Post by Sea Dogs Beach on May 15, 2013 1:11:06 GMT -8
At a glance, most O-Pee-Chee and Topps baseball cards put out between 1965 and 1992 look the same. But when you look a little closer, there are some noticeable difference. Besides the logo, the biggest is the bilingual text that starting appearing on the back of O-Pee-Chee cards in 1970. Both English and French were included.
The copyright in the fine print on the back is another way to quickly spot an O-Pee-Chee Baseball card. This is especially important for 1990 and 1991 O-Pee-Chee Baseball where the set kept the Topps markings. The copyright is the fastest way to tell the Canadian cards from the American.
Another quirk to many O-Pee-Chee cards are traded lines that note off-season roster moves. Often, O-Pee-Chee would keep the same photo and switch out the logo and team name. The card front would also have a small, "Now with..." note.
Both of the above Tony Gwynn cards are 1988 Canadian O-Pee-Chee and U.S. Topps.
Some O-Pee-Chee baseball cards have different photos as well. Often, this was for trades, but not always. Sometimes it's a simple photo variation when placed alongside their Topps counterpart. Variation card backs can also be found with alternate comics. The retired blog, Oh My O-Pee-Chee is a great source for variations between the two companies.
O-Pee-Chee baseball sets are traditionally smaller than Topps sets from the same year. This often means a lot of number changes and players left off of checklists. Understandably, O-Pee-Chee also put a greater emphasis on Toronto Blue Jays and Montreal Expos. Sometimes this meant players getting added to an O-Pee-Chee set that weren't in Topps. One example of this is 1988 O-Pee-Chee Baseball, which included draft pick cards of Delino DeShields (Montreal) and Derek Bell (Toronto). Neither would appear in American sets until a couple of years later. 1992 O-Pee-Chee also has a series of Gary Carter tribute cards showcasing the different teams he played for. These are not in the 1992 Topps set
Read More: The Cardboard Connection
The copyright in the fine print on the back is another way to quickly spot an O-Pee-Chee Baseball card. This is especially important for 1990 and 1991 O-Pee-Chee Baseball where the set kept the Topps markings. The copyright is the fastest way to tell the Canadian cards from the American.
Another quirk to many O-Pee-Chee cards are traded lines that note off-season roster moves. Often, O-Pee-Chee would keep the same photo and switch out the logo and team name. The card front would also have a small, "Now with..." note.
Both of the above Tony Gwynn cards are 1988 Canadian O-Pee-Chee and U.S. Topps.
Some O-Pee-Chee baseball cards have different photos as well. Often, this was for trades, but not always. Sometimes it's a simple photo variation when placed alongside their Topps counterpart. Variation card backs can also be found with alternate comics. The retired blog, Oh My O-Pee-Chee is a great source for variations between the two companies.
O-Pee-Chee baseball sets are traditionally smaller than Topps sets from the same year. This often means a lot of number changes and players left off of checklists. Understandably, O-Pee-Chee also put a greater emphasis on Toronto Blue Jays and Montreal Expos. Sometimes this meant players getting added to an O-Pee-Chee set that weren't in Topps. One example of this is 1988 O-Pee-Chee Baseball, which included draft pick cards of Delino DeShields (Montreal) and Derek Bell (Toronto). Neither would appear in American sets until a couple of years later. 1992 O-Pee-Chee also has a series of Gary Carter tribute cards showcasing the different teams he played for. These are not in the 1992 Topps set
Read More: The Cardboard Connection
