A Secret Surprise Mailing

To begin with - HOLY CRAP!  The Cubs are going to the World Series for the first time in 71 years!!  What a time to be alive!!!  Now, we Cubs fans can finally put the Durham error and the Bartman game behind us - they're finally going to the big dance!

All things considered, it was one heckuva weekend... and not just because of that bit of baseball history either.  In addition to the Cubs claiming the National League pennant, I also had the good fortune to attend a enthusiastic early Halloween party, a long-overdue family get together and receive a PWE from Shoebox Legends.  What more does one need out of a weekend?

And he used a nifty stamp too - I might have to locate some of those beauties for myself.

Now, despite what the title of this post might lead you to believe, I completely expected this envelope.  In my post detailing my first experience with this year's edition of Heritage High Numbers, Mr. Shoebox was generous enough to offer the card that I  swung and missed on.  So, the envelope itself was not "a secret surprise mailing;" rather, it was something about the contents of the trade package that caught me off guard.

There's the Munenori Kawasaki I was "jonesing" for from HHN, along with a bonus rookie card of the first-year sensation known as Willson Contreras.  As I detailed in my previous post, this is Kawasaki's first card appearance as a Chicago Cub and it's a fairly surprising inclusion for the set's checklist.  After all, Mune had only appeared in a couple of games before this set went to print.  Anyway, I'm super excited to "Cubgrade" my Kawasaki, since I didn't expect him to ever appear on a card wearing Cubbie blue.

Also, Willson is greatly appreciated too.  Needless to say, his card prices are inflated heavily around the Chicagoland area.  Hitting a home run in the pennant-clinching game will do that, I suppose.

Of course, that wasn't all there was to be found in this PWE.  Also included were these singles from another fairly recent Topps release - BUNT.

With this pair of key contributors to the biggest series win since 1908 - in fact, Lester was co-MVP of the NLCS along with Javy Baez - I must be nearing completion of the BUNT team set.  Perhaps I should sit down and actually put together a want-list... but, then again, that would require some work and effort.

Furthermore, there was this trio of 80's gems to be found as well.

One does not see Carmelo Martinez in a Cubs uniform very often, so that is always a nice treat.  Also, I think I've made it abundantly clear on this blog that Mark Grace is a-ok in my book and any card of his is a welcome addition to my collection, especially a glossy rookie card!  Meanwhile, Broder cards are always welcome too; they may not be "real" cards, but they make for some fascinating oddballs,e specially when they depict a Hall of Famer such as "the Hawk."

Now, while these were all new and welcome additions to my Cubs collections, we still haven't seen the "secret surprise" that blew me away.  Before curiosity gets the best of you, please allow me to unveil the card that caught me off guard:

A certified auto of former Cubs uber-prospect Felix Pie from one of my favorite sets of all-time (Topps Cracker Jack)!

Okay - so maybe I'm the only person on the blogosphere who would be so excited about getting an autograph of a busted prospect from ten years ago.  But, I don't care - autographs rarely fall into my super-tight budget, so anytime I can add a new one to my CATRC binder, I do a little happy dance.  Even for Felix Pie.

And yet, Mr. Shoebox Legends still wasn't done.  As an extra bonus, he also threw in a few Blackhawks cards for my burgeoning hockey collection:

 

Vintage hockey is rare in my Blackhawks All-Time Roster Collection; so, adding that "super action" Tony Esposito to my binder was pretty sweet.  So too was adding that Gary Suter Topps Finest beauty.  What can I say?  I have a thing for shiny objects!

Kane and Toews are also constant victims of hometown inflation around these parts; thus, anytime I can acquire nice cards of them via trade I'm a happy camper.  I especially love that canvas UD single showing the Hawks' captain touting the Stanley Cup - it truly feels like a little piece of art.

And so, we've reached the end of the Shoebox Legends PWE.  It made for the perfect exclamation point to finish off and already otherworldly excellent weekend.  I'll make sure to get a nice return package in the mail ASAP - I've been working on acquiring some nice Red Sox and Bruins cards for a proper thank you gift.

What a whirlwind weekend!