1972-73 OPC Logo SPs: Atlanta Flames & NY Islanders

I have been eyeing these final two short-printed cards to complete my 1972-72 OPC Team Logo Set. They were expensive for what they are at $200 apiece. But since they are short-printed inserts from the third OPC series, I just haven't seen them come up too often on eBay or other vintage card sites.

Below is an uncut sheet of 1972-73 logos that has been on eBay for some time now (might be the asking price). These images illustrate why and which cards were SPs:

This sheets contains 6 rows of 11 cards for a total of 66 cards per sheet. Per the seller, this is the way these insert logo sheets were printed for this year. So this is not just half of a whole sheet.

Hypothesis: The sheets were half sheets because of die-cutting sensitivity.

1970-71 Topps/OPC Sticker Stamp Ron Ellis

There are 33 unnumbered and blank-back sticker stamps in the 1970-71 Topps/OPC Sticker Stamp insert set. I still need Gordie Howe to complete the set, but I have my eye on three different eBay auctions, so it shouldn't be too long.

These sticker cards were issued as an insert in the regular issue wax packs of the 1970-71 Topps hockey release, as well as in first series wax packs of 1970-71 OPC. There is no discernible difference between the Topps and OPC stickers.

Ron Ellis played 16 seasons in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs and won the Stanley Cup in 1966-67. He played in 4 All-Star Games and all 8 games of the 1972 Summit Series. Ellis scored a career-high 35 goals in 1969-70, and was eventually the last player remaining from the 1967 team to play with the Leafs.

Like many Leafs of old, he was treated horribly by Harold Ballard and Punch Imlach during "the mismanagement years" of the era. Ellis was unceremoniously cut from the team by Imlach partway through the 1980-81 season, and he retired at age 35.

1973-74 Quaker Oats WHA

The sole WHA set for 1973-74 was a food issue distributed in Quaker Oats products. Oddly, they were produced with no branding for Quaker on either the fronts or backs of the cards.

The complete set of 50 cards consists of 10 panels of 5 cards each, with each strip sealed in cellophane.

I picked up this complete set with the strips still intact for $99...a great deal in my mind at less than $2 a card.

1960-61 Topps #56 Bob Armstrong

I purchased a near-set of 1960-61 Topps that still needs a few cards, plus a handful of replacements for some filler cards that suffer from doodling. Do you think Topps/OPC got the idea to add "Traded to XXX" and "Now with XXX" after seeing all the cards from the 1950s and 1960s that people felt compelled to write updates upon?

Nicknamed "Satch," Bob Armstrong was a hard-hitting defenseman who amassed 99 points in 542 games for the Boston Bruins. He lost in the Stanley Cup finals three times to the Montreal Canadiens (1953, 1957 and 1958). He also played in the 1960 All-Star Game.

At the tail-end of his career, Armstrong played some time in the minors. He had a run-in with Don Cherry that ended with Grapes breaking his stick over Armstrong's head.

Bob began his second career after pro hockey at Lakefield College School in Peterborough, Ontario. He taught history and economics, and, naturally, coached the hockey team.

Bob Armstrong died in November 1990. The Bob Armstrong Rink at the Lakefield College School was dedicated in February 2006.

1968-69 OPC Puck Stickers #1 Stan Mikita

The first card in this insert set of 21 puck punch-outs from O-Pee-Chee was the finishing piece to my set. Chicago center Stan Mikita is most often credited with the creation of the curved stick blade in the 1960s...a guy named Hull took quick advantage of the innovation.

One of the NHL's most penalized players during his early years, Mikita went on to win the Lady Byng Trophy in 1967 and 1968. His reform is rumored to be the result of his young daughter asking, "Mommy, why does daddy spend so much time sitting down?" She had just seen dad take a seat in the penalty box during a televised road game.

Only Nicklas Lidstrom, Alex Delvecchio and Steve Yzerman had a longer career playing for only a single team.

1939-40 OPC V301-1 #1 Reg Hamilton

I've rounded up about 25 of the 100 5"x7" cards that comprise this black and white set. Card #1 is defenseman Reg Hamilton with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Each card was sold one at a time in cello packs.

He won the Stanley Cup twice with the Leafs: in 1941-42 and 1944-45.

Notice the elbow pads worn outside/on top of the sweater.

1923-24 V128-1 Paulin's Candy #1 Bill Borland

Defenseman Bill Borland leads off the 1923 V128-1 Paulin's Candy issue. The Winnipeg-based chocolatier offered a set of 70 cards featuring players in the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) in its packages as part of a redemption offer described on the back of each card.

Borland is featured with the Manitoba Hockey League's Selkirk Fishermen. 

The Paulin's cards are extremely condition sensitive because the paper stock is so thin. This one is in rough condition, but that's what you get for $10.