1970 O-Pee-Chee Ken Ferguson #56 Edmonton Eskimos VG-EX 4

Description

1970 O-Pee-Chee Ken Ferguson #56 Edmonton Eskimos VG-EX 4 Rounding out our Edmonton group is a 1970 O-Pee-Chee Ken Ferguson #56 Edmonton Eskimos VG-EX 4, a second raw single of the Saskatoon born centre and linebacker that gives set builders an affordable way to complete the Eskimos subset. Ferguson poses wide in his number 42 jersey with the vacant stadium rising behind him, and even in this well handled example the color photography and green team crest carry the full charm of the 1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL issue. Budget conscious collectors will recognize this as the kind of honest, playable card that lets a team set get finished this season rather than someday. The 1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL set remains one of the most evocative vintage Canadian issues, produced in London, Ontario with a team by team checklist and a design that echoes the 1969 Topps NFL release while speaking in a distinctly Canadian accent. The reverse is the classic Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back, not a puzzle back, with English and French text over a black field, green accent panels, and the cartoon trivia box that collectors love, all printed in Canada. For the Eskimos these were the patient years before the dynasty, and cards like Ferguson's document the roster that bridged the long gap between Grey Cup celebrations. Ferguson's biography reads like a western football road trip: a Saskatoon native raised in Vancouver, a college career at Utah State, two professional seasons with the B. C. Lions, and then a stint anchoring the Edmonton line as a centre and linebacker. The cartoon panel highlights that Ken is used for the long snap, the specialist skill that made him valuable on every special teams snap and gives this card its memorable trivia hook. Non-import players with his versatility were gold under the CFL ratio rules, and his story adds genuine narrative depth to an inexpensive single. the front shows its history with scuffing along the bottom border, a faded red initial in the nameplate, and rounded corners, while centering remains acceptable, and the bilingual O-Pee-Chee back presents the heaviest edge chipping of our Ferguson pair plus worn corners, though no creases, wrinkles, or stains are visible in the scans. Taking the front wear and the back chipping together, the conservative raw grade estimate is VG-EX 4, an honest grade that prices this piece as the accessible completion card it was meant to be. Grade Estimate: VG-EX 4