Thursday, January 29, 2009

Tony Gwynn - a History (Part 8)...

The Tony Gwynn Error card from the 1978 Topps set is perhaps the most coveted of all error cards ever produced. The first day that packs arrived in stores, Topps received hundreds of calls from angry mothers wondering why there was a naked lady on a baseball card!






The incriminations, reprints, and apologies soon followed. According to a Topps press release issued the next day, the photo was inserted into the production run by "a disgruntled former employee". Topps promised that the error would be corrected immediately and "tainted" cards would be pulled from the shelves.






An estimated 12,000 error cards were printed, of which only 2,500 were shipped to stores. Internal documents (released by the Topps corporation after the Forstmann Little & Company leveraged buyout in 1984) show that Topps managed to recover 2,492 of the cards. The offer for complete sets of 1978 baseball and football cards was too much for all but the most lickerish old men to refuse.

1978 Topps - Tony Gwynn #200 CORR



Back in '86, I sold my entire collection (minus the Padres) to obtain the error version at an estate sale in Rancho Santa Fe. Times sure have changed. Of the five known copies, only one has come up for auction since 1990. The sale price of $1.4 million (less buyer's premium) set a record for a single, ungraded card at Sotheby's in 1993. Several collectors of high end baseball cards have a bounty out for the card.

In 2004, I was offered a small island near Vanuatu for my copy of the card. It was tempting, but the humidity would have wreaked havoc on my collection.

What's that? You want to see the error card? Well, sorry. You'll have to pay, just like everyone else. The nationwide tour of Major League ballparks begins at the All-Star Game, July 19th in St. Louis. Tickets for the exhibition start at only $89. (Does not include admission to the game)

Monday, January 26, 2009

Tony Gwynn - a History (Part 7)... CONTEST!!!

With only 16 days until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, it seems like the perfect time for a little trivia...

1976 was a special year for the United States of America, and a special season for Tony Gwynn. He won the National League MVP award unanimously. Randy Jones won the Cy Young Award for the Padres after winning 22 games. The bicentennial brought a heck of a season to San Diego. I would like to honor one of the Padres greatest seasons with one of the greatest trivia contests of all time! 76 trivia questions in honor of the '76 season. The winner will receive A MAJOR AWARD!!!


1976 Topps - Tony Gwynn #350

Please submit your answers in the comments section:



1. Since the 1976 season, how many times have players from the same team won both the MVP and Cy Young awards in the same season?



2. How many games did Randy Jones win before the all star break in his Cy Young award winning 1976 season?



3. How many bases did Tony Gwynn steal in 1976?



4. How many RBI did Tony have at the all star break in 1976?



5. Who finished in second place in the NL MVP voting in 1976?



6. What player is featured on the "cardtoon" on the back of Tony Gwynn's 1977 baseball card?



7-76. What is the caption for the "cardtoon"?







You didn't think that I really had 76 questions?

(Hint: This isn't the "cardtoon" on Tony's card)

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Friday, January 16, 2009

No, really, I have been busy...

Just so you don't think that I am ignoring you all, I decided to share a sneak peek of the inside, left panel of the cd cover I am currently designing. The album (do they still call them albums?) is by one of San Diego's most popular acoustic guitar-playing/rap artists, Rob Deez. I honestly couldn't tell you how many acoustic guitar-playing/rap artists there are in San Diego, but he is certainly one of the funniest.



The cd is titled: Fisher Price - My First CD. This panel is an instruction manual for how to enjoy the cd, along the lines of an airline safety manual. If you look closely enough you can get an "extra sneak-peek" at the album cover (panel 3).



Childish and stupid, you say?

Art, I say. Childish and stupid, art.

I should be finished this weekend... If you are nice, maybe I'll show you the whole thing.

Friday, January 2, 2009

It is good to be back...

Been out of the country for a little over a week. I was in Red Sox Nation. Rhode Island to be specific.


It is certainly nice to be back in sunny San Diego. I have been getting caught up on my blog reading. The ladies over at Dinged Corners had a few questions for their fellow bloggers. I happened to have a few answers, so here we go:


1-If I didn't collect baseball cards, I'd collect: Virtual images of fake baseball cards... I guess I already do that.

2-My baseball heroes include one you probably wouldn't know from my blog or comments, and that person is: Randy Jones. When I was a young pup, my family would go to Padres games a couple times a season. Growing up, I thought that Randy Jones was the Padres only pitcher. Years later, while dining on Randy's delicious BBQ, my dad explained to me that we only went to games that he started. He pitched so quickly (time between pitches, not m.p.h.) that we could get back home in a couple of hours. He won the Cy Young award in '76 with a devastating sinker and a fastball in the 80s. He was the Padres first superstar, and first in my heart... After Tony Gwynn, of course.

3-Every New Years I resolve to __________ my collection. My collection and I have an understanding... It doesn't mess with me, and I dont mess with it.

4-If I could spend a day with one person from baseball history, it would be: Satchel Paige, without a doubt.

Lucy had a few questions as well:

1-What is your favorite kind of dog? A purebred dachuahua. (That's a dachsund-chihuahua mix for the uninitiated. I have one of a very limited edition.) I introduce the blogging world to:

Lord of the Realm, Texas-hold-em Pudding Head Jones Peterson the First

(You can call him Tex for short... Just don't call him short!)


2-Who is your favorite baseball player? Tony Gwynn... The only man to ever play 40 years in the big leagues! (In my imagination.)

3-What is your favorite team? San Diego Padres RULE!!!

4-What is your favorite baseball movie? The Sandlot or Major League.

5-What is your favorite baseball book? Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract

6-What is your favorite card? 1982 TCMA Hawaii Islanders- Tony Gwynn

and my own question:

1-What is your favorite blog? Dinged Corners RULES!!! :)