O-Pee-Chee Baseball - Why so little interest???

FB

Sure... I know that most of us didn't collect these as kids... And I'm not thrilled by the French on the backs (or is the language now "Freedom"?). They're rough cut, with mostly bad centering on cheap paper stock and they generally skipped the last few series that Topps covered. Plus, they can be hard as heck to find.

I was flipping through the Mastro catalog this afternoon and my first thought was "WOW! - So much O-Pee-Chee available" and my second thought was "if it goes like eBay - no one will care!".

I looked over the O-Pee-Chee Baseball sets from 65 - 79 and found that there are only about 3 sets above the 10% mark and maybe 10 sets total registered

Why do so few collectors collect these????? Also, does anyone know any of the O-Pee-Chee Baseball history? How did the partnership come about?

67standup

Shhh...if interest goes up, so does demand, so goes price. There's a small circle of us diehards, I would first suggest visiting the OPC website.

OPC Central

CON40 just emailed me a great Beckett Vintage Article from 2002 on this subject. PM me with your email and I will send to you.

In sum, it's bittersweet: too much demand, then it's not a specialty anymore and cards will be more expensive, too little, and cards aren't worth enough proportionate to scarcity.

mikeschmidt

Most people find the french distracting, number one.

Number two - it is just so dang hard/rare - that people are driven away. Just like there are tons of 1915 Cracker Jack collectors and relatively few 1914 Cracker Jack collectors - same with OPC and Topps

jdalymgd

I would have to agree. It is impossible to find. I live on the Ontario border and card shops in Canada don't have it. Paul

ydsotter

I like them a lot. especially the 1971 topps issues.
anyone have any?

CW

On top of all the reasons already mentioned, maybe it has a little
to do with the fact that baseball is "America's pasttime", so most
collectors simply prefer cards made in the U.S. over their Canadian
counterparts.

There's a great little article on the history of O-Pee-Chee in
the OBC newsletter archives, if anyone's interested.

murcerfan

Generally the paper stock was cheaper, the cutting methods brutal and the printing color/registration done by a drunken Frenchman

67standup

<< <i>I like them a lot. especially the 1971 topps issues.
anyone have any? >>



I finally completed a set, and now I'm starting to holder the key cards. The '71 is registered with SGC, while my other completed OPC sets are with PSA. I've only bought one graded '71 - a Seaver PSA 8, the rest were raw then submitted. The reason I chose SGC for this set is because I like how the black border looks in the SGC holder. A SGC 50 Ryan I listed sold for ~ $54 because I have a Ryan in PSA 7. The only key card below EXMT, SGC 80 or PSA 7 is my Mays. So if you have a nice one...

murcerfan

i have a munson '71 opc in sgc 88.......offers via pm considered.

FB

Thanks for the input guys,

CW - nice little article! Thanks!

CON40

I too am surprised why OPCs haven't taken off (mind you I'm not complaining about it)... but in a card era of short prints, parallels and scarcity, OPC seems to dovetail right in. Because the designs are like Topps, it is similar to a parallel issue. Because of the extremely low print runs, they are like short prints. And because of poor production, finding them in high grade is truly scarce.

Toss in the latest craze with collecting hi-grade "lo-pop" cards and you think it would be a no-brainer that many collectors would be flocking to old OPC issues. I cannot figure out why for the most part they remain overlooked. I hope they don't catch on until I have secured PSA 9 1975 and PSA 9 1976 OPC Ryans. Then, let all hell break loose!

SPAM Alert: BTW, I have 1965 OPCs of Aaron and Mays both in PSA 8 I am considering selling. PM me if interested!

67standup

Well, the 1975 OPC Ryan PSA 9 did go for $1700+ a few months ago...

zsz70

I agree with CW.
Baseball and Topps is American.

Same reason why OPC hockey cards
are more desirable than Topps.
OPC and hockey are Canadian, along
with a few other reasons.

marc

67standup

Baseball is German, that's why the 1932 Sanella Ruth's go for about $100

sjeanblanc

One of the other problems with OPC is that they were issued in uncut sheets and many have been burned by cards that have been graded by SGC and BGS. It doesn't take many burn jobs before you get really skeptical and just stay away.

On the other hand Player set collectors pay decent prices for Ryan, Rose, Schmidt, and others. The Ryans are the ones that I have the most knowledge of and I feel they have gone for pretty decent prices in Mint 9 or better condition. I guess unfortunately for the OPC issues once the major collectors have what they are looking for the cards tend to drop in price.

These are some of the prices I have seen or paid for some Ryan OPC's:

1968 OPC #177 Ryan PSA 7 $600
1968 OPC #177 Ryan KSA 8 $750
1968 OPC #177 Ryan raw $412 (big mistake)
1970 OPC #197 Ryan Saves the Day raw $20 (going in for grading now)
1971 OPC #513 Ryan raw $202
1971 OPC #513 Ryan PSA 7 $180
1973 OPC #67 Ryan K Ldrs raw $40 graded PSA 7
1973 OPC #220 Ryan PSA 9OC $125
1973 OPC #220 Ryan AGS 8 $108 crossed to PSA 6
1973 OPC #220 Ryan PSA 8OC $80+
1973 OPC #220 Ryan PSA 9OC currently on Ebay
1974 OPC #207 Ryan K Ldrs PSA 8 $50+
1975 OPC #500 Ryan PSA 9 $695
1975 OPC #500 Ryan PSA 9 $1700+
1975 OPC #5 Ryan HL PSA 8 $250
1975 OPC #7 Ryan No Hitters PSA 8 $75+
1977 OPC #6 Ryan K Ldrs PSA 9 $130+
1977 OPC #264 Ryan Record Breaker PSA 10 $600
1978 OPC #6 Ryan K Ldrs raw $4 graded PSA 9
1978 OPC #105 Ryan PSA 9 $150
1978 OPC #241 Ryan Record Breaker PSA 9 $75
1983 OPC #360 Ryan PSA 9 $35
1992 OPC Ryan PSA 10 $65
1992 OPC Ryan PSA 9 $35

I think that the 1975 OPC Ryan PSA 9 that went for $1700+ might be the start of a trend at least for late 60s and early 70s OPC cards. The commons may not become popular but the stars, I think will start getting more repect.

Scott Jeanblanc
jeanblanc@iconnet.net
Ebay UserID : sjeanblanc
--------------------------------------------
Collecting Nolan Ryan cards (68-94)

mikeschmidt

<< <i>Well, the 1975 OPC Ryan PSA 9 did go for $1700+ a few months ago... >>




That's the whole problem with OPC - you get the player collectors willing to pay huge premiums for cards - but there really isn't anyone who is seriously building the entire set in graded form. I've seen PSA 9 1/1 commons from OPC in the 1970s not realize $5-$8 in an opening bid. Player collectors take their cards - and the rest is relegated to the vast collecting wastelands.

67standup

Thanks Scott. Condition is one reason why I like OPCs, no lot of ten PSA 10s here. I enjoy cards in which there is a very small population of PSA 7-10s, this way if you do have one, it's something extra special. It's already special because of the short print. Venezualans are that way, a PSA 5 or 6 is the top tier. When a rarity grade like the recent Venezuelan 1964 Kaline PSA 8 comes around, then it's the equivalent of a Topps Regular PSA 10.

The fact that most pre-1977 OPC submissions don't receive a "high" grade is one big reason why people collect OPCs. And it's also the reason why many stay away.

CON40

Scott;

Nice post! Thanks for the info on Ryan OPC sales... I think I may account for a couple of those. Interesteing to see two 1975 OPC PSA 9s go for such vastly different prices. Was the $695 sale some time ago? If not, where was I, damn!

I just got a straight PSA 8 73 OPC #220 Ryan for the opening bid last week... $175. I was happy to get it, but shocked. The 76 OPC in PSA 8 went for almost $575 a couple months earlier. More proof you just don't know where these cards will price out from one to the next.

packCollector

I think it would be very difficult to build an entire opc set in psa 8+ , I focus on redsox and any stars or popular players in high grade.

here are the results from my last submission , i also have a 130 card 73 opc submission still pending . I think they are fun as it is tough to find centered cards and anything high grade in general.

1972 O-PEE-CHEE 474 ORIOLES ROOKIES BAYLOR/HARRISON/OATES 9
1973 O-PEE-CHEE 10 DON SUTTON N/A 9
1973 O-PEE-CHEE 14 SONNY SIEBERT N/A 9
1973 O-PEE-CHEE 65 E.R.A. LEADERS S.CARLTON/L.TIANT 9MC
1973 O-PEE-CHEE 69 PHIL GAGLIANO N/A 8
1973 O-PEE-CHEE 90 BROOKS ROBINSON N/A 9OC
1973 O-PEE-CHEE 131 RED SOX MGR/COACHES N/A 8
1973 O-PEE-CHEE 131 RED SOX MGR/COACHES N/A 9
1973 O-PEE-CHEE 165 LUIS APARICIO N/A 9
1973 O-PEE-CHEE 190 BOB GIBSON N/A 8
1973 O-PEE-CHEE 193 CARLTON FISK ALL-STAR ROOKIE 8
1973 O-PEE-CHEE 270 LUIS TIANT N/A 9OC
1973 O-PEE-CHEE 275 TONY PEREZ N/A 8
1973 O-PEE-CHEE 291 ROGELIO MORET N/A 9
1973 O-PEE-CHEE 300 STEVE CARLTON N/A 8
1973 O-PEE-CHEE 330 ROD CAREW N/A 9
1973 O-PEE-CHEE 541 BOB BOLIN N/A 7
1973 O-PEE-CHEE 596 RED SOX TEAM N/A 9OC
1973 O-PEE-CHEE 614 ROOKIE OUTFIELDERS BUMBRY/EVANS/SPIKES 8
1973 O-PEE-CHEE 615 ROOKIE 3RD BASEMEN CEY/HILTON/SCHMIDT 8
1973 O-PEE-CHEE 620 TOMMY HARPER N/A 8
1975 O-PEE-CHEE 309 STOLEN BASE LEADERS B.NORTH/L.BROCK 8
1975 O-PEE-CHEE 532 GORMAN THOMAS N/A 9

67standup

<< <i>


That's the whole problem with OPC - you get the player collectors willing to pay huge premiums for cards - but there really isn't anyone who is seriously building the entire set in graded form. I've seen PSA 9 1/1 commons from OPC in the 1970s not realize $5-$8 in an opening bid. Player collectors take their cards - and the rest is relegated to the vast collecting wastelands. >>



I'm somewhat seriously building a graded 1968 OPC set (60 out of 196, complete in raw.) I also have a complete 1971 set, but only grading the stars and high numbers (about 30)...grading all 752 is a bit much at this point. I agree with your assertion above, but who knows about tomorrow. If anyone has PSA 9 commons for 1966,1968,1970,1971,1974,1975 or 1976, please let me know. My 1973 is SGC, 1971 is a mix.

goodriddance189

while we're on the subject of Nolan....how much would a 1980 OPC PSA 9 go for? a few hundred?

i want one

CON40

gr;

Even 8s on that are not too easy to come by. I have a very nice one at PSA right now... at least a high-end 8, depends on the rough-cut tolerance of the grader. But, if I get a poor grade due to something unforseen by me, then no matter the price, your bid would be less than mine!

sjeanblanc

Keith,

At the time the 1975 OPC #5 PSA 8 came out it was and maybe still is the only PSA 8 with none higher. I dropped a last second bid of $253 and was shocked when I didn't beat you out for it.

The 1975 OPC #500 Ryan PSA 9, I think I picked up early on in my Ryan feasting, which would probably be around late 2001/early 2002. If I remember the auction the seller had a reserve on it, and I was the only one that was willing to meet it. I think if I sold mine now (which I'm not) I might make a tiddy profit.

I also noticed that the last 1975 Topps #500 Ryan Mini PSA 9 went for 1200+ just recently and I think I got mine for around $770. That 1975 Topps #5 Ryan HL PSA 9 is already at a price that I wouldn't go after, especially since the pop exploded to 13.

I still kick myself for not having bid on the 1968 OPC Ryan PSA 7, its opening bid was $600 and noone bid until the last few seconds. I didn't bid because at the time the price was $100-$150 more than a Topps PSA 7.

Scott Jeanblanc
jeanblanc@iconnet.net
Ebay UserId : sjeanblanc
------------------------------------------------
Collecting Nolan Ryan cards (68-94)

CON40

Scott;

You have definitely gotten some nice Ryan OPCs and great 75s in PSA 9... somehow, that keeps eluding me even when I do have the money to bid... I was pleased to get that 75 OPC #5 for $255... I think my high bid had been over $300 as it is a tough card and I could afford to do it (not always the case unfortunately!).

I am hoping that PSAs recent $5 special will shake out more MINT 9 75 Topps Ryans... and 78s too! I can't believe those keep topping $300... they're just not worth it as the pop will keep rising.

RayBShotz

FB - I have dabbled a bit in trying to acquire some cards for my 69' OPC Baseball set but very rarely find gradeable examples. When items do pop up on ebay from time to time there seems to be just enough interest to keep them from being bargains.
At 218 cards the 69' set is considerably smaller than the US issue and contains only cards 1 to 218.
Even my lack of focus on this set will cause me to miss items from time to time and you constantly have to weed through all those Hckey cards on ebay looking for what you want.

If anyone knows of any 69' kicking around just grop me a line. PM or email to aja4rayb@msn.com

FB- Your 50+ pct complete on the 72' OPC's is as or more impressive as a lot of the rest of your sets. It's a bugger.
Best of Luck.

RayB69Topps

FB

Ray,

With a few cards that I'm awaiting right now - my 72 OPC set should be at 54% shortly. I'm also awaiting about 70 more cards to be graded on the end of Feb - $5 1972 to present invoice - most of which I need. So, with any luck, I can get to 65% by mid-May. I'm still hoping to get this thing done in PSA 8 or better - but I'm not foolish enough to throw away a PSA 5 until I have something better in hand!

I was really, REALLY hoping to be able to win the 72 OPC lot on Mastro this month - but at $3K its just beyond my grasp now. I figured that if I could sell the 5 complete sets for what I paid, I could keep the 750 extra cards (the best ones from all the sets of course) and send them in for grading. But alas... I think that at $3K, its a crap shoot as to whether it would part out that high - since PSA 8 commons sell for $8 if at all...

NickM

I can add the following prices to the discussion:

'79 OPC Ryan PSA 8 - $15.51
'78 OPC Brock PSA 9 - $8.50
'78 OPC McCovey PSA 8 - $7.00

BTW, '78 OPC is now listed on the registry.

Nick

RG58

For some crazy reason I am building a 1979 opc baseball set PSA grade 9-10

I will pay a decent price for 9s and 10s only.
Based on the pop report, this may never be possible.
I will likely have to buy unopened wax and grade myself at some point. However, I tested the waters by buying two unopened packs a few months ago and quickly realized that buying a wax box at the going price of 175-200$ will not yield enough mint cards to make it financially a wothwhile endeavor.

If anyone has commons from this set already graded PSA 9 and wants to part with them, email me at rgerst@hotmail.com

Fuzz

Frank,
I think for all the reasons above. I like you am a set builder and have focused my attentions on the 60's OPC sets. It is like a nightmare of catch 22's only it goes by in very slow motion.
Opening packs or vendors certainly is no guarentee that you will get anything gradeable. I opened a 68 pack with the highest card I got a 7 (the others were an o/c something or other and a 5 for a surface scratch). The wrappers are rare enough and the packs scarce enough, at least in my era, that prices will always be to high to gamble on.
The card quality is awful. Poor production stock, cutting equipment that used the little plastic knives from Mc Donalds, printing issues). Most cards that you find, even untouched are not worth grading.
The cards are incredibly hard to find. In Canada, in the US, doesn't matter. So little material was produced that just finding ANY condition examples of some cards is very time consuming at least.
Regarding the slabbed cards. There is not a quantity available that would really spark a few people to try to put together sets. Since there are few collectors, prices are often low if cards can even be sold. If there is no $, the people that have these cards, will certainly not take their nice ones and put them in slabs hoping to get a break even return. So no cards get slabbed which feeds the know collectors.
Last year, I bought several pop 1/1 PSA 9 1966's on eBay for the minimum bid of $15. I think I paid less than $10 for the 8's and was the only bidder on the cards. This seems to be a nasty cycle that I think will be broken in the long run through high prices on stars that will go primarily to player collectors.
That makes this market very dicey, few dealers have cards and book prices are out the window. Few people want the cards so dealers who do buy are often stuck with cards that won't move. I have been in several situations where the dealer will not budge on a card I would like and I won't either and it sits in his inventory gathering dust until someone else comes along.
In my nearly forty years of collecting many different things, this is easily the most frustrating venture I have ever under taken. This is even more painful by far than putting together Proof coin sets from the 1800's and that is saying a lot. I have this portion of my collection "on hold" for now until I get the patience to put up with it again.

KalineFan

I am interested in your Willie Mays and Hank Aaron OPC's PSA 8's Keith!

Email pricing and what kind of payment you need. Thanks! Tony

CON40

Tony;

I don't have a link to your email... can you PM me and I will chat with you offline! Thanks!

KalineFan

My email is joead@frontiernet.net
I am totally computer stupid! LOL
In fact, I have never figured out
what "PM" me even means!


Thanks, Tony

We have severe storms here at
the moment....will be off for a while

hbsturn

I tried sending a pm regarding the 1965 opc psa 8's of Mays and Aaron (maybe I'm doing it wrong?) ............Harold (hbsturn@hotmail.com)

jackstraw

guys,
see the little padlock looking thing to the top right of the message box? that is the "private message" enabler? you need to update your profile and click on accept private messages. just click on the profile button at the top of the page and update yours its that easy. when you get a private message you will see a line under the collectors universe logo at the top of page and it will say no new messages or 1 new message just click read and reply.

Lothar52

i rather own a topps card of any american team in an american sport...but if i was into hockey..why not collect the canadian cards of a canadian sport....

loth

67standup

Good thread: Some data to supplement replies given:

POP reports: # of graded for OPC and Topps

1965 - 298/48013 (.6%)
1966 - 247/3316 (.7%)
1967 - 66/46567 (.1%)
1968 - 354/72044 (.5%)
1969 - 191/53141 (.4%)
1970 - 128/42921 (.3%)
1971 - 336/49742 (.7%)
1972 - 836/55577 (1.5%)
1973 - 500/29864 (1.67%)
1974 - 128/34738 (.37%)
1975 - 500/57209 (.87%)
1976 - 120/29128 (.41%)
1980 - 77/18209 (.42%)

These numbers could be an indicator of scarcity, popularity, or hesitation to submit OPC because of natural poor cuts and centering.

Toughest years (not necessarily confirmed by POP report:

carewfan4life

I am proud to say, one of the best things i ever bought that i have not opened is a complete unopened box from 1973 and one from 1975 of OPC. Back in 1985, i met a man that opened up a rinky dink card shop in Glendora,Calif. I later found out that he owned to pawn shops. Most of the cards in the shop had come via the pawn stores. He had a friend that lived somewhere in Canada and was shipping him some of the boxes (maybe 3 or 4 of each year mentioned above. At that time he charged me $15 a pack for the 73's and $13 a pack for the 75's. Well i was in construction at the time making good money and i didn't know anything at all back then about OPC. I did buy one full box from each of those years and still have them in the safety box today. Too scared to open them now!!
If PSA ever decides to grade packs i might break em' out. But they are fun to look at when i go to the bank.

downgoesfrazier

I have been collecting pose/team variations for my 1977 Topps set...

EXAMPLE: Dave Cash Variations (pose)

I have discovered that I really dig OPC baseball. The lighter stock really brings out deep, rich colors and I am one of those collectors that likes rough cuts as well...


dgf

CON40

dgf;

I like the pose variation on the 77 OPC Ryan better than the Topps too... the closer portrait shot really captures Ryan's stare... and the brighter stock does make the color more rich and saturated!

This would be a good OPC set to build as it is not as scarce as earlier issues, has some nice pose/team variations, and is not nearly as common as some newer issues.

Good luck!

mikeschmidt

<< <i>I have been collecting pose/team variations for my 1977 Topps set...

EXAMPLE: Dave Cash Variations (pose)

I have discovered that I really dig OPC baseball. The lighter stock really brings out deep, rich colors and I am one of those collectors that likes rough cuts as well...


dgf >>




What's surprising is that not only are the poses different on the card - but the signatures are different, too (albeit slightly...) I thought that there was generally a "file signature" that just got recycled - guess not in this case

downgoesfrazier

Schmitty,
You have GOT to be one of my favorite collectors. I figured nobody else cared about the sigs. I actually thought I'd mention it and then thought--who would care? Marc is all over it. I sure wish OPC had made a Dawson single card. They thought enough to make Gary Woods happen among others, but the Hawk only exists on the topps regular issue and is ONE BUTT-UGLY CARD!!!

dgf

FB

Well...

Grades finally posted on the 72 OPC's that I sent in. Over all - I felt that the grades were fair. (Unfair in my direction would have been nice - - but I'll take this with no complaints!) This will put me at just short of 62% complete.

Invoice 553620 - zip 07090

royalbrett

I've been talking about OPC baseball For over a couple of years now.
I like to pick up a few 60s and 70s here and there.
I know that majoryankeefan on ebay bids on a ton of them.

67standup

Mark Murphy just listed a 1966, 1967, 1970 and other OPC unopened packs that are getting a lot of interest. I'm certainly not speaking on behalf of all OPC collectors, but most of us want a little more attention to these issues, but not too much. Some very high grade '72s were also listed today.

NickM

mikeschmidt - they do use a file signature (normally from the player's first contract with Topps). It's possible that they used a different contract signature (possibly the OPC contract) on the Cash.

Nick

packCollector

those opc packs will probably sell through the roof the 1st few times he runs them out but if mark does what he usually does , they will be able to be picked up at a fraction of the price in 2 months. by the way , I was the under bidderon all the lots he bought at mastro


those 72 high grades are nice but he is absolutely with the prices. they should get some attention though but I don'tthink many will sell.

67standup

<< <i>...but if mark does what he usually does , they will be able to be picked up at a fraction of the price in 2 months. by the way , I was the under bidderon all the lots he bought at mastro >>



What does he usually do? So he was the winner of the Mastro 1966, 1967 and 1970 OPC wax pack lots?

packCollector

he was the winner of the 66 and 67 individual boxes and the box "hoard" which included a 67,70 ,71,77,78,79 etc. i am not sure on the individual 70 box. he did not win the individual 71 box.

mark usually runs the stuff out there week after week when he has a lot of the same item and after a while the bidders dry up and you can get them reasonable. the initial purchases will be high because the initial bidders will bid higher based on his reputation and client base