In 1940, Canada was fully involved in World War II. O-Pee-Chee had produced a hockey card series on a fairly regular basis throughout the 1930’s. For 1940-41, O-Pee-Chee would produce their last series until 1968-69. The hockey card market would enter its ‘dark ages’ when no major sets were produced until Parkhurst came along for 1951-52.
The 1940-41 O-Pee-Chee V301-2 series began at number 101, where the 1939-40 V301-1 set left off. The series consisted of 50 cards, number up to 150. Each card measured 5″ x7″, much larger than what has become the standard. The backs were blank and the fronts contained a picture and basic information.
The complete 50 card set is valued by Beckett at $5000. Common card pricing can range from $50 to $80. There are no huge standout cards in the set with the cards of Turk Broda and Milt Schmidt (RC) valued at $400 each. Toe Blake of the Montreal Canadiens has his card valued at $300 and their is a second Turk Broda card valued at $300. Notable rookie cards include Max Bentley ($300) and Elmer Lach ($200).
Seven teams competed in the National Hockey League in 1940-41. Each team completed a 48 game schedule with the New York Americans being the one team not associated with the Original 6. New York would become the Brooklyn Americans for 1941-42 and then drop off the face of the hockey world.
The Boston Bruins finished first overall during the regular season. In a rare display, the Montreal Canadiens finished sixth, just ahead of the Americans. Boston met Detroit in the Stanley Cup finals and swept the Red Wings in four games.
The Hart Trophy went to Bill Cowley of the Boston Bruins. Cowley was the leading point getter with 62 in 46 regular season games. There was no Art Ross Trophy in existence at the time for Cowley to win. If the Rocket Richard Trophy has existed, Bryan Hextall of the New York Rangers would have been the Recipient, scoring 26 goals in 48 games. Of course, Richard was just 19 and two seasons away from his first National Hockey League game with the Canadiens.
1940-41 O-Pee-Chee hockey cards are a bit rare, to say the least. They can be still found on eBay from time to time, hardly never in an auction setting. Of course, because of the larger size and value, you will pay fairly dearly for shipping – well worth it to own one of these great pieces of hockey card history.
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