BACKHappy Day: The Fonz, Greg Brady and More Show Up at Panini America HQ (Gallery)
Days like today are precisely why working at Panini America is akin to some adrenaline-riddled romp on a white-knuckled roller coaster ride that makes a loop-to-loop through Christmas morning before coming to a stop in a candy store. Funny what the arrival of hard-signed autographs from the likes of Henry Winkler, Barry Williams, Barry Switzer, Curly Neal and so many others can do for the kid-like psyche of a 1970s child.
Such was the case this morning, when a must-see slew of early returns from the upcoming 2013 Golden Age Baseball release instantly jettisoned me back three decades or so to my living-room floor, where I spent countless hours watching “Happy Days,” “The Brady Bunch” Oklahoma Sooners football and the Harlem Globetrotters. It was a euphoric experience to be sure, and one that foretold of a stunning follow-up to last season’s Golden Age debut.
While Fonzie and Greg Brady top my shortlist of hard-signed Golden Age autos that have been returned to Panini America HQ so far, there’s plenty more ’70s-era splendor worth mentioning, too. Like Eve Plumb (Jan Brady), Dick and Tommy Smothers, Stanley and Barry Livingston (“My Three Sons”), Carlton Fisk, Mario Andretti, Jim Kiick, Sugar Ray Leonard, Yogi Berra and Ron Cey.
We’ve provided many of the highlights in a most golden Golden Age preview below. The product is slated to go live June 26, so stay tuned to The Knight’s Lance for news on additional arrivals, including six history-makers in particular that must be seen to be believed. More on those later.
