1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Ron Anderson #298 Chicago Cougars WHA Vintage Card

Description

1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Ron Anderson #298 Chicago Cougars WHA Vintage Card Capture a piece of WHA history with this 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Ron Anderson #298 single trading card, an original issue from the league's inaugural season with all the colourful punch of early-seventies O-Pee-Chee printing still intact. Ron Anderson, a defenseman born November 13, 1948, in Red Deer, Alberta, was a mid-tier WHA rookies-and-journeyman in the 1972-73 season, playing for the Chicago Cougars before going on to suit up for several of the league's other clubs during its wildly itinerant run. Anderson's #298 sits squarely in the heart of an OPC high-number range, and the card itself embodies the era's signature graphic design: full-chest portraiture in the white Cougars jersey that frames the Cougars' leaping-stripe crest on the chest, mustard-yellow and orange sleeve-stripes flowing through the shoulders, and a vibrant red-orange photo background that renders the entire composition into a colourful capsule of sport-orienteering pop-art. Collectors chasing the 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee WHA set covet the Canadian-only release for its inherent scarcity, since the O-Pee-Chee imprint was a Canadian distribution outlet that produced distinct cards for the Canadian market, separate from the Topps-issued 1972-73 WHA American set. The back is the canonical Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual card, presenting Anderson's biography in parallel English and French parallel columns, the orange-and-black title strip at top with the Chicago Cougars franchise logo, and the trademark red italic "O-Pee-Chee" wordmark framed by the "© O. P. C." and "PRINTED IN CANADA" stamps. the front corners show clear wear at upper-left and lower-right—the diagional pattern typical of OPC stack-rot—with soft white tipping. Centring is excellent on the front, only a hair of bias to pull-right; back centring matches. Edges show two minor contact-dings, one on the upper-middle and one on the lower-middle, neither breaking into the cardstock. No creases, no surface scratches, no wrinkles visible. Gloss is intact across the entire photo face, and laminate surfaces return light without flaking. Conservative grade: EX-MT 6; corners hint at NR-MT 7 if a subgrade-forgiving grader were doing the assessment. Grade Estimate: EX-MT 6