O-Pee-Chee Sticker history 1982-8

What you are getting here is the STARTER set or 85.17% of the FULL SET. So many people don't want to pay the premium price of $300 for the full set. Pick up 224/263 of the COMPLETE set for less than 25% of the COMPLETE set price. For sure, the budget conscious will appreciate this auction.

 This was the first year that O-Pee-Chee distributed hockey stickers Canada wide. A Topps version was also made for this year and it featured the same front pictures as the O-Pee-Chee but with a different unique backing. This O-Pee-Chee version had English and French language on the backs of the stickers. When finding unopened wax from 1982, it is not uncommon for the glue that held the packages to be coming undone. O-Pee-Chee distributed these stickers out of London, Ontario in Canada.It should be noted that Panini S.p.A., based out of Modena Italy, manufactured all O-Pee-Chee and Topps hockey stickers from 1981 to 1986. So, although these stickers do not have the Panini name on them, they are in essence Panini stickers as they were the only NHL hockey stickers produced during this era. In 1987, Panini decided to produce their own NHL hockey stickers from now on, leaving O-Pee-Chee to manufacture their own stickers in London, Ontario, Canada. O-Pee-Chee stickers only lasted for 3 years after the split from Panini, whereas Panini would continure to produce NHL stickers into the next century. 

Sticker set general information:

 This set is from 1982 O-Pee-Chee. A full set would contain 263 stickers (you get 224 out of the 263)  which each measure 4.9 cm X 6.5 cm (1.93 in X 2.56 in). When these stickers first came out, there were 100 packages per box, 5 stickers per pack (1 more per pack than the previous year) and each pack cost $0.20. The original cost of the album was $0.25. The album cover showed Wayne Gretzky. 

Interesting facts from the 1981-82 NHL season:

 In 1981, the New York Islanders won their 3rd Stanley Cup in as many years with Mike Bossy of the Islanders being named Playoffs MVP. Wayne Gretzky had a 4 piece sticker puzzle to put together as it celebrated Wayne scoring 50 goals in an astonishing 39 games. Gretzky became only the 3rd player in NHL history to accomplish this feat. Wayne actually scored his 50th goal into an empty net with a sprawling Bill Barber in his Cooper-All gear trying to make a slide save across the blue line. Wayne also set new season records for goals (92), assists (120), points (212) and hat-tricks (10). Another remarkable fact that sometimes goes unoticed is that Wayne fired off 369 shots in his 92 goal season (an average of almost 5 shots per game all season long). Gretzky shattered his previous seasons goal totals by 37, his assists record by 11 and his points record by an unreal 48 additional points. Gretzky won his 3rd Hart trophy and his 2nd Art Ross Trophy. Wayne also took home his 1st Lester B. Pearson Award for league MVP as voted on by the players.First overall draft pick Dale Hawerchuk makes his debut in the NHL and wins the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. This was the one and only season that Mark Messier scored 50 goals in a season. Did you know that Rick Vaive played for the Vancouver Canucks in the 1979-80 season as a rookie? Rick Vaive went on to become the first ever Toronto Maple Leaf to score 50 goals in one season. The Stastny trio of Peter, Anton and Marian combine to score a whopping 300 points. Montreal goalie Denis Herron plays only 27 games yet wins the GAA title with an average of 2.64. Winnipeg Jet Doug Smail sets an NHL record for fastest goal scored at the start of a game (5 seconds). Bryan Trottier is runner up to Wayne Gretzky for the Hart Trophy. Billy Smith wins his first and only Vezina trophy edging out rookie Oilers goalie Grant Fuhr. Bryan Trottier leads all playoff scorers with 29 points and Mike Bossy leads all playoff scorers with 17 goals.  

Item Description: Here’s what you get:

This set is from the first year of OPC stickers that were sold only across Canada, but second ever hockey O-Pee-Chee sticker series. (Note...the 1981 O-Pee-Chee stickers were only sold in Ontario and Quebec). These stickers were manufactured at the Panini factory in Modena Italy. Panini S.p.A made these stickers but they were issued under the O-Pee-Chee name. A full set is 263 stickers (you get 224 of these 263 physical stickers) that are unpeeled and not stuck anywhere. It is harder to find these stickers unstuck, but you will get them here. I’ve included scans of the stars, the rookies and every single sticker in this set. You get one of each different sticker.  So if you see a sticker twice, it’s because I want to highlight it. You get a complete set that I have personally assembled. This set is over 28 years old and stickers were cut differently than cards so some may be a touch off centre but I have tried my best to assemble the best shaped stickers that I have. Please enjoy looking through the information I’ve put together, the set checklist and the detailed scans from this set. 

1982 O-Pee-Chee Sticker Checklist: 

The stickers in the checklist below highlighted in BLUE are the stickers NOT included in this auction win:

Shipping

Winning bidder pays (expedited rate) $5.99 shipping to Canada, USA is $8.99, Europe is $18.99. For a second set, cost is $3 more to Canada, $6 more to the USA or $9 more to Europe. I combine shipping on all orders and will quote you the fairest rate possible. Please email me at any time for a rate.