The San Diego Padres returned home to Petco Park Wednesday and honored the late Tony Gwynn with a special pre-game tribute.
Gwynn’s death this week came as a shock to many who knew he’d been battling cancer off and on for several years but didn’t realize he was losing the fight.
An icon throughout baseball, but especially in his hometown, Gwynn’s career spanned and then surpassed the remarkable explosion in the sports card and memorabilia world that took place from the early 1980s through the early 1990’s. While eBay has revealed there is no shortage of Gwynn’s three major rookie cards, they remain popular with collectors as do his autographs, which he gave generously throughout his time in baseball and after his retirement.
Since his death, sports card shops in the San Diego area have been busy as fans look for a few more pieces of memorabilia to remember his remarkable career.
The statue of Gwynn outside the ballpark filled up as fans brought items, signs and messages of sympathy to place at its base in tribute.
NBC 7 in San Diego visited a couple of shops.
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