At the end of the day it’s a piece of damn cardboard. My thoughts always wander back to that idea when it comes to this hobby. We’re chasing little pieces of cardboard. Were I “Joe” or “Jane Q. Public” then perhaps that’s where my framing of card collecting both starts and stops. Coming from that place, it is completely understandable that one might view the economical and emotional valuation of these little pressed pulp rectangles just a tad puzzling (if not downright laughable). I can’t argue that perspective either, because the assessment those of us with a stake in this game make is not inherent in the card itself. Reminder: It’s only a cardboard rectangle with a picture on it. So what is it then that bridges the gap from a little meaningless paper card to some and a valued object worthy of protection, holding both monetary power and the ability to evoke strong emotional reactions for others? Simply put? It’s the meaning we ascribe to it.
The latest addition into my somewhat futile attempt to compile the “Ultimate Set” of hockey cards (head over
here to see what that means) is my personal touchstone release when it comes to the idea of the meaning and value we place on something. The 1980-81 OPC set. This is the first set of cards I can clearly recall seeking out and buying as a kid. Back in the day, growing up on the west side of good old Saint John, New Brunswick. As a reward for making a run up to the corner store to grab my father a pack of smokes I could take an empty Coke bottle or two for the return change. While I was just as prone to cashing that in for a paper bag filled with penny candy, some rolls of paper caps to explode, or other assorted nonsense, I did make quite a habit of picking up these 10/15 cent wax packs of hockey lore. I’m not overstating that either. I distinctly remember pouring over the backs of these cards and soaking in this information like it was telling me an unfolding story: Who were the teams? Who filled what roles? What path did respective players take to get where they were? What were all these numbers telling me? How does this help me understand the game? This was all a rather passive exercise as I recall, in as much as I wasn’t pouring over this like a latter life me would be cramming for licensing exams or defending academic research. No, it was more an enthrallment with what was in front of me in that moment. A recognition that there was something with a history being told, and a future unfolding, and this guy wanted to be hip to what was going down! It was for me and others of my age and time, the mythology of our time in as much something like Star Wars was also, and Harry Potter would be for those a decade or more after us. It connected us to the sport on another level at a time where, in our neck of the woods, the three channel antenna game viewing was limited to one Saturday night game a week, nothing more. And for the record: I didn’t overlook the gum. It was always crap and doesn’t deserve discussion absent the fact it could bugger up a nice card by leaving a stain on it! I always saved it to pawn off on someone trying to bum gum off me and they weren’t Hubba Bubba-worthy…
As for the specimen for today, I chose this beauty rookie card of one of my all-time favs Mike Gartner:
So much to love with these cards. We’ve got an ‘80’s-upped design shift, foreshadowed in the 79-80 release, from the series of the 70’s. Increasingly angled team badging as opposed to the more standard balanced take, also allowing for a sharper presentation of the photo borders. The puck as both a nameplate and position identifier in both Anglais et Francais et magnifique aussi! On top of this, the color contrasts of the team related photo boarder and the offsetting colours of the puck really made the card pop when you flipped through, taking your focus in so many directions as you took it in. As opposed to the Topps release which saw a black “scratch-off” coating placed over the name portion of the puck, the OPC surface was delivered “as is”, not requiring the type of reveal that could really do a number on the quality of the surface after the fact.
The backs of these cards were designed by an ADHD coke addict……maybe? Perhaps I can just settle on “they are a little busy”. Don’t get me wrong as I love them, but there’s a lot crammed into a small space! And yet, it works. The puck theme was carried to the back as well to frame the card number, leading into the contrasting shades of early 70’s green for the team name and bilingual position badging. A little dive into basic player background info, jumping out with the help of the white to green contrast, with a brief hockey bio write up on the featured player before jumping into some career stats. The cool thing at this stage in the game was that we were into year two of the WHA – NHL merger, and for players like Gartner who was a part of both leagues we see the collective pro stats presented. A nice captured moment of change in the history of North American pro-hockey! Then, a common find on hockey cards of the pre-junk wax era, we have the little piece of trivia with a related cartoon as the cherry on top, which often highlighted something relevant to the card, be it the player or team. This overall card back is my trigger, in that it puts me right back into the moment where I’m in front of the glass display case at M&K Convenience staking claim to the top pack in that box behind the candy, hoping to hit that Gretzky to add to the collection. It’s mental and emotional time travel for me, and I reckon plays a huge role in the value I, and others like me, place on this little piece of cardboard.
In contrast to sets of the modern era, most (not all though) sets did not contain subsets, so I won’t have to spell them out below. At the same time, it is worth sharing a few interesting pieces of info about the set in general:
1) The 396 card set contained a big chunk or relevant rookie cards in it, including Gartner, Bourque, Messier, Goulet, Langway, Liut, Propp, Smyl, Ramage, Vaive and Hartsburgh.
2) The set contains five Gretzky singles in it, the first of which (card #3), is near impossible to find in gem mint condition due to our bad habit of placing elastics around our stacks of cards! When placed in order, this Gretzky, and the #2 Bourque record breakers, often bore the brunt of greater wear and tear from the application and removal of our high tech card storage restraining device.
3) The set contained cards featuring members of the 1980 Winter Olympics team, with Team USA Hockey logos on the front.
4) The set has nasty centering problems, even more so than one would expect from pre modern release products.
Previous Entries Into The Ultimate Set Build
20008 UD Champs
Champ’s Mini Signatures
2017 Upper Deck Toronto Maple Leafs Centennial
Maple Leafs Marks
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
20008 UD Champs
Champ’s Mini Signatures
2017 Upper Deck Toronto Maple Leafs Centennial
Maple Leafs Marks
Previous “Who Am I?” Articles
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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
Previous ”Random Hockey & Hobby Randomness” Posts
Gump, Game Used Beer, Ebay & Hevy Devy
Selling Kayfabe, Card Pics and Paper Babies
Previous Random Hockey Musings
Oh? Canada? A Hockey History…
Previous “Top Shelf Cards” Articles
Auston Matthews UD Premier Mega Patch
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