How do you honor a baseball legend like Tony Gwynn, who embodied the skills, grace and attitude of the ideal ballplayer and ambassador of the game throughout his 20-year Hall of Fame playing career and over a decade after? Well, if you are former San Diego Padres owner John Moores, you honor "Mr. Padre" with an enormous artistic display for his home. Here's your chance to own a very personal piece of family history gifted by the Moores family to Gwynn following his retirement. The impressive and elegantly etched tempered glass piece of artwork entitled "Hit Man" was displayed proudly in the Gwynn residence for several years up until his recent passing. The beautiful design with a jazzy tone features a full-body, near life-size portrait of Tony dressed in a classy suit and top hat, standing by his locker and carrying the instrument that played sweet music for two decades - his bat. The glass is also engraved with several of Gwynn's amazing career milestones, stats and achievements. These include: "8 NATIONAL LEAGUE BATTING TITLES 1984, 1987-89, 1994-97"; "15 TIME NATIONAL LEAGUE ALL STAR 1984-87, 1989-99"; "3,141 HITS"; "5 GOLD GLOVE AWARDS 1986-87, 1989-91"; and ".338 LIFETIME BATTING AVERAGE."
The overall dimensions of the glass are approximately 3 feet wide by 5 feet tall by 2 inches thick, and the glass piece alone weighs over 100 lbs. It is mounted upright at a slight lean and rests inside a 36" by 4" metal place holder, which is secured to a 4' by 2' wooden base on the floor. The full display comes in three parts—the glass, the metal/wooden base, and a thin, circular metal piece that attaches to the top of the glass for aesthetics. It should be noted that in order to photograph the piece without a reflective glare from the glass, it was shot with a black sheet draped behind it. The tempered glass is crystal-colored and all etched artwork and inscriptions appear in white. There’s no better way to pay homage to Tony Gwynn's loyalty as a Padre and his model of consistency and excellence both on and off the field than to own his personal shrine.
Includes Letter of Authenticity from the Gwynn Family.
Note: Due to the size and weight of this item, the cost of shipping may be substantial.
A portion of the proceeds generated by the Tony Gwynn Collection will be donated to the Tony and Alicia Gwynn Foundation. The TAG Foundation is a non-profit, 5013(c) charity dedicated to creating and supporting programs that enhance opportunities for youth to become healthy, educated, and productive citizens. The TAG Foundation was organized in San Diego in 1995 by Tony’s wife, Alicia. For more information, visit www.tagwynn2.org.