Player: Tony Gwynn
Set: 1983 Fleer, Donruss and Topps
Card Number: 360, 598, and 482 respectively
Why is These Cards are Must Have?: Tony might possibly be, besides Ted Williams, and Ichiro, the greatest pure hitter baseball has ever known. Eight of his 20 seasons were spent at the top of the National League in batting average. He had over 3100 hits, a career average of 0.338, 15 All Star appearances, 7 Silver Sluggers, but was never an MVP although he had 11 top 20 finishes. I think the one thing I liked about Gwynn was his simple approach to baseball. He played for only one team his entire career, he never made contract demands or hold outs. He was not a prima donna, he played his guts out and never complained. He was not a liability in the field as evidenced by his 7 Gold Gloves. He was one of the few guys that was a no brainer as far as entry to the Hall of Fame. Plus look at the goofy brown unis, it always brings a smile to my face.
On a Scale of 1 to 10, How Must Have Are These Cards?: A 10, he is a legend, he will be remembered as one of the all time greats. These cards are as must have as it gets. You can find these cards for between $5 – $10 dollars on eBay.
The ’83 Fleer Gwynn was the first great rookie card I ever owned. I started collecting in 1988 so an ’83 card seemed ancient, and of course it was worth a lot more then than it is now. The Topps card was so valuable that I couldn’t even get one as a kid. Now all three of those cards are among my favorites.
These are the most beautiful things in the entire world.
One of the genuinely nice people in baseball.