I've been struggling with this post ever since that box showed up in my snailbox 2 weeks ago. I've actually been trying to figure out what to say ever since Smed's email showed up in my inbox a few weeks ago.
He and I have traded before, and I've even gone so far as paying for shipping of cards he knew I'd like. But a few weeks ago, along with several other people, I got an email simply stating that a package would be on it's way to us.
Fast forward a week and a 600 count box shows up in my snailbox! Now, the box was not full, but even at that, it was WAY more than I was expecting, especially out of the blue with no trade talks in process.
I sat down in my favorite chair to open this little mystery, and could not believe my good fortune.
I have a small confession to make, actually a couple of them, but this one starts it: I've been watching some of the other packages show up in posts since that email arrived, and mine was no different in one aspect, I got a bunch of older cards that fit one of my collections in one way or another. But I confess, I've not found 1 post yet that posesses the WOW factor that mine did.
Smed included a small metric ton of Yankees, Red Sox, and Twins from the mid to late 80s, Don Russ, Fleer and the like. which is fine as they will eventually find a home in one of my binders when I get the chance to organize them again.
Smed also included several cards from my current Want Lists, and several cards from my "Didn't Know I wanted them" list as well. Now I'd be Lyin if I did not say those Tigers and Bears (Oh My!) did not fit right into the holes in my sets. (OK, it was a stretch, he's actually a Cub)
He sent me shiny Phils, Gold Phils, Chrome Phils, and even 1 Red Bordered Phil!
The WOW factor kicked in in right about the middle of the box, and you should have spied it in the first picture of the Pile O'Wax. Yep, 1 very shiny, diamond parallel, straight from the locker room, work-out jersey relic of none other than Roy Halladay!! numbered to 60! (sorry
Jules, eat yer heart out!!) I immediately sent a reply to Smed, asking what I'd done to deserve this lil' beauty? He replied that he thought I'd enjoy the card and that I was the big winner in this little snailbox bombing run of his. I think that is the understatement of the year for me. I could not believe my eyes, nor my good fortune!!
Which leads me to my next confession: Last week was a roller coaster ride, getting that box of cards in the mail Tuesday. I took them to work on Wednesday so I could scan them and place some of them in more sturdy protection. I place 1 of the gold bordered Lees in a screw down case to leave on my desk-hutch with the rest of my Phillies stuff there. And I placed Mr. Halladay's relic in a top-loader so I could place it with the rest of my other relics. Not having the other relics with me, I placed the top-loader in my shirt pocket until I got home.
Fast foward to later in the day, much later in the day, we're talking near the end of a 13 hour workday. I am doing something on the computer for work, and it isn't working, I'm talking 2 1/2+ hours of tinkering and trouble-shooting without coming even remotely close to a solution, I quickly glance at my watch and realise, it's time to get my butt home. I shoot an email to my boss and the IT guys then turn my attention to packing up and going home. In packing my things, I realise that somewhere during the day, Mr. Halladay has left my pocket! In a panic, I re-trace my steps from the day, which surprisingly are very few for my normal day, with no luck. I then reluctently head for home. And I didn't even get the chance to scan it in so I can't even show off what I used to have!!
The next day I send emails around to my co-workers, ask the building maintenance and janitorial staff and all but give up on my new found, and more newly lost relic. The admin assistant suggests on Friday to post signs down in the lobby. I figure, what the hell, couldn't hurt, probably wouldn't help either... So I trudge down to the lobby and post a simple sign:
1/25/12
Lost
Baseball Card
If Found
Please Call
xxx-xxxx
Friday afternoon, I get a phone call from someone in the building,
"Yeah, I'm calling about the baseball card?"
My hopes raise as I reply, "Yes, that's my sign..."
him, "I'm up on the 6th floor..."
me, "yeah, I'm on the 2nd..."
him, "where did you lose it?"
me, "either 2nd or 3rd floor..." knowing that's the only floors I had visited on Wednesday,
him, "Well, who was the subject on the card?"
me, "Philadelphia Phillies Roy Halladay", as my hopes begin to sink again...
him, "What year is it from?"
me, "2011"
him, "Any particular value?"
me, "Don't really know, wasn't trying to sell it... did you find a card?"
him, "No, but I'll keep my eyes out for it..."
me, very annoyed by this point, "Well thanks, have a nice day...", my hopes fall even further as I am now wondering exactly what the f^#*ing point behind that phone call was and what kind a scam is this jerk-off trying to pull?
About mid-afternoon on Tuesday, after pretty much writing Mr. Halladay off as a lost cause, one of the guys that sits in the office where I work (but works for a different company) pops by my cube and asks me if this is the card I lost?? Dropping my Roy Halladay top-loaded relic on my desk... Hell yeah! He tells me he found it on the floor outside his cube but had no idea who it belonged to until he saw the sign in the lobby?!
I'm thinking to myself, yeah, you don't know who the Philadelphia baseball fan is in the office? (you regular readers have seen my cubicle... check out the beginning
here,
here,
here, and
here... my boss calls it my "Shrine to the Phillies") But I politely, politically correctly reply, "Yes, that is my card and thank you very much for it's return, you've just made my day!!!"
So, I now have scanned in said relic card for your viewing pleasure and it is now safely tucked in with the rest of my relic collection, having learned a valuable lesson, "Don't put top-loaders in a loose pocket where they can quickly leave your collection through Sir Issacc Newton's first law of gravity!"
I can't even begin to wonder how I'm going to go about
"getting even" with Smed for this, but I vow to find a way!!
Saying Thanks just doesn't cut it here, Smed,
YOU ROCK DUDE!!
Thanks for reading,
Have a GReat Day!
Dawgbones
