Starting A Johnny Bench PC: 1971 Topps!

I've decided to begin one more vintage player collection. It's partly because my Rosen and Campy PCs are winding down to the hard and expensive stuff while my Wheat PC can only grow so fast considering it's all pre-war stuff I need. In addition, I really like the player I'm now collecting and his cardboard is aesthetically-pleasing. So, to start off this new collection I picked up this beaut:

1971 Topps, number 250, EX to EX-MT and a steal on eBay: hello Mr. Johnny Bench! I've been a Bench fan for some time and that's fitting considering I tend to gravitate towards a number of catchers (Piazza, Russ Martin, Carlos Santana, A.J. Ellis). '71s are always tricky with that chippy black border but I was able to nab this gorgeous copy for about a third of what we sell it for at work in the same condition. I simply could not pass that up.

For this PC I'll only be targeting his 60s and 70s cards. There will probably be an oddball or two that finds its way into my hands but I have no desire for his 1980s cardboard. I'll need an auto to go along with the fantastic triple relic I traded for back in 2012 (so I guess technically that was the start of my Johnny collection).