1971 O-Pee-Chee Larry Slagle #30 Rookie Card Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Description

1971 O-Pee-Chee Larry Slagle #30 Rookie Card Winnipeg Blue Bombers There is a lovely bit of cross league trivia hiding on the back of this 1971 O-Pee-Chee Larry Slagle #30 Rookie Card Winnipeg Blue Bombers card, since the cartoon reveals that Slagle played at UCLA with Mel Profit, the Bruins pass catching star who became a Toronto Argonauts legend and a Los Angeles television sports personality. That Hollywood connection makes this card a favourite for collectors who like their Canadian football with a dash of pop culture, and it is Slagle's only O-Pee-Chee issue, which gives it genuine rookie card status. A 6 foot 3 inch, 245 pound import guard from UCLA, Slagle had been a CFL regular for four years when this card was printed, and the card back credits his partnership with Ross Richardson as one of the best guard combinations in the league, high praise for a pair of linemen in the toughest offensive division of the era. He played in the classic three down game at a time when the Blue Bombers were one of the most physical teams in the West. The 1971 O-Pee-Chee CFL set is the brand's signature Canadian football issue from the early seventies, 132 cards of red bordered design with white name plates, framed colour photos, the football graphic, and bold team lettering, and this card presents the familiar head and shoulders portrait against a deep blue sky. The scan shows clean, vibrant colour with the white numbers on the blue jersey picking up the light nicely. through the protective sleeve, the corners show modest wear overall, with the bottom-left carrying the most rounding and a slight touch at the others, the edges are solid with only a couple of micro specks and a faint vertical printing streak visible near the left side of the football graphic, and the centering is roughly 55/45 left to right, with the white photo frame resting slightly toward the right. The surface is free of creases and wrinkles, though tiny white print specks appear in the red border at the top-left and a few flecks sit in the photo, all factory artifacts rather than damage. The back is the Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back, with the English and French biography panels on tan stock, and it is not a puzzle back, since the 1971 design uses the cartoon format with the © O-PEE-CHEE and PRINTED IN CANADA line. A conservative raw grade lands in the EX range, and the Mel Profit angle makes it a charming conversation piece for any vintage football collection. Grade Estimate: EX 5