1971 O-Pee-Chee George Reed #103 CFL All-Star Saskatchewan Roughriders Card

Description

1971 O-Pee-Chee George Reed #103 CFL All-Star Saskatchewan Roughriders Card George Reed was one of the most feared fullbacks in the CFL during the late 1960s, and this 1971 O-Pee-Chee CFL card, number 103, preserves his close up portrait in the green of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The tight crop on his face gives the card a modern, magazine cover feel, and it is one of the most visually striking of the Riders cards in this set. Portrait cards like this one tend to age as eye catchers in display cases, which adds to their appeal beyond set completion. The card is a piece of O-Pee-Chee's 132 card set for the 1971 CFL season, organized by club across the nine teams in the league, with the Saskatchewan block running through the 90s and 100s. The bright red border and white framed photograph on the front are the signature design of the issue, and the back is the classic Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back, with Reed's biography in English and French beneath the O-Pee-Chee trademark and the printed in Canada line. There is no puzzle back, because this is a Canadian O-Pee-Chee issue, and that bilingual layout is the hallmark collectors check when verifying the set. The card back tells the story of a dominant era for Reed: in 1966, 1967, 1968, and 1969 he was named to the All CFL team and received the Eddie James Award, which the card credits to his standing as the West's leading rusher, the recognition of a fullback who owned the position for four straight seasons. Listed at 6 foot 0 and 205 pounds, he came to the league out of Washington State, where he had played as an offensive fullback and defensive lineman. The cartoon panel notes that he is active in public relations work, one of the personal touches O-Pee-Chee added to its 1971 CFL cards. By 1971 Reed was in the latter part of his prime, and the card captures a veteran who had already written his name into the history of the position. the photos show this to be one of the cleaner cards of the group, with only light edge wear along the bottom edge, gentle rounding at the upper left corner, and no chipping, no creases, no repair, and no writing on either side. The portrait is well centred, estimated near 50/50, and the green of the jersey is rich and even against the red border. Sleeve reflections in the listing photos are not surface defects. With only the light edge wear and corner rounding factored in, a conservative raw estimate is VG-EX 4, with the card near the top of the band and a candidate for an EX 5 under a loupe. Collectors searching for the 1971 O-Pee-Chee George Reed #103 CFL All-Star Saskatchewan Roughriders Card will find this a desirable single, as Reed's card regularly draws more attention than the average position player in the set. Grade Estimate: VG-EX 4