VARIATIONS ON A THEME

Imake no secret of the fact that O-PeeChee is my favorite release of this or any other season. I’ve been building these sets since my dad first started rewarding me with packs for a good effort at hockey practice in the late 1960s. ey’re intrinsically involved with my love of the game and offer what I believe is the purest collecting option in the hockey market. Even today, absent the scent of that tooth-chipping bubble gum, there’s something magical about every pack I open.

All that said, I considered it heretical when Upper Deck revived the brand name a er a brief span of dormancy. I couldn’t imagine that they could do right by it, but more than a decade later it’s clear the company has done a magnificent job of honoring the legacy of the brand. Even when they add new elements, they tend to feel consistent with the spirit of the original O-Pee-Chee.

Consider the unannounced photo variations. e 2019-20 series reportedly features more than 100 variations, and while UD wisely withheld specifics about which cards are affected in the early going (they will come clean eventually), the company did reveal they come in five categories with varying scarcity:

• Vintage Team Logo – Rare

• Postgame Handshake – Uncommon Rare

• Alternate Jersey – Very Rare

• Reverse Image – Super Rare

• Black and White Test Proof – Ultra Rare I’m not sure what the difference is between Very, Super and Ultra Rare, but you get the idea. ey’re tough and they’ll extend the challenge of building a master set, or of collecting your favorite teams or players.

e underlying genius of it all is that, other than the Black and White Test Proofs, these variations require you to spend more time with your cards in order to determine if you have something special. And this is a product that’s well worth a few extra hours before you slide the cards into plastic sleeves or a shoebox for storage.