4 Essential cards for Tony Gwynn collectors
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In the modern era, there have been few pure hitters as Tony Gwynn. He wasn't a slugger. but in terms of making contact and being able to place the ball in all parts of the field, there may not have been any better since Ted Williams. Gwynn was a student of the game. He was known to read a book called "The Art of Hitting" where Ted Williams goes into detail about his approach to the game and hitting style. Gwynn later penned a book of the same name.
Tony Gwynn was a great basketball player in college and could possibly tried for a career in the NBA - thankfully for baseball fans he decided against it. Gwynn's baseball cards have long been sought after by Padres fans and fans of the game - Gwynn is a legend and his cards will always be desired by those who collect the greats. His untimely death at just 54 from cancer took from us one of the great ambassadors of baseball.
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TOPPS 1983 TONY GWYNN
There are competitors for the "best" Gwynn rookie card title, but it's become clear that his 1983 Topps card is the winner. A photo showing Gwynn mid-swing would have been preferable, but you can't have it all. The smaller photo in the foreground of the card makes up for it. A copy in gem-mint condition can be had for around $4,000.
BOWMAN'S BEST AUTOGRAPH 1997 TONY GWYNN
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There weren't a lot of Tony Gwynn autograph cards out there early in his career; 1997 was a great chance for collectors on the search to get a great one. This autograph parallel from Bowman's Best shows Gwynn in full extension with a bright blue on-card autograph and was part of a 10 player checklist.
UPPER DECK GAME JERSEY BUYBACK AUTO 1997 TONY GWYNN
For some Tony Gwynn collectors, this card must be close to the Holy Grail. The 1997 Game Jersey set from Upper Deck is already iconic and chased after - but later the card company took it a step further and provided 19 (Gwynn's jersey number) of these for him to sign and were then inserted as buyback cards to be pulled by collectors with luck on their side.
DONRUSS SIGNATURE SERIES AUTOGRAPH 1998 TONY GWYNN
Another one of Gwynn's earliest autograph cards was included in Donruss' 1998 Signature Series set, with an autograph promised in each pack. There were three tiers of auto cards - the red base cards, the green Millennium Marks limited to 1,000 and the blue "Century Marks" limited to, you guessed it, 100. The green parallel is pictured here because rumor has it Gwynn did not sign the 1,000, only 900.
Brian Hough became a fan of the hobby by opening packs of 1986 Donruss and 1987 Topps baseball with his dad and little brother. He has been writing about the collectibles industry for years, initially as a price guide editor for Tuff Stuff Magazine, which was a monthly sports magazine focused on sports cards and collectibles, particularly known for its price guides and checklists, that initially launched in April 1984.