here's the 1974 o-pee-chee hank aaron special (1968 - 1969) card:
here's the equivalent topps front:
now the o-pee-chee back:
and the topps back:
i wonder if topps, when they were putting these cards together, was embarrassed by the fact that they used the same photo for aaron two years in a row.  it's hank aaron, for crying out loud.  anyway, on this card we get to read about his 3000th hit and 700th home run in french. 

and, this is the last 1974 post.  we have now hit all of the hank aaron specials that were different than the topps counterparts, as well as the three cards displaced by the o-pee-chee expansion of the aaron subset.  by the way, number 8 in the topps set is george theodore.

voici à vous, 1974 hank aaron special (1968 - 1969)!

here's the topps front:
now the o-pee-chee back:
and the topps back:
so, with this card we learn, among other things, that 'baseball writers voted hank the braves' mvp' in 1967.  not surprising, but why didn't they vote him league mvp?  orlando cepeda was the unanimous choice, yet aaron, who finished fifth in the voting, had more at bats, runs, hits, home runs, stolen bases and walks.  he had two fewer rbi (109 to cepeda's 111), a lower batting average (.307 to cepeda's .325), a lower obp (.369 to cepeda's .399) but had a better ops (.943 to cepeda's .923).  aaron led the league in runs, home runs, total bases, and slugging percentage.  cepeda led the league in rbi only, by the slim margin i mentioned earlier.  of course, the fact that the cardinals won the pennant probably had a lot to do with the voting.  perhaps a greater indignation to aaron is that tim mccarver was second in the voting!

note that number 7 in the topps set is jim hunter, which created another checklist variation we covered here. 

voici à vous, 1974 hank aaron special (1966 - 1967)!

here's the topps front:
now the o-pee-chee back:
and the topps back:
another photo variation for the hammer.  the o-pee-chee back covers the hank highlights from 1954-1958, while topps goes from 1954-1963.  i didn't know that hank 'wally pipped' bobby thomson.  that's good info.  and we learn that 'world champion' is 'des champions du monde' in french.  awesome.

voici à vous, 1974 hank aaron special (1962 - 1963)!

here's the equivalent topps front:
now the o-pee-chee back:
and the topps back:
card number 4 in the topps set was a hank aaron special (covering 1962-1965), so just as before, i'm not counting this card as a checklist variation.

it kind of seems they were stretching a bit for his most memorable home runs.  don't you think there was a game winner, a walk off, or even just a monster bomb that would have ranked ahead of hitting his 24th home run before june 30th?  just sayin.

voici à vous, 1974 hank aaron special (1960 - 1961)!

here's the equivalent topps front:
now the o-pee-chee back:
and the topps back:
i am calling this a photo variation because the o-pee-chee card has only two of the four card fronts that the topps issue has, and card number 6 in the topps set is also a hank aaron special, so there is no real call for it to be a checklist variation.

it's nice to see some variation in the poses topps used for aaron's cards - we all know there are several years where they used the same picture.  i especially like the text regarding aaron's 1962 season - although he didn't lead in any offensive category, he apparently led in being awesome.  that is awesome.  just like the card.

voici à vous, 1974 hank aaron special (1964 - 1965)!

george theodore was one of the three cards to be renumbered thanks to hank aaron's special subset in the 1974 o-pee-chee set.  here's the front of his card
same as the topps front:
now the o-pee-chee back:
and the topps back:
theodore played for the mets in 1973 and 1974, his only years in the majors.  he managed to hit two home runs in his career, one in each of his seasons.  while it would have been nice for the brewers leaders to be featured in the o-pee-chee set, i am glad that theodore's card was saved, if for the sole reason that we know that 'marshmallow' is 'guimave' and that there is no french translation for 'milk shake'.

voici à vous, 1974 george theodore!

here's the second hank aaron special variation to be featured here, although it's actually the first of the variations (and card number 3) in the set.  it's the 1974 o-pee-chee hank aaron special (1958 - 1959)
now the o-pee-chee back:
and the topps back:
since both are card number 3 in their respective sets, i don't classify it as a checklist variation, but rather a photo variation since it only features two of the cards pictured on the topps card.  at least that's my current thinking.  it is interesting to see that aaron's most memorable home runs (prior to 714 and beyond) were the 1957 pennant winner, his 500th, and an all star game homer.

voici à vous, 1974 hank aaron special (1958 - 1959)!

mickey lolich's 1974 o-pee-chee card is a checklist variation
here's the identical topps front:
now the o-pee-chee back:
and the topps back:
that meant there was no 'royale with (co)cheese' in the set. wow, that's a big stretch for a pulp fiction reference.  lolich, who may have reached 3000 strikeouts had he not missed the 1977 season, was 12-6 in his career against the royals, but this is the only time he shut them out.

voici à vous, 1974 mickey lolich!

same as the topps front:
now the o-pee-chee back:
and the topps back:
hunter was moved from number 7 in the topps set to 196 in the o-pee-chee set to make way for the expanded subset of hank aaron special cards.  as a result, jim fregosi (topps number 196) was bumped from the o-pee-chee set.
blame the french, jim.

voici à vous, 1974 jim hunter!

pretty much the same (except my topps version has a bunch of creases).  let's take a look at the backs.  first, o-pee-chee:
number 9 in the set.  now the topps: