1971 O-Pee-Chee Leo Cardenas #405 Minnesota Twins

Description

1971 O-Pee-Chee Leo Cardenas #405 Minnesota Twins Great defensive shortstops rarely receive the hobby attention given to sluggers, which makes this 1971 O-Pee-Chee Leo Cardenas #405 Minnesota Twins card a quietly excellent buy for collectors who know their baseball history. Cardenas is photographed in a classic ready position in Twins pinstripes, glove low and eyes locked forward, the very image of the steady infield anchor he was for sixteen major league seasons. The high card number, bold black border and facsimile signature of Leonardo Cardenas across the photograph give the card strong visual character. As a Canadian printing of a five time All Star in the middle series of a famously tough set, it offers far more substance than its modest raw price suggests. Born in Matanzas, Cuba, Leo Cardenas established himself with Cincinnati, where he earned four National League All Star selections and a Gold Glove Award in 1965 while developing a reputation as one of the surest handed shortstops in the game. Minnesota acquired him from the Reds before the 1969 season and he helped the Twins capture the first two American League West division titles in 1969 and 1970. The reverse of this card explains that he led American League shortstops in games and defensive production during that period after piling up 570 assists in 1969, and that he helped Minnesota establish a club record of 177 double plays. His printed 1970 statistics show 160 games, 34 doubles and 11 home runs, numbers that underline how much more he contributed than the light hitting shortstop stereotype of his era. In 1971 he added an American League All Star selection with Minnesota, and he was later inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in recognition of his outstanding years there. This is the Canadian O-Pee-Chee edition of the card, confirmed by the golden bilingual back with French text in the dark side panel, French and English statistical headings and the printed in Canada T. C. G. line. The reverse portrait inside the starburst design, complete statistics through 1970 and biographical details from his home in Cincinnati are all sharp and easy to read. The 1971 set is a cornerstone of vintage collecting because its black borders are both beautiful and brutally revealing of wear, and the O-Pee-Chee print run was a fraction of the American Topps production. Collectors pursuing the full Canadian set know that clean looking mid grade cards of established stars are the backbone of an achievable build. The front presents with generally pleasing colour and gloss for the issue, with light white speckling along the black edges, the most noticeable touches appearing along the bottom edge and at the lower corners. All four corners show small touches of softness rather than sharp points, and a few faint surface marks can be seen in the sky area at the upper right of the photograph, although no crease or wrinkle is apparent in the provided scans. The bilingual back looks clean and complete with strong print and no writing or marks observed. Centering is good for this set, with the photograph sitting close to even from left to right and perhaps only a fraction heavier black border on the right side. The scattered edge speckling and corner touches are enough to keep the card out of excellent territory on a conservative reading, so it is best described as a very good to excellent raw example that will sit comfortably in a Twins team set or a Canadian 1971 binder. Grade Estimate: VG-EX 4