1971 O-Pee-Chee Norm McRae Denny Riddleberger #93 Rookie Stars Washington Senators

Description

1971 O-Pee-Chee Norm McRae Denny Riddleberger #93 Rookie Stars Washington Senators Complete a challenging Canadian team or rookie subset with the 1971 O-Pee-Chee Norm McRae Denny Riddleberger #93 Rookie Stars Washington Senators. The split design pairs pitcher Norm McRae in the upper panel with left hander Denny Riddleberger below, all beneath bold red SENATORS lettering and the yellow 1971 ROOKIE STARS banner. Deep black borders, red name blocks and contrasting portrait panels give this card exceptional shelf presence. The player names are printed design elements, and the card is not autographed. Card #93 is recognized as a dual Rookie Stars card for both pitchers, making it relevant to rookie collectors as well as builders of the final Washington Senators issues. The yellow and black reverse was printed in Canada and presents information in English and French. This is a Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back, not a puzzle back. It is scarcer than the American Topps counterpart, while the easily marked black border and O-Pee-Chee cutting characteristics make high-grade examples particularly difficult. Norm McRae reached the majors with Detroit in 1969 and worked 19 games for the Tigers in 1970 with a strong 2.87 earned run average. He was then included in the major October 1970 trade that sent Denny McLain, Elliott Maddox and Don Wert to Washington, placing him within one of the era’s most discussed multi-player deals. Although McRae never appeared in a regular season game for the Senators, this card records his place in that transitional roster. Denny Riddleberger debuted for Washington in September 1970 and allowed only one earned run across eight appearances, producing a 0.96 earned run average. He remained with the Senators for their final 1971 season in Washington, pitching in 57 games with a 3.23 earned run average before later joining Cleveland. The franchise moved to Texas for 1972, so the SENATORS identity gives this rookie card an added layer of expansion and relocation history. The reverse lists both pitchers’ records, physical details and bilingual career notes. The front shows pronounced white chipping along the top and both side borders, repeated wear along the lower black edge and rounded whitening at all four corners, with the upper right and lower left areas appearing especially rubbed. A pale scuff is visible in the red Norm McRae name panel, and another light mark appears near the right side of the lower portrait area; some fine lines and specks may be on the protective sleeve, but the larger visible wear is consistent with the card’s aged borders. Centering is reasonably presentable with a mild lateral shift and no severe cut. The reverse displays even toning, edge wear and softened corners without visible handwriting or major paper loss. No certain full crease is visible, although the extensive perimeter wear and sleeve-limited view call for caution. A conservative VG 3 estimate reflects the heavier chipping, corner rounding and visible surface scuffs while recognizing that the card remains complete, colourful and structurally presentable. This is an affordable, story-rich Canadian rookie card tied to the last season of Major League Baseball in Washington before the Rangers era. Grade Estimate: VG 3