1971 O-Pee-Chee Garret Hunsperger #43 BC Lions Vintage CFL Football

Description

1971 O-Pee-Chee Garret Hunsperger #43 BC Lions Vintage CFL Football This is a highly collectible card from the 1971 O-Pee-Chee CFL set, featuring defensive end Garret Hunsperger of the BC Lions with his first name misspelled Garret on the front, missing the second T that appears correctly as Garrett on the back. Card number 43 in the 132-card set, this uncorrected error is documented in the major card catalogs, including the Trading Card Database, which flags it with a UER designation for Uncorrected Error. Hunsperger was one of the most feared defensive linemen of his era, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound powerhouse out of Central Missouri State University who was renowned for his exceptional strength, including a legitimate 500-plus pound bench press. After serving in the armed forces, Hunsperger drove to the Lions training camp from Kansas City in a Jeep, a colorful anecdote immortalized in the cartoon on the back of this card. He joined BC in 1969 and spent six seasons with the Lions through 1974, earning Western Conference All-Star honors multiple times including 1974 when he was also named a CFL All-Star. He finished his CFL career with the Toronto Argonauts in 1975 after being claimed off waivers. Over his career he appeared in 91 CFL games and was regarded as one of the strongest players in professional football, a player who regularly demanded double teams from opposing offensive lines. The back of the card recounts his journey from the armed services to the Lions on the advice of a friend, with the full French translation on the bilingual reverse. The card front features the classic red border design with the Lions logo and Defensive End position. The back is an authentic O-Pee-Chee bilingual card with English and French text, O-Pee-Chee copyright, and Printed in Canada. It is not a puzzle back. The misspelled first name on the front makes this a particularly desirable card for error and variation collectors who specialize in the 1971 O-Pee-Chee CFL set, as it adds a fascinating element of printing history to an already appealing vintage card. The card shows corner wear with softening at all four tips, particularly the bottom corners, and minor edge friction along the red borders. The name misprint Garret is crisply printed and clearly visible, with no smudging or ink bleed affecting the error. The photo area is clean with no creases, wrinkles, surface scratches, or staining, and the centering is slightly toward the top. The reverse correctly spells Garrett and is free of pen marks, writing, or paper loss, with the cartoon and bilingual text sharp and legible. The cardboard exhibits natural age toning consistent with a 1971 issue but no foxing or water damage. A conservative raw grade estimate of EX 5 is based on the corner wear while recognizing the error is well-struck and the card is free of any structural damage. Grade Estimate: EX 5