A couple of weeks ago, @vtgsportscardboard on Instagram shared an incredible piece of hockey card history, an original 1970-71 O-Pee-Chee Hockey shipping case that has somehow survived the last 55 years.
In the Instagram caption, they wrote:
We wanted to share an incredible discovery — we recently came across an original 1970-71 O-Pee-Chee Hockey shipping case that somehow survived 55 years in amazing condition. It’s hard to believe something like this has made it through the decades completely intact.
For any vintage hockey collectors or OPC fans, this is the kind of piece you dream about — a true relic from the golden age of hockey cards. Finding opened boxes is rare enough, but finding an original shipping case is on another level. Definitely one of the coolest pieces we’ve ever come across in the hobby.
They also shared a YouTube video showing the case in detail, including additional context about its origin. The case was discovered recently in New Brunswick, Canada, but was originally found in the early 1990s by its previous owner. It had been stored in a shed inside a garbage bag ever since.
Not much else is known about the case’s history for now. The current owner hopes to learn more about it by speaking with experts at the Toronto Sportscard Expo this November.
If you have any insight or knowledge about the case, please reach out.
Also, be sure to check out The Unopened Archive for more!
Happy collecting!
P.S. For reference, here’s a pair of 1970-71 O-Pee-Chee Hockey wax boxes that Mastro sold in April 2004; the 1st Series box sold (w/ 23 packs) for $24k and the 2nd Series box (w/ 24 packs) sold for $15k. Apologies for the uneven image—the catalog is thick, and a flat scan wasn’t possible.
P.P.S. If you’re into unopened, I write a premium newsletter, The Unopened Market Report, that comes out every Monday.
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