30 Day Baseball Card Challenge

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Hats Off to Mr. Padre

We all know that people handle death differently and in their own way.  I myself haven't had a lot of personal experience in that area, so I was a little surprised at how much Tony Gwynn's passing affected me.

A day hasn't gone by where I didn't take at least a few seconds to think about him.  Sometimes it's a tribute video on the internet.  Other days it's me sitting in my office sorting through a stack of cards.  And other times it's when I read through my daily eBay searches.

That's what happened a few days after I heard the sad news.  Someone listed this 2001 Fleer Legacy autographed hat on eBay and it showed up on one of my saved searches:


I've been looking to buy this item for my collection for quite some time and all of a sudden three different hats popped up within two weeks of his death.  I missed out on the first two, but luckily the third time's a charm.


I ended up being the only bidder on this auction and won it with a $75 opening bid, plus $20 shipping.  With the surplus of Gwynn autographed cards and memorabilia floating around the hobby, I know that I overpaid for this item.

With that being said... I'm extremely excited to add this to my Tony Gwynn PC and have absolutely no buyer's remorse.

Happy Wednesday and sayonara!

17 comments:

Tony L. said...

Shoot, I was feeling special about getting the enlightenment and personal growth spam on my blogs...but it's everywhere today.

That hat is a great addition to your collection!

Marcus said...

If you overpaid, I don't think it was by that much at all. Looking at my saved searches, a lot of Gwynn autographed stuff shot up in price after his death, but I don't think it'll be lowering any time soon. I'm not at a place where I can drop that much on any autographed Gwynn stuff, but hopefully someday, I'll stock up on some stuff. GREAT looking hat.

Man said...

crap spam on our blogs. Great item Fuji. $75 a steal at that. I am pretty sad overt Mr. Padre's passing, but my wife has really been struggling with his death. Being a native San Diegan TG was such a art of what that means.

Eric Bracke said...

I always wanted to get a Fleer Legacy hat, but never have found the right one to splurge on. Great find, congratulations!

Unknown said...

Sweet hat, man. I myself looked on eBay after his passing. I realized I didn't have anything of his (autographed, numbered, etc.) He sounds like a great guy. Never heard a bad thing about him.

I had my own little tribute for him: http://tomahawkempire.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-tribute-to-tony-gwynn.html

Ana Lu said...

What a great looking item! I love caps so I'm biased ;)

BobWalkthePlank said...

If it was an overpay I don't think it was by much. Seems pretty reasonable to me.

Commishbob said...

Worth every dime.

Fuji said...

I prefer my spam in my musubi ;-)

Fuji said...

Gwynn has never been shy about signing stuff, which has kept his autograph values at reasonable levels for years. I witnessed the spike in sales too... but if I were a betting man, I think his autographs will eventually settle down. Maybe not to what they once were, but his signature will never be considered rare. But that's better for us... and also just goes to show how much he loved the game and appreciated his fans.

Fuji said...

It's weird to feel sad about a person I never met in person and never knew I existed. He also had no idea the impact he had on certain fans. He was such a huge part why I love the game. It's good that you and your wife have each other to lean on.

Fuji said...

There are a bunch of huge names... but some of them sell for big $$$ when they actually show up on eBay. Best of luck on whichever one you decide to pick up. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Fuji said...

Great tribute. I loved watching the way he played the game and the way he interacted with the fans. He truly loved his job and appreciated the people who cheered him on.

Fuji said...

I loved wearing caps in college... but these days I'm more into displaying them on shelves than on my head ;-)

Fuji said...

It's high in terms of Gwynn autographs. I've picked up his autographs for under $20 on numerous occasions, because he was always a willing signer.

Fuji said...

Agree 100%

Ana Lu said...

I'm in the same page ;)