I explained in the 1960s Checklists post that I have decided to collect checklist cards from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, and that I don't consider this side project – however long it takes – to have any bearing on the completion of my Bruins team sets quest. I also care less about quality here – they can be marked up, dinged, what have you.
I do find it humorous how horrible the O-Pee-Chee quality control was throughout the entire decade. It starts with a simple error: The 1970-71 O-Pee-Chee checklist #132, listing cards 133-264, shows that a checklist card is represented by #264 (when in fact #264 is John Ferguson, and the only other checklist is #24).
1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Checklist #334
Then, after no problems in 1971-72, quality takes a nose-dive. The 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee checklists, for example, are a total mess. There are two variations of the second series checklist (#19 and #190). On the back of both of those variations, the checklist claims that #208 is the 3rd series checklist, but in fact card #208 was never issued (the 3rd series checklist is #334), and #19 shows Bill Harris for #160, while #190 correctly shows Jack Lynch in this spot. There are two variations of the third series checklist, one released in error showing "More W.H.A. Hockey Stars" as the name of the last 7 players in the set, and a corrected version that lists the actual players (e.g. Gerry Cheevers playing for the Cleveland Crusaders).
1973-74 O-Pee-Chee continues with some mishaps by offering two different 2nd series checklists with the same data (#129 and #263). This was not corrected, and I can tell you that looking up the checklists' own references on the checklists is rather like watching Inception backwards.
1974-75 seems to escape largely unscathed, just a couple of misspellings, but then 1975-76 has two versions of card #267 – one showing cards 221-330, and the other incorrectly listing the high number series (331-396). This was not corrected and, as a result, the 4th checklist card (#395) was never issued.
1976-77 shows no issues, but 1977-78 O-Pee-Chee has error variations of all three checklists with Topps instead of O-Pee-Chee printed on the front (and all they did to correct this was white-stamp the Topps name and re-release them). The price guides do not indicate any premium for either variation, and in fact pretend that #249 didn't have this issue. From my research I suspect the error variation is less common, but I have no proof to back that up.
Finally, 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee checklist #237 managed to spell Bruins "Buins" and this travesty was never corrected.
Not a great decade for whoever was responsible for checklists over at O-Pee-Chee. I've always felt that checklists should not be numbered, should not list their own checklists, and should not technically be considered part of the set. Having the checklists included on the checklists is like printing a "LABEL MAKER" label and sticking it to your label maker.
- O-Pee-Chee
- 1970-71 #24 (1-132) marked
- 1970-71 #132 (133-264) marked
- 1971-72 #111 (1-132) marked
- 1971-72 #264 (133-264) marked
- 1972-73 #6 (1-110)
- 1972-73 #19 (111-209, Error)
- 1972-73 #190 (111-209, Corrected)
- 1972-73 #334A (210-341, Corrected)
- 1972-73 #334B (210-341, Error)
- 1973-74 #116 (1-132) marked
- 1973-74 #129 (133-264)
- 1973-74 #263 (133-264)
- 1974-75 #54 (1-132)
- 1974-75 #162 (133-264)
- 1974-75 #311 (265-396)
- 1975-76 #99 (1-110)
- 1975-76 #171 (111-220)
- 1975-76 #267A (221-330)
- 1975-76 #267B (331-396)
- 1976-77 #116 (1-132)
- 1976-77 #258 (133-264)
- 1976-77 #377 (265-396)
- 1977-78 #68A (1-132, Error)
- 1977-78 #68B (1-132, Corrected)
- 1977-78 #249A (133-264, Error)
- 1977-78 #249B (133-264, Corrected)
- 1977-78 #381A (265-396, Error)
- 1977-78 #381B (265-396, Corrected)
- 1978-79 #24 (1-132)
- 1978-79 #259 (133-264)
- 1978-79 #297 (265-396)
- 1979-80 #131 (1-132)
- 1979-80 #237 (133-264)
- 1979-80 #346 (265-396)
Status: Complete (34/34).
- O-Pee-Chee WHA
- 1974-75 OPC WHA #53 (1-66)
- 1975-76 OPC WHA #131 (1-132) marked
- 1976-77 OPC WHA #117 (1-132)
- 1977-78 OPC WHA #58 (1-66)
Status: Complete (4/4).
- Topps
- 1970-71 #132 (1-132) marked
- 1971-72 #111 (1-132) marked only on back
- 1972-73 #94 (1-176)
- 1973-74 #116 (1-198)
- 1974-75 #54 (1-132)
- 1974-75 #162 (133-264)
- 1974-75 Cloth Stickers (NNO)
- 1975-76 #99 (1-110)
- 1975-76 #171 (111-220)
- 1975-76 #267 (221-330)
- 1976-77 #116 (1-132)
- 1976-77 #258 (133-264)
- 1977-78 #68 (1-132)
- 1977-78 #249 (133-264)
- 1978-79 #24 (1-132)
- 1978-79 #259 (133-264)
- 1979-80 #131 (1-132)
- 1979-80 #237 (133-264)
Status: Complete (17/17).