Jonny Gomes collectors' thread

[LWMM]

A thread for all things Gomes. The Griffey guys have an eight year, 505-page lead on us, so time to get cracking!

 

[Hawk8]

You should be able to catch up fast!

 

[LWMM]

A year or two ago Steiner Sports put out these 16x20 photos of Gomes. The photo is from the same moment as his iconic Sports Illustrated cover (pinch hit double leading of the bottom of the 8th, sparking a 3-run rally), and the inscription is fully handwritten. It reads:

Driving to the Park on April 20th Thinking can a single baseball game lift a city. Like the whole city, not just sports fans. The emotional roller coaster started during an absolutely amazing, life changing pre-game ceremony capped off with a timeless speech by the city's enforcer Big Papi.
"The Is Our Fing City."
Then my number was called by manager John to pinch hit in the bottom of the 8th. My at bat was delayed by Neil Diamond singing "Sweet Caroline" live on the field followed by 38k+ chanting "USA." That's about as American as it gets. Can One Swing, One Game, One Championship Lift a City forever? The Answer Is YES!! Boston Strong, Est April 20 2013.

Retail is $350, and one just sold on eBay for $225 (Steiner was having a sale for $225 at the time). The same seller put a second copy on eBay, and I got it for less than half the price of the first one he listed.

Shown with a bat (34") for scale.

The Sports Illustrated cover:

 

[RStadlerASU22]

^^^ Very cool piece , love the inscription.

Ryan

 

[LWMM]

Got this one in today. It's the second to hit eBay, following one listed shortly after release in 2013. It's also the only non-1/1 card I was missing from 2008-2013. The list is pretty evenly split (pre-2008, post-2013) and I don't doubt a number of the later cards will eventually show up. This is one that I wasn't sure I would see again, however, and I'm extremely pumped to get it.

2013 Topps Silver Slate Sparkle Wrapper Redemption 1/10 (copying from eBay, apologies for the massive photo):

The remaining cards on the list:

2002 Just Prospects Prototypes #JPP17 (might not exist)
2004 Skybox Autographics Prospects Endorsed Dual Jonny Gomes/Andruw Jones (probably never produced, looking for a redemption card)
2005 Upper Deck Platinum #412 /5
2006 Bowman Originals 2004 Bowman Chrome Refractors /2
2006 Upper Deck Special F/X Blue #443
2007 Fleer Ultra Autographics (probably doesn't exist)

2014 Topps Orange #146 /199
2014 Topps Pink #146 /50
2014 Topps Acetate #146 /10
2014 Topps Heritage Black Back #135 (WS Game 4)
2014 Topps Heritage Black Back #274

2015 Topps Heritage Blue Back #572

 

[Yanks2151]

Great card. Simple but solid look. Feels great to check one off the list like that. Congrats on your addition.

 

[r2d2]

Nice pick up Luc. I have that card for Alfredo Aceves but missing it for Luis Cruz.

 

[LWMM]

Thanks guys!

 

[LWMM]

Gomes seems to be nearing retirement, which has perhaps contributed to a recent spate of game used material being listed on eBay. Some of it has been pretty unique. The following comes from a 2005 end of season signing/sale Gomes did with Locker Room Memorabilia, although its provenance is a little hazy---the COA is signed by Emil Bodenstein as the former owner of LRM, and his LinkedIn profile suggests that his titular modifier ("former") wasn't added until January 2011. So perhaps this didn't hit the market until later (or even until now).

2005 Tampa Bay Devil Rays dugout jacket (also came with a 2005 batting glove and an 8x10). I haven't seen a Gomes jacket listed before, and I'm especially partial to game used items from his early baseball days, so it's cool to add something like this.

 

[jszczech]

Awesome jacket. We're you able to cross any of the other cards off your wantlist posted above too?
Look forward to seeing more pickups.

 

[LWMM]

Thanks [MENTION=5592]jszczech[/MENTION]! Sadly, no new cards off the list. There have been a few cards (a 2007 minor league set, and some 2015 A&G buybacks) that I didn't know existed, but that's it. For that matter, there haven't been any 2016 releases: The cards above really represent the last few I'm looking for.

There are a number of game used items newly acquired/in the mail, however. I'll try to post them up shortly.

 

[LWMM]

Another cool item that looks like it came from the same signing as the dugout jacket; it's signed "Game Used Rookie Year," which was Gomes's inscription on most of the items that he sold to/though Locker Room Memorabilia after his 2005 season. This one apparently somehow made its way to Wade Boggs's personal collection, so in a neat touch it came with a COA signed by Boggs.

2005 game used elbow pad. With only 407 PAs, Gomes managed 14 HBP in his rookie season, good for 14th in the majors. Gomes averaged one HBP per 29.07 trips to the plate; Shea Hillenbrand, who led MLB with 22 HBP, managed one per 29.31 PA. Watching Gomes at AAA, many times his elbow would sneak out an extra inch or two to earn the walk to first. Emblematic of Gomes's all-out, sometimes scrappy, hustle, I always appreciated that he would take the bruise for the base. This elbow pad, perhaps used to take one or more of those 14 HBP, is an offbeat but cool part of my collection; it's going to go next to my actual Gomes HBP ball.

Purchased in 2014, Jonny Gomes's 75th career HBP ball:

Hologram number EK062518 was located in the MLB Authentication Database under GAME-USED BASEBALL.
Session Product Description:

Session Name: BOS AT BAL
Session Date: April 03, 2014
Autographer:
Authenticator: AUTHENTICATORS, INC.
Additional Information: BATTER - JONNY GOMES, PITCHER - EVAN MEEK, TOP OF 6, HIT BY PITCH

 

[r2d2]

Awesome additions as always Luc. Very unique

 

[LWMM]

Awesome additions as always Luc. Very unique

Thanks Arturo!

Two more pickups, both listed at the same time. 2006 Upper Deck Artifacts MLB Apparel Auto Patch, #s 2/10 and 4/10. They go with 6/10, purchased almost exactly 10 years ago.

#2 /10:

#4 /10:

#6 /10:

And just for kicks, the 1/1 from the set:

 

[psj]

Those are all so sick!!!

 

[LWMM]

Thanks [MENTION=12548]psj[/MENTION]!

There are a few more game used items on the way, but this is the big one. This jersey was originally sold by Steiner, along with its 2010 counterpart, for $600 each. At that point I photomatched it for the original purchaser to a home run. The jersey resurfaced last month on eBay, where it sold for less than 1/3 the original price.

This jersey is from the 2009 Civil Rights Game against the White Sox, and is a 1964 throwback. Gomes was 1 for 2 with a two-run home run (pictured below) and a walk.

 

[RStadlerASU22]

Bout as good as it gets, nice stuff.

Ryan

Sent from my SM-G920V using Freedom Card Board mobile app

 

[mudflap02]

This player is garbage, I don't understand why anyone would want this.

For reals - I was shocked to see the 2 artifacts drop, so close to each other too. Was wondering why they went so high- this explains it. I think I have one, will try to post a pic.

 

[LWMM]

Bout as good as it gets, nice stuff.

Ryan

Thanks Ryan!

This player is garbage, I don't understand why anyone would want this.

For reals - I was shocked to see the 2 artifacts drop, so close to each other too. Was wondering why they went so high- this explains it. I think I have one, will try to post a pic.

Beats me Jeff, unless it's for the museum of failed prospects.

I'm guessing the first Artifacts led the other out? The seller of the second accepted my BO immediately after the first one (auction) ended, at the same price, so he was definitely watching it.

Definitely post a pic if you can find it.



Getting a bit into the absurd here, for for $14.50, why not. Everything below was included in the lot, so signed ball/8x10/card, along with the "game used" shorts. Unless Gomes went Michael Jordan style on the shorts (or conjured up the '76 White Sox) it's doubtful they saw anything other than warmups.

Next week: a Jonny Gomes game used left sock! (joke)

 

[LWMM]

This is from set issued by the Durham bulls in 2007 to commemorate their 10th year as a AAA team. Despite being a decade old, and containing two players I collect (Gomes and Matt Diaz), I didn't have any idea it existed until it appeared on eBay a few weeks ago. The set has 20 cards, including players (and a manager) from a variety of years. The full list:

Delmon Young
Brooks Badeaux
Randy Winn
Mickey Callaway
Lee Gardner
Jonny Gomes
Jason Standridge
Carl Crawford
Jeff Niemann
Lance Carter
Aubrey Huff
Matt Diaz
Steve Cox
Kevin Witt
Toby Hall
Bill Evers
B. J. Upton
Jason Smith
Rocco Baldelli
Ryan Jackson