Bert Shepard 2021 Historic Autographs 1945 End of WWII Dog Tag Card Silver

Bert Shepard's story stands apart even within a generation defined by extraordinary sacrifice. A pitcher and U.S. Army Air Forces pilot, Shepard was shot down in his P-38 just east of Hamburg during the war. He lost his leg and was taken to a German POW camp, where — rather than accept the end of his baseball career — he taught himself to walk on a prosthetic and to pitch again. On August 4, 1945, he entered a game for the Washington Senators in the 4th inning and delivered 5⅓ innings of work, giving up just three hits and one run while striking out two. It remains one of the most improbable appearances in Major League Baseball history.

This card is from the Dog Tag sub-set of the 2021 Historic Autographs 1945: End of WWII Trading Cards set, card number DT-BS, Silver parallel. The 70-card Dog Tag sub-set falls at 1:27 packs, with the Silver being the most common of three parallels (45 Silver, 19 Magenta, 1 Canary). The card features an embossed metal dog tag embedded on the card face, stamped with Shepard's name, branch of service (U.S. Army AF), position and team (Washington — P), and his 1945 MLB debut.

Bert Shepard appears in both the Dog Tag and Uniform Relic sub-sets of this product, making him one of the set's most layered subjects — a figure whose military and baseball stories are inseparable. For collectors who pursue WWII history cards, wartime baseball, or inspirational human interest subjects within the non-sport hobby, this is one of the more compelling cards the set has to offer.

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