A couple of things before I get to the mystery:
1. Time is running out to vote on the biggest improvement and the biggest bust in Score's illustrious baseball trading card history. You have a matter of hours to place your vote on the sidebar. It doesn't seem like people have much of an opinion on Score, but I don't want to leave anyone out.
2. I realize I am pokey on sending out packages again. All I have to do is look in the general direction of the card desk to feel the shame envelop me. Sorry, March is a hellfire mistress. I hope things will calm down in a couple of weeks.
But it's that second point that I think is contributing to this mystery.
I deal with a lot of collectors. People always sending me stuff or contacting me for trades, etc. I can barely keep pace, but I do try to be friendly about it. "Friendly," though, does not eliminate "forgetful."
I received a package yesterday with no return address. There was nothing on the package to indicate where it originated. My address was hand-written on the package. I suppose if I did some exhaustive comparison of hand-writing samples on past envelopes (I do have a few lying around), I could come up with an answer. But there ain't no way I'm doing that.
For a run-of-the-mill package, this wouldn't concern me in the least. But this was not ordinary.
It started slowly with the Fernando.
Then I saw Gil. Fleer's Greats of the Game set in 2000 is a classic.
Then I saw this:
I don't think I've ever experienced a 1969 Topps stamp in person. I know I've never experienced a graded 1969 Topps stamp. I didn't even know people graded stamps. But, boy howdy, it's gem mint.
But that wasn't the only Maury.
Here's another one:
A bat relic Maury.
Wow.
I've been able to gather a fair amount of nice Maury Wills cards, which is great as I always thought he was cool, even way back when I was collecting as a kid.
But that wasn't the only bat relic of a legendary Dodger shortstop:
Yeah.
It's Pee Wee.
If this is what's in anonymous packages, I'll take all your anonymous packages. Except for the ones that are ticking.
Now, it's possible that someone who I had never dealt with before contacted me and said, "hey, I have some cards for you" and in a weak moment I said, "sure, stranger, here's my address" and then I forgot to worry about whether he was going to send me cards or anthrax spores.
It's also possible that someone told me specifically that they were sending me these very cards and I said, "oh boy, oh boy, oh boy I can't wait to get them" and then promptly erased it from my brain.
What can I tell you? I'm practically as dumb as my dog these days. We've been living together too long.
But I feel it's my duty to properly pay respect to cards like these.
So if someone wants to step forward and admit to sending me these cards, I promise I won't yell at ya.
I just want to say "thanks, stranger."
And ...
"I like these a lot better than anthrax."
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