A Grip Load of Gwynn

If you're a Tony Gwynn fan, then this post is definitely for you.  I recently stumbled upon a large collection of his collectibles on eBay and immediately entered the $9.99 opening bid.  A day later, I was the proud owner of this awesome lot:

2004 Tony Gwynn SGA Statue

These were handed out on September 3rd, 2004 at PETCO Park to 46,000 fans.  I'm a huge fan of stadium giveaways and was excited that this particular lot included two of these.  One of them has already been placed on my San Diego Padres shelf in the office.  The other will probably be handed down to my nephew.

July 30th, 2007

The San Diego Union-Tribune honored Gwynn on the front page the day after he was inducted.  They also included a special section dedicated to him and Cal Ripken Jr.

The seller had a few more items relating to Gwynn's induction into Cooperstown... including a copy of the 2007 Hall of Fame Yearbook and the induction program:

Earlier in the year, I offered a guy $7 at a card show for the yearbook and he shot me down.  I guess I should be grateful he did.

2007 USPS Photo/Cachet

This 12" x 16" matted piece was produced by the United States Postal Service back in 2007.  The photo collage and date stamped cachet is going to look awesome hanging up in my office after I buy a frame for it.

The final HOF related item was this special commemorative hat that was signed by Gwynn.  Well... at least I think it's his real signature.

There were a few more smaller items included in the lot like this pamphlet and pin:

But it's time to finally show off the centerpiece of this lot:

October 7th, 2001 Padres vs. Rockies Ticket Stub

This ticket stub might look like just an ordinary ticket, but it's actually from the final game of Gwynn's career.  After doing some research, I discovered that it's the same game in which Rickey Henderson collected the 3,000th hit of his career.  Pretty cool, huh?

Fans who attended the game also received a special commemorative ticket:

It included a special acrylic holder that could display the original ticket, as well as this oversized ticket.

I'm still amazed that I was able to win this auction for $9.99.  I'm guessing that other Gwynn collectors were turned off by the guy's $10.59 shipping fee... but for total price of $20.58, I'm perfectly content with this grip load of Gwynns.

Happy Friday and sayonara!