Any 1971 OPC baseball experts out there? (Ted Simmons card unusually shiny & slick to the touch)

BaltimoreYankee

I am about 300 cards into a 1971 OPC baseball set build. I just acquired this Ted Simmons card that just doesn't seem quite right. It has the typical OPC off centeredness and even the typical curvature (curving in from back to front - the opposite of a Topps card) but the front of the card seems way too shiny and is smoother to the touch than my others. It also feels maybe a hair thinner than my other 71 OPCs.
I'm sure if anyone was faking this card, they would do a better job with centering/condition.
Could it be that OPC had some differing card stocks that year? It just seems odd that this is the only card out of the 300 or so that kind of stands out. I know scans won't help but anyway....

DavidPuddy

I have a dozen or so.
Unfortunately, I don't have many other raw 71 OPC to compare them to. It's totally possible that there was different/thinner stock used for a few print runs.
Nothing would surprise me when it comes to OPC printing tactics in the 70's.
Your example shows both issues that plague that card. Poor centering and the stray black ink that runs vertically through Simmons' right side.

stevegarveyfan

Looks absolutely legit to me.

olb31

@stevegarveyfan said:
Looks absolutely legit to me.

i agree. maybe a psa 4

BaltimoreYankee

@DavidPuddy said:
I have a dozen or so.
Unfortunately, I don't have many other raw 71 OPC to compare them to. It's totally possible that there was different/thinner stock used for a few print runs.
Nothing would surprise me when it comes to OPC printing tactics in the 70's.
Your example shows both issues that plague that card. Poor centering and the stray black ink that runs vertically through Simmons' right side.

I agree. The stray black ink is very prevalent in the OPC version of Simmons' rookie card which really helps in determining that this is a legit card. It's just weird that it is extra shiny and slick.

craig44

I cant feel it, but It looks right to me in the picture.

waxman2745

Hi Daniel, this looks 100% legit, however I think I see 3 of the 4 corners as recolored. I looked through my 1971 OPC and did not find any glossy ones. Perhaps OPC used a glossy card sheet that was left over from a hockey set? The 1969-70 hockey set is glossy, so this is my theory. All that being said, this is certainly a scarce card (5-10% of the Topps population) and certainly a keeper!
Adam

FirstBeard

What does it smell like? I am being serious.

BaltimoreYankee

@waxman2745 said:
Hi Daniel, this looks 100% legit, however I think I see 3 of the 4 corners as recolored. I looked through my 1971 OPC and did not find any glossy ones. Perhaps OPC used a glossy card sheet that was left over from a hockey set? The 1969-70 hockey set is glossy, so this is my theory. All that being said, this is certainly a scarce card (5-10% of the Topps population) and certainly a keeper!
Adam

I'm surprised it took this long for someone to bring this up as the upper right corner especially does look suspect in the scan. My inspection of the edges shows no bleed through, nor is there anything on the back. I would hope that someone selling a card in this condition wouldn't bother with recoloring but you never know.
When I built my 71 Topps set, I bought the HOFers and more expensive cards already graded to save from potential trimming/coloring shenanigans.