motion and spacing that distinguish Canadian football. His direct, balanced pose is an effective visual representation of that versatility. For collectors, the card connects BC Lions history with the broader evolution of defensive play during the late 1960s and early 1970s. It also preserves a strong example of O-Pee-Chee’s Canadian production, including the bilingual presentation that remains especially popular among domestic collectors. This example has strong visual appeal, with vivid colour, a clearly focused player image, and a complete caption and team logo. The corners show light to moderate softness, including small touches of wear at the tips, while the cream borders have mild age toning and a few tiny marks. The edges display light chipping and the slightly rough factory cut commonly associated with vintage O-Pee-Chee cards. Centering is respectable for the issue, though not mathematically perfect, with modest variation in the surrounding border widths. The black reverse shows scattered white chipping and rubbing around its perimeter, most noticeably at the corners and along sections of the upper and side edges. The bilingual biography and cartoon panel remain cleanly legible. No confirmed crease is present at this position, and the photographs do not reveal a definite wrinkle, major stain, writing, or paper loss. An EX-MT 6 estimate is suitably conservative because the card retains excellent overall presentation but has enough corner, edge, and reverse-border wear to prevent a near-mint assessment. This raw grade is based on the available scans and may differ from an in-person professional evaluation. Grade Estimate: EX-MT 6