1971 O-Pee-Chee Tommy Joe Coffey #62 Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Description

1971 O-Pee-Chee Tommy Joe Coffey #62 Hamilton Tiger-Cats For collectors chasing the toughest receiving records of the Canadian Football League, this 1971 O-Pee-Chee Tommy Joe Coffey #62 Hamilton Tiger-Cats card delivers a true legend in his classic black and gold number 75 jersey. Tommy Joe Coffey was more than a split end, he was a West Texas State product who brought big play American college polish to Hamilton and rewrote the CFL record book with 549 career receptions which at the time of this 1971 card was the all time league record noted right on the back. The cartoon panel on the reverse captures his off field hustle perfectly with the caption Tommy Joe Runs A Business In Hamilton and the little illustration of Victor Business Services, a reminder that stars of this era worked second jobs and rooted themselves in their communities. Coffey was the 1970 Eastern Schenley nominee and a member of the All Canadian Team in 1970, a perennial All Eastern standout whose sure hands and route running made him a nightmare for Montreal and Toronto secondaries throughout the 1960s. The 1971 O-Pee-Chee set itself is iconic among Canadian collectors, using the same vivid red border design as the 1971 Topps NFL issue but distinguished by Montreal Alouettes and Tiger-Cats uniforms in the photos and by the historic bilingual backs that made OPC a cultural touchstone in every corner store from Ontario to British Columbia, with 132 cards organized by team plus a tiny print checklist. This example connects directly to that nostalgia while offering a cornerstone name for any Hamilton Tiger-Cats Hall of Fame run or CFL 1970s collection. this copy shows moderate handling wear that is typical for red border OPC cards which chip easily, with white showing along the lower edge and noticeable fraying at the bottom left and bottom right corners where the red has worn through, top corners are lightly soft with a small crease free touch of rounding, surface gloss remains present under the protective sleeve but with light print snow in the dark background, centering is approximately 65 to 35 left to right favoring the right side and 55 to 45 top to bottom, no major creases or wrinkles visible. This is a Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back with English and French biography text and the pink cartoon bubble with French translation plus O-Pee-Chee Printed In Canada at the foot. Conservative grade assessment is warranted because the bottom edge chipping and corner softness limit the ceiling even though the image remains sharp and colorful. Grade Estimate: VG 3