Set 1988-89 O-Pee-Chee hockey
Number of cards in set: 264
Affordability: 7.5
Key RCs: Brett Hull, Brendan Shanahan, Pierre Turgeon
Is the set built?: Need 11 cards to finish the set
What I like about this set: The "push pin" set has long been a favorite of mine. The set really gained some steam when Brett Hull starting pumping goals in a couple years after this was released, causing both the set prices, and Hull's RCs, to go crazy. The set finally came back to earth a few years later.
I like the push pin on the top, it is something different and really works with the name plate. Using the team logo on the top of the card helps as well. Again, the back of the card is another favorite of mine, the orange background with the dark blue lettering is again easy to read, and contains full stats similar to the 87-88 OPC set.
The Mike Krushelnyski airbrush job is an absolute classic. I wonder if he was called Casper afterwards.
What I don't like about this set: I still haven't found anything wrong with this set. I'm sure someone can steer me in that direction...
This set was the beneficiary of the sports card boom of the early 90's, driving the set price to about $200, while the Brett Hull RC was up as high as $80. Both the set price and the Hull RC have dropped to more "comfortable" levels. This set is another keeper, and should be an easy build if you're looking for a medium priced set to chase.
Thanks for reading, Robert
Love that design and the Hull. Couldn't afford the OPC version, but I picked up a pair of Topps RCs off of COMC for $4.
ReplyDeleteThis is my absolute favorite Hockey set from the 80's, bar none. The 1986-87 is a distant second.
ReplyDeleteThe only potential negative about this set I can think of is that there were a number of fake Hull RC's produced. There were certain marks that the real RC's had that didn't come through on the forgeries. I don't recall what they were - something about marks on or around the pin.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite set as a kid. Just a bit above the 90-91 Upper Deck. The only negatives are minor; some airbrushed pictures, typical 80's card photos (although better than earlier sets), could have been a larger set.
ReplyDeleteI liked the set so much I did a tribute set of it last season
http://jblarghcards.blogspot.ca/p/1988-89-opc-tribute-checklist.html