O-Pee-Chee, shaggy edges and my dwindling sanity...

[Piquettethecat]

Actually it isn't true they used a wire cut, at least according to the guy that owned the company. A fellow named Gary Koreen owned the company from 1980 until the mid-1990s. He started working there in the 1960s, and lives in the city where I am. I was introduced and had the good fortune to chat with him at length about the card business. He says they used the same cutting process as Topps, but didn't sharpen the blades regularly. That would explain why some years -- 1969 OPC hockey, for instance -- don't have rough edges and why there are different levels of rough edges within the same year.

Originally Posted by maniac_73

The whole purpose of grading is to rate the card as close to factory pristine condition as possible. OPC used a wire cut process which leads to "jagged edges". This is a feature of the card and taken into account. A smooth edge opc would be altered as thats not how they come from factory and pulled from packs.

[Stampsfan]

Originally Posted by Piquettethecat

... That would explain why some years -- 1969 OPC hockey, for instance -- don't have rough edges and why there are different levels of rough edges within the same year.

100% accurate. I am of an age where my OPC hockey collection as a kid ranged from 1967 to 1972. I still have the cards I purchased from nickel and dime packs. While I've upgraded a few cards, my sets today contain 95% to 100% of the same cards I purchased as a boy.

When I look at those sets, I do not have many OPC rough cuts. When I got back into collecting in 1990, I noticed the sets from after my youth seemed to have way more rough cuts than my sets as a kid. And I can guarantee I've never trimmed any of those cards.

This is not a scientific experiment with accurate metrics, just one guys observations.

One other note... I also have many cards I pulled from packs that are noticeably different sizes. I recall noticing that as a kid.