For some reason Jon and I were talking about Tony Gwynn's autograph. I wondered aloud how much my signed Sports Illustrated Hall of Fame poster would be worth. I'd never sell it but I was just curious if I should take better care of it, by putting it in a temperature and moisture controlled archive (under my bed).
Jon suggested we check eBay. He searched for "Tony Gwynn" and then sorted the results so the priciest items were on top.
You may remember that a few weeks ago I shared these pictures from a Tony Gwynn exhibit at SDSU back in 2007. I hoped that they would some day be in a museum here San Diego so that fans could see these relics up close.
Imagine our surprise when we found some of the same items for sale on eBay. Like his game worn hat and gloves from the game where he recorded his 3000th hit. They were being sold for $4999.99.
Though I didn't take a picture of it, his first player contract was also on display in his exhibit and now it too is for sale on eBay for $4999.99.
In case you're curious, the most expensive item being sold was his game worn Aztec basketball uniform, which is going for $14,999.99. If those shorts could talk...
The highest priced baseball related piece of memorabilia is his 1984 World Series game worn pants and stirrups. They'll set you back $11,999.99.
According to West Coast Memorabilia most of these items come directly from Gwynn's own collection. It makes you wonder why he'd sell these treasures. Is he in need of the money? I know he went bankrupt back in 1987, but you'd think that keeping these items in his family would be worth more than the few thousand bucks he received by selling them.
I repeat: These belong in a museum!
