Hey Guys,
Spurred on by a person I emailed on ebay telling him that his auction of the Brit Selby card was wrongly stated as the rare variation, his comeback to me was that I was wrong and he is selling the rare varation. Here is a nice write up to get it all in perspective:
Sell Me A Selby… NO - Trade Me A Brit
Small new discoveries truly keep this vintage collecting hobby so intriguing. One that is not so new yet still quite puzzling to card collectors is the ever elusive 1970-71 O-Pee-Chee #111, Brit Selby “No-Trade” card variation.
Arguably, this card is considered one of the rarest card variation ever put out by O-Pee-Chee, due to its very low production and scarce availability. Respectively so, you would have a hard time finding a 1970-71 OPC, Brit Selby #111 “No-Trade” for under $250.00 in nrmt+ condition! Even though the “Sport Guides” list it at only $20.00!?
Another tough aspect of this card is distinguishing the true difference between these two variations. As for similarities, they both have the same picture of Brit Selby in a Leaf uniform and are both card # 111. The backs of the cards are the same as well.
The difference on the “No-Trade” (scarce variation) is on the front of the card it has the Toronto Maple Leaf team name and there is No Notation of a trade taking place.
The “Traded” (common variation) card front has the St. Louis Blues team name and a small byline above that which states “Traded From Toronto Nov. 13/70”.
Now why is this “No-Trade” card so sought after? Well, it seems for approximately every few hundred, 1970-71 OPC Brit Selby #111 “Traded Notation” cards you come across, you would be lucky to find one card without the traded notation printed on the card front.
The reasoning behind this card being so difficult to acquire is assumed as follows.
Very early in the printing of these cards, this trade prompted a call to the printer and requested a traded note be added to the #111 Brit Selby card. Having probably printed a skid or so of sheets, the printers added the traded notation and continued on to finished the print run.
Assuming that there was no sense in disposing the sheets that the printers had already printed, it would seem to have been a waste for the sake of just one card. So they must have let them go through as well.
It is unknown how many sheets with the “no trade” variation were printed. However, we do know that it probably wasn’t very many.
Brit Selby was traded from the Philadelphia Flyers to Toronto Maple Leafs on March 2 1969. Selby barely had time to unpack his duffle bag and the Leafs turned around and traded him off to St. Louis Blue on November 13, 1970, for Bobby Baun.
So it is somewhat safe to say that O-Pee-Chee sent out their card proofs to the printers in and around mid November. Now it would seem at the 11th hour, OPC had learned about the trade and had the printers “stop the presses” so to speak, just to add this noteworthy change.
You would think that any printer with a client as large as OPC would have bent over backwards to accommodate any last minute changes. So this truly adds up.
There maybe some other changes on the “No-Trade” first series sheet. With finding it hard to believe they stop the presses for one player change is quite questionable. Then again, OPC being a Canadian issue might have something to do with it, especially with Toronto playing a large part in their overall sales and wouldn’t want to disenchant any kid getting a St. Louis player in a Leaf uniform.
O-Pee-Chee Canada was known for releasing their first series packs and boxes in the first of the month in a new year, so if the cards were 1970-71, they would have been released in January of 1971.
Topps seem to release their product a couple months prior to O-Pee-Chee, thus giving OPC time to put in last minute trade updates within their sets. OPC sets contain more players as well, noting their true passion for this strong Canadian pastime.
There is no variation in the Topps, Brit Selby. Although the card number is the same #111 and Selby is a Toronto Maple Leaf.
Notably, there was another card with the traded notation in the 1970-71 OPC set. Mickey Redmond #175 has the byline in the upper right corner area of card. However, this was in the second series. Redmond is much easier to acquire in the “no-traded” over the “traded” variation; at approximately 4:1 ratio is assumed.
With Redmond’s traded notation being in January 13, we then can assume that the second series was printed in and around this time and released approximately one month after, in a perfect world…!
The second series has a few other noteworthy variations of cards such as #248 Bobby Orr - James Norris Trophy Winner. The back notes (Gordie Howe N.H.L. All-Time Leading Scorer), some with this notation and some without, all in BLACK BOLD LETTERS IN MIDDLE OF PUZZLE BACK.
Also #245 Jacques Laperriere 2nd Team All-Star. The back notes (Gilbert Perreault Outstanding Rookie), again, some with and some without this notation, all in BLACK BOLD LETTERS IN MIDDLE OF PUZZLE BACK.
A 4:1 ratio is also assumed for the Laperriere #245 and Orr #248 that do not have the printing on the backs.
With hundreds of different card variations out there in our ever so mysterious hobby, new information really keeps us thinking and probably many more are yet to be discovered. The Brit Selby “No-Trade” is certainly long overdue for some new attention and a new book value price!
Information compiled by BobbyBHockey & Danthevintageman
