Friday, December 16, 2011

The Gems of Junk Wax, Pt. 3: 1991 Bowman #410 "The Shot Heard 'Round the World"


I'll be featuring both complete sets and individual cards in the "Gems of Junk Wax" series. This is the first individual card I'll be focusing on in the series. Enjoy!

Just like most other "junk wax" sets, 1991 Bowman is boring and largely forgetful.

Except for this card. This specific piece of cardboard beautifully captures one of the defining moments in the history of baseball, tracking the flight of the "Shot Heard 'Round the World", which was arguably the pinnacle of baseball history. The foil stamping saying "The Shot" in the top-right corner of this card adds to its mystique, as well as the horizontal design of the card (a design which was not utilized much in the junk wax era).

I've often asked myself which one specific baseball video clip I've seen the most times. I've come to the conclusion that it's either the infamous Bill Buckner error in the 1986 World Series, or Bobby Thompson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World".

One thing that remains a mystery to me: What happened to the actual baseball that Thompson hit? Where is it now? I thought I remembered hearing before that no one ever came forth with the ball, but that might be outdated.

All I know is that this card is one of the best out there, no matter the era.

1 comment:

Adam Kaningher said...

I always found the Colin Powell card from this set to be pretty interesting, as well. It had four general's stars in gold foil in one of the upper corners.