Here is one of the greatest opportunities and one of the most important pieces available in Lelands’ auction. A chance to own a piece worthy of the permanent collection at Cooperstown. Bill Purdom is one of the most well renowned sports artists of all time, and rightfully so, as you will plainly see as soon as you lay your eyes on this wondrous scene of baseball. Purdom’s artwork is not only displayed as part of the permanent collection in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, it has also appeared in such nationally distributed magazines as Time, Sports Illustrated, & Esquire. His work captures the spirit of baseball so perfectly, that it has even been deemed worthy enough to hang in the Baseball Commissioner’s office. The subject and genre of this remarkable original painting is ideally, none other than one of the most historically important events in the history of Major League baseball - Roger Maris’ 61st home run, hit on October 1, 1961. In truly dramatic fashion, Roger Maris launched #61 into the stands in the final game of the regular season, shattering Babe Ruth’s long-standing single-season home run record. Maris’ record stood for 37 years until McGwire & Sosa in ’98. The detail in this painting is simply astonishing, the players, the moment, and the ballpark itself are represented to utter perfection. Play of shadow and light in this work is just mesmerizing, as the “feel” of the storied Bronx ballpark is magically re-created. To give you an idea of how sought after Purdom’s work is, a print of this original sells for around $900. Exquisitely double matted to 20x27” (matting is a white and maroon canvas). Wooden frame measures 32x39”. Artwork in Mint condition.