That's Why I Don't Buy Blasters - Volume IV - My Very Own Bun Cook

You know the drill, I take the $20 I would have spent on a blaster like this one and see if I can find some more interesting cardboard that won't give me buyer's remorse.  For this fourth installment I definitely succeeded, picking up my first ever card from an epic hockey set:

Look at that beautiful, bright green 1933 O-Pee-Chee!  For those of you who aren't hockey card collectors or may not know, this was the very first O-Pee-Chee set.  These cards were the predecessors to every single one of the O-Pee-Chee cards we all collected as kids.  The set was released in two series, with Series A containing cards 1-48, and Series B cards 49-72.  Those of you with a sharp eye now realize that Bun Cook here is a 'bookend' card, the final card in the set.  The first and last cards in any vintage set are a tough find in good condition, as kids would sort their cards numerically so these would be on the top and bottom of the stack, protecting the rest of the cards within.

As you can see, my copy certainly caught a good deal of abuse in its place at the top of its stack!  We've got severely dinged corners, and creases abound, but let's see how you look at 80 years old!  Overall I still think the visual appeal is very good.  You get a good clean look at the photo, everything is legible, there's no paper loss or large sections of card missing.  Not too bad at all.

Even the back is completely legible with no paper loss, tape marks, etc.  I'll take a card from this set in this condition any day.  Not to mention, Frederick Joseph 'Bun' Cook is a Hall-of-Famer, inducted in 1995!  Apparently his line scored every goal the Rangers scored in the Cup finals in 1928, the first Stanley Cup championship in Rangers history.  He won a second Cup with New York just before this card was released, and went on to enjoy a long and successful coaching career at the AHL level after his playing days were done.  He's even got a tie to my little ol' state of Rhode Island, coaching the Rhode Island Reds AHL team for 6 seasons (even suiting up for a handful of games each of those years!).

This card books for $250 - $400 in my latest Beckett Hockey.  How much did my copy set me back?  How about $18.50?  I didn't even have to pay shipping.

1933-34 O-Pee-Chee Bun Cook - $18.50
Shipping - Free!
Total - $18.50