Anyone who is new to my shtick could understandably be left thinking that I’m all about waxing poetically on the hobby. Reflecting on the beauty of product in a manner often reserved for all but the most stunning pieces of art or landscapes of nature. You wouldn’t necessarily be wrong! I do get caught up in words at times, and can lay things on a bit thick, albeit coming from a very genuine place when it comes to my feelings for what I’m talking about. If I’m going on and on it’s being driven by a sincere appreciation for the subject.
Inferred in this, however, is that my speaking positively requires the presence of something positive to speak of. There is a subjectivity here as people’s tastes do differ. That being said, a turd is a turd is a turd, and calling a pile of it a rose garden doesn’t make it smell any better, does it? There are some stinkers out there my friends, and rather than denying it, why not embrace them? It’s the hobby equivalent of slowing down for a look at a fender bender while we drive! The very sight of some of these gives me a bloody headache; what I refer to as an “Eye-Graine”. Crack open the Tylenol, and let’s begin a journey into awfulness…
1989-90 OPC Randy Cunneyworth
Gather round kids and let’s have a chat about a time before photoshop. If you were a card company pre-90’s and needed to have a card of a player who had been traded during the previous season but didn’t have a picture of them available, you had one of two choices: indicate on the front of the card that they had been traded and let the viewer put two and two together as to why the jersey didn’t math the team name on the card OR touch up the negative. Despite OPC having relied on the “Traded by…” or “Now with the…” snippets very regularly throughout the 80’s, seemingly without too much grumbling from collectors, mucking around with a picture they already had was the trigger pulled for Senior Cunneyworth when it came to the 89-90 OPC release.
Just so you are aware, an available option would have been cutting the man’s head out from a negative and placing it on the body of another person in a Jets uniform. This was an option! Before anyone says it: it was an option EVEN IF THEY DIDN”T HAVE THE NEGATIVE! Just take a picture of the picture and voila! You have yourself a negative. It had been done before with varying levels of success. And yet, the decision was to Bob Ross this mofo into Winnipeg gear. OPC drew a Jets uniform over him. Rather than a “happy accident” though, the result was a surreal piece of art that had no hope in hell of going unnoticed. Lay thine eyes upon the cartoonish result:
Feast your eyes upon this beauty, huh? To be fair, this would not have been a bad piece of work were the intent to create an entire picture of Sir Cunneyworth in action. As is thought, this is more believable a picture if you were told it was a novelty shot, with Randall having placed his head in a stand-up, painted cut-out of a player in front of a faux-crowd background. Maybe they had one in the lobby of the arena? Feed me that information I might just buy it and even get a kick out of it!
Here’s the thing that always got me about this card: Why not stop at just the jersey? This picture likely came from the 88-89 season when this fella played in Pittsburgh. As best as I can see, the gloves were pretty much a solid black that year. What was the problem with black gloves with the Jets jersey? In fact, were it not for the excessively cartoony vibe from the gloves, the jersey would not be nearly as obvious. Just STOP!!! Enter Billy Mays.
The stick. Let’s draw an obligatory Sher-Wood in there to make this even less believable, ok? Slap an un-taped wooden twig in there to concurrently add authenticity and look less realistic at the same time. Because he just needed to be in that Jets uniform. It was essential!
Randy Cunneyworth’s career as a Jet? A solid 28 games before being shipped off to Hartford in December 1989. Two months memorialized with art where cutting and pasting his head would have sufficed. Investment paid off…
Positive vibes to you all. Please put some care into you and yours this beautiful day and look out for one another where possible! Our impact on others with even the smallest of actions, is far greater than we tend to realize. My best your way…
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Do you have a piece of treasured memorabilia that has a great story behind it? Let me know and you can be featured in an article. Doesn't matter how big or small the piece is, how valuable it may be, or whether it's a common item or more oddball. If you think it has a story, contact me via the information below and we'll chat. In the meantime, check out some previous "Display Case" articles via the links below to see what others have submitted in the past...
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Shawn Gates
[email protected]
Facebook: ShawnMcShawn
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Previous “Ultimate Set Build” Articles
1959-60 Parkhurst
59-60 Base
1980-81 O-Pee-Chee
80-81 Base
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee
90-91 Base
1991-92 Upper Deck
High Series Young Guns
1994-95 Fleer
94-95 Base
2005-06 ITG Heroes & Prospects
Prospects Base
2008 UD Champs
Champ’s Mini Signatures
2016-17 Upper Deck Parkhurst
Rookie Red Parallel
2017 Upper Deck Toronto Maple Leafs Centennial
Maple Leafs Marks
2018-19 Upper Deck Tim Horton’s
Clear Cut Phenoms
Previous ”The Display Case” Posts
#1: The “Frankenstick!”
#2: Your desk has the right to remain collectable!
#3: Have Pads, Will Travel
#4: Pick a Pekka (Rinne) Autographed Mask
#5: Ted Lindsay Gets Kronwalled?
#6: The Only Thing We Have To Fehr Is Fehr Himself
#7: “Hungary” For Team Canada Swag
#8: The Soldiers Kid and “The Kid”
#9: Fan Appreciation & Player Humility Via The '72 Series
#10: Bobby Orr and....Birth Control?!?!?!
#11: Johnny Bower The “Portrait” Of Health At 88!!!
#12: Scotty Bowman – Stick Detective!!!
#13: Touch 'Em All Joe!!!
#14: Joey and Sergei's European (Lockout) Adventure!!!
#15: I’d Give The Jersey Off My Back For You…
#16: The Case Of The 1940’s Era Leafs
#17: Scrapping The History Of The Isles...
#18: Gretzky “Re-Signs” in Edmonton
#19: Gilmour Is Such A Caricature!!!
#20: Toys In The Attic
#21: The Right King Place At The Right King Time
#22: Momma Bear Takes On A “Killer”!!!
#23: Leafs Lunch Stool
#24: The 50 Goal Stub
#25: Scoring From The Rafters
#26: Junior Jersey Mail Order Mayhem!
#27: Stick with the Stick!
Previous “Who Am I?” Articles
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Previous “Devil In The Details?” Articles
Centering
Corners
Previous Random Hockey Musings
Oh? Canada? A Hockey History…
Industry Blow To Topps Possible Foreshadowing For The NHL, NHLPA & UD
As The Fanatics Plan Unfolds What To Make of the NHL, NHLPA & Upper Deck
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