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O-Pee-Chee

From Alfawiki
O-Pee-Chee Company, Ltd.
IndustryCandy, Collectables
Founded1911
FounderJ.K. McDermid
D.H. McDermid
Defunct1996; 30 years ago (1996)
FateAcquired by Nestlé
Headquarters
London, Ontario
,
Canada
Area served
United States, Canada
ProductsBubble gum
Trading cards

The O-Pee-Chee Company, Ltd. was a confectionery manufacturer based in Canada, established in 1911 in London, Ontario. The company became well-known for producing trading cards after entering into a marketing partnership with the Topps Company in 1958, releasing various series featuring baseball, gridiron football, and ice hockey cards.

In 1996, its confectionery segment was sold to Nestlé. Subsequently, the O-Pee-Chee brand was licensed first by Topps and later by Upper Deck, which continues to utilize the brand for hockey card production.

Origins

The inception of O-Pee-Chee traces back to 1911 when brothers John McKinnon (J.K.) McDermid and Duncan Hugh (D.H.) McDermid, both seasoned in the gum sector, founded the company. Their prior experience included employment at C.R. Somerville’s gum factory in London, Ontario. After Somerville was acquired by the American Chicle Company in 1908 and operations moved to Toronto, the McDermid brothers purchased Somerville’s box manufacturing division in 1910. Shortly thereafter, they launched O-Pee-Chee, introducing their initial product: the Gipsy gum box.

The name "O-Pee-Chee" originates from an Ojibwe term meaning "the Robin," which also relates to the McDermids’ summer retreat located in Grand Bend, Ontario.

By 1921, the business had been renamed O-Pee-Chee Company Limited and was incorporated as a publicly traded entity under the control of the McDermid family. They retained ownership of Somerville Paper Box Limited until its sale to Garfield Weston in 1945. Following this transaction, O-Pee-Chee reverted to private ownership under John Gordon McDermid's leadership until his passing in 1953. Subsequently, Frank Leahy assumed the presidency and acquired the company from the McDermid estate in 1961. After Leahy's death in 1980, ownership transferred to Gary Koreen who purchased it from Leahy’s heirs.

In its inaugural year, O-Pee-Chee generated revenues of $177,389 and netted a profit of $4,766. The product lineup included chewing gum, mints, and popcorn items such as Krackley Nut. The company employed 30 individuals with a total payroll amounting to $31,614.

To support substantial gum exports to the United Kingdom, a manufacturing plant was constructed at 430 Adelaide Street in London in 1928. This facility operated with up-to-date machinery until ceasing operations in 1989.

Despite financial setbacks during the Great Depression, O-Pee-Chee expanded through licensing arrangements: initially in 1933 with Buffalo-based W & F Manufacturing for paraffin gum and novelty items marketed across Canada and Britain; later agreements included partnerships with Gurley Novelties for candle products under brands like Gaybrite and TinselTown distributed throughout Great Britain and Canada. During this period, Frank P. Leahy joined as Sales Manager while John Gordon McDermid remained actively involved in day-to-day operations.

Expansion into trading cards

Trading cards became an integral aspect of O-Pee-Chee’s portfolio. Their earliest sets emerged during the mid-1930s, featuring a large baseball "diamond" set released in 1934; five hockey sets produced between 1934 and 1938; a 1937 baseball collection; a Mickey Mouse set from 1935; and a Fighting Forces set issued in 1939. Although some card sets were made during the 1940s, consistent distribution resumed only by the late 1950s.

Until 1944, the McDermids managed both O-Pee-Chee Company Limited and Somerville Paper Box Limited before selling Somerville to Garfield Weston that year. In 1945, O-Pee-Chee transitioned from public to private ownership. The National Novelty Company operated as a subsidiary retail outlet that sold candy products and serviced gum vending machines.

During World War II, despite rationing of sugar and other commodities, O-Pee-Chee maintained operations primarily through government contracts supplying dried egg powder to Europe and the United Kingdom. A notable incident involved a shipment sunk by a German submarine that had to be returned for repackaging. The only chewing gum produced during this era was Thrills—a product still available today.

Following the deaths of D.H. McDermid in 1942 and J.K. McDermid in 1945—who was active within local civic circles—John Gordon McDermid assumed presidency in 1946 until his death in 1953.

Under Frank P. Leahy’s leadership starting in the late 1950s, the company experienced significant growth. A pivotal licensing agreement signed in 1958 with a Brooklyn-based manufacturer greatly expanded O-Pee-Chee’s market reach. In 1961, Leahy purchased the company from the McDermid estate. Subsequent licensing deals with a St. Louis confectionery firm allowed O-Pee-Chee to produce and distribute their products within Canada. These partnerships enhanced sales volume while streamlining manufacturing processes and marketing efforts.

Agreements with American Firms

In 1958, O-Pee-Chee established a marketing partnership with the Topps Company based in the United States, facilitating the distribution of annual trading card collections throughout Canada. These sets, favored by youth, typically featured bubble gum alongside collectible cards. That same year, O-Pee-Chee released hockey cards for the 1957-58 NHL season and football cards for the 1958 CFL season.

Throughout the 1960s, O-Pee-Chee and Topps jointly produced sports and entertainment card series, concentrating on baseball, gridiron football, and ice hockey. Beginning in 1961, manufacturing operations moved to O-Pee-Chee’s headquarters in London, Ontario, starting with the 1961 CFL and 1961-62 NHL card sets. Although these editions were exclusive to Canada, their hockey collections competed with Parkies until the 1963-64 season. Starting in 1965, O-Pee-Chee began producing all or portions of Topps' Major League Baseball series specifically for the Canadian market.

In the early part of that decade, O-Pee-Chee acquired Canadian rights to produce Beatle Bubble Gum Cards and released four highly sought-after Beatles entertainment card series in 1964. Up until 1967, annual hockey series branded as O-Pee-Chee (and sometimes Topps) were produced in Canada. Following a U.S. Topps "test" series during the summer of 1967 that mirrored the Canadian 1966-67 set, from the 1968-69 season onward two distinct hockey collections were issued annually: one by O-Pee-Chee for Canada and another by Topps for the United States. This change coincided with the NHL’s expansion from six to twelve teams. Typically, the Topps version was released earlier but included fewer cards; meanwhile, O-Pee-Chee incorporated French translations on card backs.

In 1970, Canadian law mandated that O-Pee-Chee include French text on baseball card backs to reflect the Montreal Expos' Quebec location. Bilingual formatting had already been standard practice for hockey cards. While O-Pee-Chee’s baseball sets were generally smaller than their Topps counterparts, their Canadian hockey collections were more extensive. The company also created specialty sets highlighting Canadian themes, such as one celebrating the 1973 centennial of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The last CFL card set from O-Pee-Chee was released in 1972. After launching World Hockey Association (WHA) cards in 1972-73, an annual WHA series continued from 1974-75 through 1977-78. Beyond sports-themed products, O-Pee-Chee produced licensed TV and film tie-in cards including Happy Days (1976), Charlie's Angels (1977), and Superman (1978). From 1977 to 1989, their licensed offerings expanded to major motion pictures such as Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi (1983), E.T. (1982), and Batman Returns (1992).

During the 1980s, O-Pee-Chee partnered with Topps to produce yearly hockey and baseball album and sticker collections (with stickers manufactured by Panini). These stickers became so popular that Topps ceased producing hockey cards in both the 1982-83 and 1983-84 seasons; by the 1987-88 season Panini had secured its own NHL sticker license within Canada.

After nearly fifty years at O-Pee-Chee, founder Frank Leahy passed away in 1980. His son-in-law Gary E. Koreen—who had been involved since 1968—assumed leadership as president and owner.

In 1989, O-Pee-Chee moved to a new facility in London East that centralized production, warehousing, administrative offices, and employee amenities. For many years prior, printing duties had been handled by London’s Lawson Jones company before delivering printed sheets to O-Pee-Chee for gum insertion.

By the 1990-91 season, competition intensified as Pro Set, Score, and Upper Deck entered the NHL trading card market alongside O-Pee-Chee and Topps. That year marked the debut of the popular O-Pee-Chee Premier hockey series. For three seasons both regular and Premier hockey collections were produced; starting with 1993-94 only Premier series were released. On the baseball front, the O-Pee-Chee Premier MLB series ran from 1991 through 1993; their final MLB set was issued in 1994.

Acquisition and licensing

The 1994 Major League Baseball strike along with the 1994–95 NHL lockout had a significant negative effect on O-Pee-Chee, leading the company to announce a strategic pivot from trading cards toward candy production. Nevertheless, evolving market conditions allowed them to maintain a presence in both sectors.

O-Pee-Chee’s final season operating independently was the 1994-95 hockey campaign. In 1996, Nestlé purchased the company. After this acquisition, Koreen licensed the O-Pee-Chee name to Topps, which produced O-Pee-Chee-branded insert and parallel hockey card sets from 1996 until the conclusion of the 2003-04 season. Topps initially released O-Pee-Chee cards as parallel editions in 1995-96 before fully reviving the brand with the Chrome series in 1998-99 and a traditional base set the following year.

Prior to the 2004-05 season, the NHL and NHLPA discontinued their licensing agreement with Topps, awarding Upper Deck an exclusive five-year contract to manufacture officially licensed NHL cards. Panini America briefly secured a license in 2010; however, Upper Deck regained exclusive rights beginning with the 2014-15 season and extended this agreement in both 2019 and 2021 for an indefinite period.

In 2006, Upper Deck obtained the O-Pee-Chee brand rights and introduced new trading card lines under this label starting with the 2006-07 hockey season. Since then, the brand has been actively utilized and expanded beyond its traditional Canadian roots.

Upper Deck further developed O-Pee-Chee into baseball card offerings by including retro-themed inserts within their 2008 and 2009 baseball sets, followed by a comprehensive vintage-style O-Pee-Chee Baseball release in 2009 that featured classic grey card stock and an extensive checklist.

From 2008 through 2010, Upper Deck and Topps resolved litigation concerning design overlaps between Upper Deck’s recent cards and historic O-Pee-Chee designs; as part of the settlement, Upper Deck agreed to refrain from replicating former Topps/O-Pee-Chee artwork. After losing its Major League Baseball license in 2010, Upper Deck has not issued new baseball products under the O-Pee-Chee name since 2009.

Vintage O-Pee-Chee cards continue to hold significant value within collector circles, with well-preserved examples of popular players commanding high prices.

Products

O-Pee-Chee produced a wide array of items for the Canadian market, including:

Candy products

  • Bazooka Gum
  • Nerds Candy
  • SweeTarts
  • Tart N Tinys
  • Ton 'o' Gum
  • Thrills Gum
  • Fun Dip

Trading cards

  • NHL Hockey (1933-1941, 1957-1995)
  • MLB Baseball (1934, 1937, 1965-1994)
  • CFL Football (1960-1972)
  • Giant Funny Valentines (1961)
  • The Beatles (1964)
  • The Outer Limits (1964)
  • The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1965)
  • Batman (1966)
  • Bat Laffs (1966)
  • Rat Patrol (1966)
  • Mod Squad (1968)
  • Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in (1968)
  • Man on the Moon (1969)
  • Planet of the Apes (1969)
  • Flags of the World Sticker Cards (1970)
  • The Partridge Family (1971)
  • Wacky Packages Sticker Cards (1973, 1982, 1987-1992)
  • Royal Canadian Mounted Police (1973)
  • Far-Out Iron-Ons (1975)
  • Happy Days (1976)
  • Welcome Back Kotter (1976)
  • Star Wars (1977)
  • Charlie's Angels (1977)
  • Jaws 2 (1978)
  • Superman The Movie (1978)
  • Moonraker (1979)
  • Empire Strikes Back (1980)
  • Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
  • E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982)
  • Return of the Jedi (1983)
  • Voltron (1984)
  • Gremlins (1984)
  • Michael Jackson (1984)
  • WWF Wrestling (1985, 1987)
  • Fright Flicks (1988)
  • New Kids on the Block (1989)
  • Batman (1989, 1992)
  • Ghostbusters II (1989)
  • Nintendo GamePack (1989)
  • Dick Tracy (1990)
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
  • Jurassic Park (1993)

Bibliography

  • Various print issues of Canadian Sports Collector, featuring a detailed two-part exploration of O-Pee-Chee's legacy authored by Bobby Burrell (2005).
  • Charlton Hockey Cards, published by Trajan Publishing (2006).
  • Vintage Hockey Collector's Price Guide, compiled by Bobby Burrell (2006).
  • The O-Pee-Chee Hockey Card Story, produced by Up North Productions in Limoges, Ontario (2017).
  • Beckett Baseball Card Price Guide, released by Beckett Publications based in Dallas, Texas (2002).

External links

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