30 Day Baseball Card Challenge

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

The A's Might Be Leaving the Bay Area...

But mi padre has returned.

After spending the past twenty-five years in Las Vegas, my father has returned to the Bay Area to spend more time with his daughter-in-law and three sons.  Now I get to see him two to three times a week instead of four to five times a year.  I won't bore you all with the small details, but the bottom line is my father is surrounded by loved ones instead of being alone in Vegas.


Now that I've shared a quick life update, let's get to some collectiblesPapa Fuji isn't the only padre that's landed in the Bay AreaRod over at Padrographs sent me a box filled with a bunch of new Padres and other goodies for my collection.

Let's start with the items that helped me revamp my Padres shelf in my office.  Here are before and after shots:

Before

After

For those who don't have the time to sit and compare the photos, here are the items from Rod's care package that were added to the shelf:

2014 Funko Pop MLB Mascots #06

I was really happy to add this guy to my shelf.  I have the 2019 Swinging Friar Pop in a box somewhere, but the collector in me didn't want to take it out of the box.  Anyone who collects these figurines knows they eat up a lot of space.  Thankfully Rod removed the box from the equation and now he has a home up front and center on the shelf.

The other big item added to the shelf is this Mr. Padre bobble head:

Donruss Class of 2001 Bobblehead

This is my very first Gwynn bobblehead!  Can't believe it took me this long to acquire one, but it's an excellent addition to the shelf.

There was also this cool Gwynn pin that Rod sent that's a duplicate, so I added it to the shelf:

1984 Fun Foods Pin #28

And finally this awesome looking decal that I slid into a Card Saver:


I'm not sure if this is a custom sticker that Rod created or something he purchased over the years... but it looks awesome on the wall above my shelf.

He also included a few other unique Padres items and over 700 cards.  I'm still sorting through them, but I'll show some of the highlights when I get a chance to scan them.

In the meantime, I'll wrap things up three more Gwynn collectibles that Rod donated to my collection:


I can't find any information on this patch, but obviously it commemorates Gwynn's 3,000 hits.  I've slid this item along with this Topps Coin into my Gwynn binder:

1988 Topps Coins #36

This coin was a pleasant surprise, because it's a Junk Wax Era Gwynn I needed.

And finally here's a collectible I didn't even know existed...

2001 Tony Gwynn VHS Tape

I had originally planned on writing a post regarding my thoughts on the A's impending move to Las Vegas, but I'd rather have my first post in over a month be positive instead of negative.  I'll save my beloved A's for another day.

Thank you Rod for the generous care package!  I have at least two more items from this box that I plan on writing about, so stay tuned.  Until then...

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!

15 comments:

Jeff B - Wax Pack Wonders said...

Glad your dad will be closer to home!

Dennis said...

That's great that your dad will be so close and you'll be able to see him way more often. Terrific stuff from Rod as always, especially the bobblehead. All that adds up to a really nice shelf display!

The Angels In Order said...

Now that I work from home, my office shelf is my entire library!
Glad to hear your dad's back in the area.

The Snorting Bull said...

That is awesome to have your father living closer. My parents moved to Raleigh last year, it's been great having them nearby. The Padres items are cool too.

Johnnys Trading Spot said...

I think it is amazing for your father to live so close to his kids. Enjoy that papi time!

Sean said...

Hey that is cool, its good that you'll be able to see more of him! Nice Padres shelf too!

night owl said...

Hey, I have that Gwynn Fun Foods pin! (No, I don't want those other Padres things).

Nice to hear about your dad. I didn't have long to think about "what's my dad going to do without my mom?" but it was definitely a thought.

The Lost Collector said...

That's excellent that your dad is now local and you're able to frequently see him. Enjoy it!

Cool shelf of items! Love the Gwynn bookmark on the wall.

Bo said...

Glad your dad will be close to you again. If he's the collecting type, maybe you guys can team up on flea market visits.

Jafronius said...

Nice for Papa Fuji to be closer to you guys. Enjoy that extra quality time! Congrats on the new Padre additions!

Jon said...

I would have to imagine that you and your siblings had been trying to convince him to move closer for the last couple of years, so everyone's gotta be pretty happy that he finally acquiesced.

Steve at 1975BaseballCards.com said...

That's a trade I'd make any day - the A's to Vegas in trade for your day over to your area!

Do you think you'll take him to some A's games before they leave town?

Paul said...

Great to hear your going to be able to spend more time with your dad. Enjoy the bonus time with pops.

gregory said...

Very cool that your dad is closer to family. I know you'll enjoy it! Pretty cool memorabilia, too. You're right about that Padres decal!

Fuji said...

wax pack wonders - thanks jeff. it's been great seeing him on a regular basis

dennis - seems like every care package from rod comes with at least a few unique items. i have a few items i still need to write about that are really interesting... or very unique.

the angels in order - i'm so jealous of people who get to work from home. although... when i did distance learning, the experience was pretty miserable

the snorting bull - i'm pretty stoked. in fact, i have a few little field trips planned for us this summer. it'll be nice to get him out of the house

johnnys trading spot - it took him awhile to decide between arizona and california... but i think he's happy.

sean - thanks. now that the padres shelf has been reorganized and dusted... i need to clean the other team shelves

night owl - you don't want a gwynn bobble? lol. i remember both of your parents passing away around the same time. although i'm glad my father is still with us, i know down inside he wants to be with my mom.

the lost collector - i'm hoping to one day own a complete set of those bookmarks. i deleted my saved ebay search for them a few years ago. maybe it's time for me to track them again.

bo - he's never been a big collector (except for old wall street journals for research purposes). and he's never once shown an interest in hitting up the flea market. that being said... my brother joined me at the flea market last weekend

jafronius - my brothers and i are truly enjoying the extra time we have with my father. in fact we have even been seeing more of each other as well

jon - yeah, it's been a long process of trying to get him to move either here or arizona. once my mom passed away, he became lonely... but wanted to be independent and stay in vegas. but he's here now... and we're thankful for that.

steve at 1975baseballcards.com - yeah... i'm happy for my father coming back to the bay area. as for the a's games, i'm planning on at least one game this summer and another in september. maybe one or two more.

paul - i am enjoy the extra time with pops. my brothers are too. most importantly... my dad has really enjoyed the company.

gregory - it's been a lot of fun. and this summer i have some fun stuff planned for us too.