1965 Bobby Orr

[Tomi]

One for the Orr collectors. One of the rarest of all Orr items in high grade. A photo and not card from his Oshawa Generals days. Only 2 total in population and I'm very happy to own both. Enjoy.

[hcv123]

Not an ORR or Hockey collector, but can truly appreciate its rarity. Thanks for sharing.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Outstanding item.

[Baseballcrazy62]

Wow!!

[Anish]

Very special piece for sure!

Do you have any interest in a signed copy?

[irv]

Very nice, Tomi!!

I'm an Oshawa boy, born and raised, and I don't ever recall seeing that card before.

One of my biggest disappointments and one of my Father's biggest regrets was not getting Bobby Orr to sign something when he use to see/watch him play road hockey out in front of our house back in the mid 60's.

I collect a bit of Bobby Orr stuff but like most adults nowadays, I wish I had have kept my childhood card collection.

[Andy Baran]

There are now 3 Crown Life Oshawa Generals Bobby Orr cards slabbed by PSA. I sold the PSA 5, and recently got this one slabbed. It has a vintage Orr signature from the 1965-66 season. I plan on keeping this one.

FYI, I know of at least 5 or 6 more of these Crown Life Orr cards that are not currently in PSA holders. Another one (trimmed) just sold in Classic Auctions last week. Still very rare.

Even more rare is this Bobby Orr from the same season. This was inserted into Memorial Cup programs. There are at least 6 known Oshawa Generals players and at least 2 known Edmonton Oil Kings players that were inserted. There are 3 of the Orr's known to exist. One of them is on ebay, and I own the other 2.

[Tomi]

Originally Posted by Anish

Very special piece for sure!

Do you have any interest in a signed copy?

Thanks Anish but I'm good with the two I have. Since it's an Orr thread lets get the rare stuff out there for all to see. This is one of my favorites from my Orr collection and you can see (without images) the full #1 set on the PSA set registry in the 1971 Bazooka Panel set. There are only 3 Orr's graded by PSA and only a total of 30 panels from the entire 12 panel set. Enjoy.

[forceplay sport]

that panel is AWESOME !!!!

[Tomi]

A couple more from the pc.

[brian1961]

Tomi-----Your array of Bobby Orr items is dazzling and I thank you for loading them up for us to view. A few years ago, there was a hobby magazine article on the ultra rare 1971-72 Bazooka hockey cards. I imagine your collection must have been portrayed; your Orr panel is off the charts magnificent. There are instances when a PSA 8 equates to a PSA 10-----your Bazooka Bobby Orr panel is a striking example of my belief. If I were to ever write a sequel to NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, your blue diamond 1971-72 Bazooka Bobby Orr panel would definitely merit a chapter. I just checked and Sport Collector Daily editor Rich Mueller wrote a nice piece on a Bazooka Orr complete box he was shown at the 2016 National Convention. Awesome item.

Take care, Tomi, and thanks again for sharing with us. Mate, you're truly a fellow collecting warrior.

----Brian Powell

[Tomi]

Originally Posted by brian1961

Tomi-----Your array of Bobby Orr items is dazzling and I thank you for loading them up for us to view. A few years ago, there was a hobby magazine article on the ultra rare 1971-72 Bazooka hockey cards. I imagine your collection must have been portrayed; your Orr panel is off the charts magnificent. There are instances when a PSA 8 equates to a PSA 10-----your Bazooka Bobby Orr panel is a striking example of my belief. If I were to ever write a sequel to NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, your blue diamond 1971-72 Bazooka Bobby Orr panel would definitely merit a chapter. I just checked and Sport Collector Daily editor Rich Mueller wrote a nice piece on a Bazooka Orr complete box he was shown at the 2016 National Convention. Awesome item.

Take care, Tomi, and thanks again for sharing with us. Mate, you're truly a fellow collecting warrior.

----Brian Powell

Thanks Brian. The box you saw was Larry Kerrigan's. Most of my Orr items have passed through him at one point in time as he always has incredible items. My Bazooka set is on the PSA registry at #1 if you are interested in viewing the grades. I will eventually upload pics of all the panels. The items I've shown are the "oddball items" as I'm more drawn to them than the regular issue items. It took me over a decade to put my Orr collection together but I saved for the higher end stuff that are impossible to find. Here are the rest of my Orr items, not "oddball" but love them just the same. Thanks and happy collecting.

[brian1961]

Tomi, your pair of Topps Bobby Orr gems are simply beautiful; however, the Topps Test cannot be considered mainstream. Not much known about the TEST, save that it is virtually impossible "to pass". Yours is a well-deserved A+!

Tomi, I need you to re-think your label "oddball" of your scarce - rare Bobby Orrs. I wrote about that in NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN. For instance, you don't call a Le Mans winning Ferrari "oddball". Or a Patek Philippe moon phase chronograph pocket watch "oddball". I am humbled to own several exotic Mickey Mantle pieces that I could never, ever, label "oddball". Part of the matter has to do with an item's design and beauty, partnered with the scarcity (when it was issued, how many were made, and how difficult was it to get your hands on one in pristine condtition?), and rarity (how many survive at the present time?)

Bro, do not take this as a criticism; rather, let me stimulate your thinking about some of the blue diamond gems in your wonderful collection.

Thanks for the well wishes, by the way.

Your pal, Brian Powell

[Tomi]

Originally Posted by brian1961

Tomi, your pair of Topps Bobby Orr gems are simply beautiful; however, the Topps Test cannot be considered mainstream. Not much known about the TEST, save that it is virtually impossible "to pass". Yours is a well-deserved A+!

Tomi, I need you to re-think your label "oddball" of your scarce - rare Bobby Orrs. I wrote about that in NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN. For instance, you don't call a Le Mans winning Ferrari "oddball". Or a Patek Philippe moon phase chronograph pocket watch "oddball". I am humbled to own several exotic Mickey Mantle pieces that I could never, ever, label "oddball". Part of the matter has to do with an item's design and beauty, partnered with the scarcity (when it was issued, how many were made, and how difficult was it to get your hands on one in pristine condtition?), and rarity (how many survive at the present time?)

Bro, do not take this as a criticism; rather, let me stimulate your thinking about some of the blue diamond gems in your wonderful collection.

Thanks for the well wishes, by the way.

Your pal, Brian Powell

My definition of "oddball" has always been items that were not out of packs like regional issues. The term is not a put down, just a definition for non mainstream releases. I'm happy that you are also a Mantle collector as I am too. Here are a couple of Mantle "oddball" items in my collection. Enjoy.

[brian1961]

Hiya, Tomi. I got back on here 'cause I remembered I wanted to clarify non-mainstream versus oddball. There most assuredly are issues that the term "oddball" should definitely be applied to. Just off the top of my head, I think of matchbook covers, Topps Who Am I?, those Topps inserts from '65 that were golden cameos or something, the Topps Tatoos, a rare Topps test issue I believe is called Scratch-offs, having a minuscule black 'n white photo of the player with the rest stuff you scratch off, the marbles with a little player photo inside, and the 1954 New York Journal-American (Lionel Carter commented on them being "junk", as I recall he worded them). Team issues, and various player picture packets are not oddball, and may not be very valuable, but frequently are difficult to find and have a lot of eye appeal.

Say, you have an amazing ensemble of Mantle issues. Wow. I especially love the 1967 Coca-Cola Premium, as produced by Dexter Press, and the Dormand Postcard. I wrote of both those issues in my book, Never Cheaper By the Dozen.

Well, let's put our heads together, and come up with some savory terms for non-mainstream cards. I hope you find my "blue diamond gem" term appealing. Esoteric is ok, but it means understood by a select few. The sad part is many hobbyists are just like that, when it comes to appreciating the often rare and beautiful post war regional / food issues. I suppose what grates me the most is that they will put the mainstream gum cards above the regional / food. Again, with a name term designation such as "oddball", how would you view that connotation?

Precisely.

But then, I am very old-school, growing in the hobby at a time when the tough regionals were extremely hard to find and valuable (many were only available via trade, and if you did not have good enough trade bait, you could just "forget it"), while the gum cards were all easy weezie to find, and cheap.

All the best to you. ---- Brian Powell

[Tomi]

Collectors that I know usually just say oddball so I've been hearing the term since day 1. Maybe " non-mainstream" might be a more universal definition of these items but I guess it depends who you are talking to. Blue diamond gem seems like you would have to explain the definition to everyone. Your post is the first time I have heard the term. I do see a lot of people using the term "oddball" in our hobby so I'm pretty much used to seeing and hearing it. I guess there will never be an exact word to define these items.

[samosa4u]

Originally Posted by Tomi

Thanks Brian. The box you saw was Larry Kerrigan's. Most of my Orr items have passed through him at one point in time as he always has incredible items.

Larry is one of the best dealers I have ever met. Many of his customers eventually become his friends - he is just that kind of guy.

Now I would say that a large percentage of stuff he has sold over the years has come from Pat Sarma. Pat, at one time, owned the biggest hockey card collection in the world. He had all the mainstream, as well as some rare oddball issues, and some of these pieces were in just incredible shape! Pat is in his seventies now, and so he has been selling everything off through Larry. I would say that most of his "good stuff" is probably gone.

So, whenever you see an amazing piece out there, whether it's a Jacques Plante rookie in NM shape or some rare oddball piece, then there is a chance it might have come from Pat's collection.

[Tomi]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

Larry is one of the best dealers I have ever met. Many of his customers eventually become his friends - he is just that kind of guy.

Now I would say that a large percentage of stuff he has sold over the years has come from Pat Sarma. Pat, at one time, owned the biggest hockey card collection in the world. He had all the mainstream, as well as some rare oddball issues, and some of these pieces were in just incredible shape! Pat is in his seventies now, and so he has been selling everything off through Larry. I would say that most of his "good stuff" is probably gone.

So, whenever you see an amazing piece out there, whether it's a Jacques Plante rookie in NM shape or some rare oddball piece, then there is a chance it might have come from Pat's collection.

Nice to know. Has Pat ever displayed his collection? I wonder who the #1 Sweet Caporal set came from originally? I know it went through Larry once.

[irv]

Very nice collection, Tomi!!

I was referred to Larry from Jeff on here a couple years ago. I was looking to sell/trade my Beehives and Larry was trying to help with that from a guy who he thought might have some 52 Topps baseball cards for me.

Needless to say, it didn't work out but I was hoping to talk a bit more with him this spring at the Expo.

Hopefully, by the fall things have changed significantly where I will get that opportunity again?

[Tomi]

Originally Posted by irv

Very nice collection, Tomi!!

I was referred to Larry from Jeff on here a couple years ago. I was looking to sell/trade my Beehives and Larry was trying to help with that from a guy who he thought might have some 52 Topps baseball cards for me.

Needless to say, it didn't work out but I was hoping to talk a bit more with him this spring at the Expo.

Hopefully, by the fall things have changed significantly where I will get that opportunity again?

Thanks. If every person in this industry was half as trustworthy as Larry we wouldn't have any of the problems we are seeing in our hobby. Good luck on your quest.

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by Tomi

Collectors that I know usually just say oddball so I've been hearing the term since day 1. Maybe " non-mainstream" might be a more universal definition of these items but I guess it depends who you are talking to. Blue diamond gem seems like you would have to explain the definition to everyone. Your post is the first time I have heard the term. I do see a lot of people using the term "oddball" in our hobby so I'm pretty much used to seeing and hearing it. I guess there will never be an exact word to define these items.

You are quite right; the term "oddball" has been used for decades, I suppose. For a couple decades now, I suppose it occurred to me the term seemed archaic and unqualified to depict their special nature and ascending value. As I mentioned, I devoted a little bit of space in my book to discuss the subject of terms. Being that my book appeals to a niche market, and the millions of gum card devotees describe non-mainstream as oddball, it may be hopeless. But, I shan't give up or in---not when one has some of the huge blue diamond gems I portray in Never. --- Brian Powell