1971 O-Pee-Chee Greg Pipes #58 Edmonton Eskimos

Description

1971 O-Pee-Chee Greg Pipes #58 Edmonton Eskimos Anchor your defensive line collection with this 1971 O-Pee-Chee Greg Pipes #58 Edmonton Eskimos card, featuring the Canada Packers Most Valuable Player and one half of the most feared interior duo in the CFL. The 1971 O-Pee-Chee set is a classic Canadian only release, prized for its red borders, real game day photography, and bilingual backs that include humorous cartoon facts. At 132 cards, it is a manageable but challenging vintage set to complete in high grade because the red borders chip so easily. Greg Pipes was worth the challenge for opposing offenses to deal with. A 5 foot 11, 235 pound import defensive tackle from Baylor University, Pipes is listed as American with French translation on the back, and his cartoon proudly declares Greg won the Canada Packers Most Valuable Player in 1970. That same year he was nominated on the first ballot of the 1970 Schenley Award, as the back text explains, and he and John LaGrone are described as the backbone of the Eskimos defence, a pairing that made Edmonton extremely tough against the run. For Baylor Bears fans, this is a great early pro card of a standout defensive lineman, and for Eskimos historians it represents the heart of the early seventies defense that paved the way for later Grey Cup glory. The front portrait shows Pipes with his trademark mustache and intense gaze, wearing the green and gold with the EE logo prominently displayed. This is a Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back with pink cartoon bubble, English and French biographical information, and O-Pee-Chee Printed in Canada footer. The front centering is about 55/45 left to right and 60/40 top to bottom, with vivid color and no print defects. Corners show very light softening at the top left, with the other three corners presenting as sharp. The red border is clean with only minimal chipping at the bottom edge. The back is tan stock with even toning, no creases, no surface wrinkles, and crisp black ink. No writing or stains are present. We estimate a conservative raw grade of EX 5 to EX-MT 6, leaning to EX 5 for strict grading due to the single soft corner, but the card has excellent visual appeal. If you are looking for 1971 O-Pee-Chee Greg Pipes #58 Edmonton Eskimos, this is a strong mid grade example of a key defensive award winner. Grade Estimate: EX 5