1971 O-Pee-Chee Johnny Callison #12 Chicago Cubs

Description

1971 O-Pee-Chee Johnny Callison #12 Chicago Cubs Before the broadcaster's booth and the nostalgia circuit, Johnny Callison was one of the most electrifying right fielders in baseball, and this 1971 O-Pee-Chee Johnny Callison #12 catches him smiling with bat on shoulder in the classic blue Cubs road uniform. The sky-blue CUBS banner and the orange outfield label give the card a crisp Wrigleyville charm, and the facsimile signature flows across the stadium backdrop in confident script. O-Pee-Chee's 1971 Canadian printing was produced in dramatically smaller numbers than Topps, so a 1971 O-Pee-Chee Johnny Callison #12 with strong eye appeal is a scarce find for Cubs team sets and for collectors of the era's great outfield arms. Callison's legend was forged in Philadelphia, where he finished second in the 1964 National League Most Valuable Player voting and launched one of the most famous swings in All-Star history, a walk-off three-run home run that won the midsummer classic for the National League in the ninth inning. The back of this very card notes that he led National League outfielders in assists from 1962 through 1965, proof of a cannon arm that held runners to the bag and turned singles into outs from the warning track. By 1971 he had brought that veteran presence to the Chicago Cubs, and this sunny portrait preserves the final chapter of a career that once rivaled the game's biggest stars for pure excitement. the front is the sharpest of the group with only minimal corner wear, a touch of light chipping along the bottom black border, and centering that leans slightly left at roughly 55/45, while the gloss survives beautifully with no creases, wrinkles, or surface marks visible in the scan. The reverse presents the Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back rather than a puzzle back, with light even toning and clean corners that speak to careful storage. Even so, we keep the estimate conservative because black borders reveal handling under magnification, and this example's strong surface and bold color support the top grade estimate of the nine while remaining honestly assessed. Grade Estimate: EX-MT 6