1971 O-Pee-Chee Glen Schapansky #29 2nd Year Card Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Description

1971 O-Pee-Chee Glen Schapansky #29 2nd Year Card Winnipeg Blue Bombers Fans of Canadian football love a homegrown line story, and this 1971 O-Pee-Chee Glen Schapansky #29 2nd Year Card Winnipeg Blue Bombers issue tells one of the best in the series. Schapansky came out of Western Ontario and made what the card back calls the jump direct from junior ball to pro ball, a rare path that highlights how much the small pool of Canadian talent meant to clubs in the early seventies. He had been a Blue Bomber for four years by the time this card was printed, anchoring the interior of the defensive line with a physical, gap eating style, and the cartoon panel teases that he is the tallest defensive end on the squad, a wink at his imposing frame. This is his second O-Pee-Chee card, following his 1970 issue, and together the two trace the arc of a Canadian defensive tackle earning his keep in a league where every non-import roster spot was fought over fiercely. The 1971 O-Pee-Chee CFL set, 132 cards of red bordered, white name plated, colour photographed goodness, is one of the most collectible Canadian football issues of the decade, and Schapansky's card uses one of its best action style poses, the three point stance on the practice field with the trees and sky behind him. The card is a great period piece of the Bomber training camp atmosphere, with the blue and gold uniform, the white numbers, and the W logo patch on clear display. He played in the three down game's most physical trench battles in an era before free agency shuffled rosters yearly, when players like Schapansky were true community fixtures. through the protective sleeve, the card shows generally sharp corners, but the top-right corner area carries a noticeable tan and yellowish stain marking creeping down from the top edge, with slight rounding at that corner, while the other three corners are strong, the edges are clean apart from minor specks on the left border, and the centering is about 55/45 left to right with the photo frame sitting slightly toward the right. The surface shows no creases or wrinkles, and the photo area is clean with good colour, so the stain at the top-right is the single defining condition issue on an otherwise handsome card. The back is the Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back, with English and French biography text on the tan stock, and it is not a puzzle back, since the design uses the cartoon and text layout rather than puzzle art, with the © O-PEE-CHEE and PRINTED IN CANADA line present. A conservative raw grade in the EX range fits, and at this price the card is a sensible, honest addition to a 1971 Bomber team set. Grade Estimate: EX 5