1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Don Luce #95 Buffalo Sabres Center

Description

1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Don Luce #95 Buffalo Sabres Center Don Luce's 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee card shows the rangy centerman in his classic white Sabres home jersey, an image that captures a player who would go on to become one of the most respected two-way forwards of his generation. Acquired by Buffalo in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings during the 1970-71 season, Luce quickly became a foundational piece of the young franchise, known for his defensive reliability, faceoff prowess, and penalty-killing instincts as much as his offensive touch. The card back, written in both English and French per O-Pee-Chee's standard Canadian bilingual format, describes him as "a rangy centerman who uses his size to good advantage" and details his journey through the New York Rangers organization before landing in Buffalo, where he would spend the bulk of a decorated career. Luce would later be nominated multiple times for the Frank J. Selke Trophy, awarded annually to the league's best defensive forward, cementing his reputation as an ahead-of-his-time two-way specialist during an era when goal totals often overshadowed defensive contribution. He remains a fixture in Sabres franchise history and one of the most durable, dependable players to wear the blue and gold through the 1970s. This card, part of the 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee set, reflects the charmingly rough production values of early-70s Canadian hockey cards, including hand-illustrated cartoon graphics and full career statistical tables on the reverse. this is a true O-Pee-Chee bilingual back, not a puzzle-back variant, consistent with all Canadian OPC issues of the period. On close visual review the card presents with moderate centering drift toward the right border, a hallmark quirk of this set's inconsistent cutting process, along with light corner softening at the bottom right and minor edge wear along the top border. No creases or surface scratches are apparent, and the cardboard stock appears free of staining or moisture damage. The orange border retains good color vibrancy with only slight natural toning consistent with age. Given the visible centering issue and typical corner softness for a raw, ungraded card of this vintage, we are estimating conservatively rather than assuming gem qualities not confirmable from photographs. A solid, honest example of a key rotational Sabres player from the franchise's formative years. Grade Estimate: VG-EX 4