O- Pee-Chee Logo (1911-1996)
“Source: Toy Tales”
O-Pee-Chee and Canadian Card Legacy
No discussion of Canadian baseball cards would be complete without talking about O-Pee-Chee. O-Pee-Chee was created in 1911 in London, Ontario by brothers J.H. and D.H. McDermid, and started as a candy business with its first product, Gipsy Gum. Over the following decades, it would become one of the most important names in card collecting.
1983 Gary Carter (CBHOF, 2001) O-Pee-Chee Card
Larry Walker (CBHOF, 2009)
1994 O-Pee-Chee Card
Jesse Barfield (CBHOF, 2023) 1987 O-Pee-Chee Card.
Dave Stieb (CBHOF, 2005) 1991 O-Pee-Chee Card.
In 1934, O-Pee-Chee launched its first major baseball card release, known as the 1934 Canadian Butterfinger set, or the V94 series. This cemented its role in sports collectables, even as the company was also developing a strong reputation for its hockey card sets, releasing five of them between 1934 and 1938.
Francis “Shanty” Hogan (Boston Braves) 1934 V94 O-Pee-Chee Card.
“Source: Pre-War Cards”
In 1958, O-Pee-Chee entered into a landmark marketing agreement with Topps, which allowed Canadian collectors access to cards that were produced in the United States. This partnership lasted decades and brought O-Pee-Chee to the forefront of North American card collecting. The company produced its last Major League Baseball set in 1994, just before being sold to Nestlé in 1996. Topps had the rights to the O-Pee-Chee name until 2004, but it was another card company, Upper Deck, that revived the brand in 2007. Upper Deck uses the O-Pee-Chee name today with their high-quality hockey cards to give collectors a look at the nostalgic design rooted in Canadian heritage.
John Olerud (CBHOF, 2020) 1994 O-Pee-Chee Card.
Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) 2022 O-Pee-Chee Card