Card of the Day - 2023-06-24

Panini World Cup Story
Figurine Panini [trade/commercial : stickers ; O/S : Italy] "World Cup Story" - Colombian version (1994) 3/262

This is the poster for the first World Cup, held in 1930 in Uruguay, and they, believe or not, had a representative who signed the Treaty of Versailles. Other Central and South American countries did too, check out the actual document at The Keepers Gallery

Now you may be wondering why, for they did not fight and were not invaded. And the answer is that they had supported the allies by breaking off diplomatic relations with Germany.

But, even more curiously, Brazil did actually go further, and declare war on Germany, in 1917, and before the United States of America. 

If we look at the story of the World Cup, while we are here, it was due to take place in 1914, but was postponed because of the First World War, and did not take place until 1920. And Jules Rimet, whose cup this is, had been in the French Army, and had won the Croix de Guerre  - though I have not tracked down why. And there is also the quite amazing coincidence that the first World Cup after the First World War, in 1930, was held in Uruguay and won by their national team - and the first World Cup after the Second World War, in 1950, was not held in Uruguay, but again they won it. 

Now this card was almost removed, because as I was going through the index I found I had used this set "Panini World Cup Story" - before, to illustrate Ricardo Villa and his beard. But the back on that turned out to be different when I looked, it had a "SONRICS" logo. And it turns out that today`s card is not a double after all, but a different printing, issued in Colombia, so both will remain. And you can see that other card at https://csgb.co.uk/cardoftheday/2022-11-26

As for why this one, without the "SONRICS", is different, well it was issued the same year, 1994, but in Colombia. It also has another difference, because the number of stickers has been expanded to add in the 1994 World Cup finalists, who were Italy and Brazil.