One of the greatest quirks about classic O-Pee-Chee cards regardless of sport was that the London, Ontario-based company was quick to update their cards with notations of trades or other player movement. The familiar "Now With..." notation was a part of Canadian childhood for many years as we saw many of our favorite players in their old uniforms since there was not enough time … [Read more...]
Top Banner 486X60
Vintage Pack Facts: 1977-78 Topps Hockey
The Montreal Canadiens were still dominant. Cleveland had a franchise. The Colorado Rockies (no, not the baseball team) were a team (and made the playoffs). The 1977-78 NHL season had a lot going on but American kids collecting hockey cards found a kind of comfort food in the form of Topps hockey cards, which still came with gum and plenty of … [Read more...]
1979-80 Topps Hockey Ushered In New Era
It was the first Topps hockey card set to feature The Great One, and the final one to include Mr. Hockey. In some ways, the 1979-80 Topps set ushered in the modern era of National Hockey League cards. Wayne Gretzky’s rookie card (No. 18) is the key card in the set, and the 264-card product is the final main run appearance of Gordie Howe (No. 175). Even the design signaled … [Read more...]
10 Underrated 1970s O-Pee-Chee and Topps Hockey Rookie Cards
The 1970s were a fantastic era to be a hockey collector as countless young people on both sides of the border were able to crack open packs each year and chew tons of gum. While not everyone kept their cards and may even have a few cavities to remind them of this time, those that still collect today may want to consider looking at grabbing some rookie cards from O-Pee-Chee and … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1974-75 O-Pee-Chee Hockey
Canadian collectors who began their ritual of buying hockey cards in the fall and winter of 1974-75 discovered some changes in the packs that they snared from the shelves of local markets and drug stores: they'd need to buy more of them if they had any hope of completing a set. Saving their snow shoveling and errand money to buy a full box was great--but they would … [Read more...]
1973-74 Topps Hockey Set Loaded With Hall Of Famers
The 1973-74 hockey season marked a changing of the guard in the NHL. The Philadelphia Flyers became the first team from the 1967 expansion class to win the Stanley Cup, stopping Boston in six games. Topps was also undergoing some changes in its hockey product, most notably expanding its set by 22 to an all-time high of 198 cards. That’s a good thing. Not only did a larger … [Read more...]
Bad Rap? 1977-78 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Set Does Have Merit
The 1977-78 O-Pee-Chee set has a bit of a bad reputation with collectors thanks to a lack of big rookie cards and a somewhat unimaginative design. For decades, it has been relatively ignored and the reasons for that are certainly fair from an investment standpoint. For those that have come to love it, though, 1977-78 O-Pee-Chee can have some hidden beauty which perhaps … [Read more...]
1976-77 Topps Hockey Short on Rookies but Big on Subsets and Inserts
For the most part, the 1976-77 Topps hockey set was your standard run-of-the-mill 1970s hockey issue. But in addition to numerous subsets in the release, Topps also introduced a unique insert, which helped it stand out from others. Here's a closer look at Topps' issue for the 1976-77 hockey season. 1976-77 Topps Hockey Overview The 1976-77 Topps hockey set was a 264-card … [Read more...]
1974-75 Topps Hockey Continued Shift Toward Larger Sets
After producing several issues that included only a few dozen cards, Topps made a major push in the 1970s to increase the size of its hockey sets. Here's a closer look at the 1974-75 Topps hockey issue that continued that model of growth. 1974-75 Topps Hockey Overview At the start of the decade, Topps' hockey sets consisted of 132 cards. That was double the size of what … [Read more...]
Hall of Famers, All-Stars Anchor 1972-73 Topps Hockey Set
Topps continued production of its hockey cards in 1972. The 1972-73 Topps Hockey set included a few rookie cards, but the set was led by the usual collection of Hall of Famers along with an All-Star subset. Here's a closer look at the issue more than 40 years later. 1972-73 Topps Hockey Basics The 1972-73 Topps hockey card set was fairly typical for what Topps produced in both … [Read more...]
