It's only words

I received a PWE in the mail from Tony of Off Hiatus Baseball Cards. The above request to the USPS was on the front.

When I send out PWEs, I'm not quite as direct. I put a little line at the bottom on the back that says "nonmachinable" and cross my fingers. Since I haven't received any complaints, I'm assuming that does the trick.

Maybe the USPS gets stirred up by exclamation points.

Because this is what arrived in the mailbox:

No. Not the black boxes. I placed those there. Please focus your attention on the rip that begins north and travels all the way south. Imagine that you can see the continuation of the rip underneath the black box.

Now imagine seeing the envelope wide open at the center and the contents visible out in the mailbox.

"Hoo-boy," I said to myself. "This isn't good."

It turns out it was just fine.

The cards were stored in one-third of a nine-pocket page, cut length-wise. That is the page folded over, which is how it came out of the envelope.

Those are the three pockets extended out. I am assuming that since it was folded over, and one side was stacked higher than the other, that this is what created the rip.

As for whether the USPS ignored the "Hand sort!" request, I don't know. Maybe things happen in shipment regardless. I've also heard that it doesn't matter what you put on the envelope, everything goes through machines anyway.

I just know that my cards are OK, which I'm sure relieves Tony as it did me.

Here they are:

How about that?

That's 11 cards, including, I believe, the last SSP from the 2013 Topps Dodgers that I needed in Ryu. Then add the Fleer sticker. Plus at least three decoys. All in one in PWE.

Given the circumstances, I think things worked out pretty darn great.

Well worth the scare at the mailbox.