Kris is also an avid baseball fan.

When I got today, there was a large, white envelope placed between my storm door and the front door. The return address showed "K. Shepard." Inside, I found an item which will be shown in a moment. I also found an envelope inside the large envelope. And, inside that envelope, I found another envelope. And inside that one, I found this:

It's a 1960 Topps card of Carroll Hardy. Judging by the handwriting on the card, some youngster scratched out "Cleveland Indians" and wrote "Boston" below it. Evidently, the owner of the card received it after Hardy's trade in '60 to the Red Sox. Rather than wait for a card depicting the trade, the youngin' opted to create his own "Topps Traded" card.

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Also inside the inner envelope, I found the item below wrapped in a horse racing tip sheet. The race was held in Albuquerque, so I presume Kris was the original holder of the document. On August 22, 2008, he chose "Jungle Smash" and "Mr Green Deans" as his favorites (circled in green colored pencil) in the 2nd race. Mr. Green Deans came in third and Jungle Smash came in fifth, so I hope Kris won a little money that day...

Regardless of how Kris came out, I sure came out the winner here:

That, my friends is a 2007 UD Masterpieces 5x7-ish box topper of none other than Victor Martinez! Man, this is a thing of beauty! I love the raised border and the canvas feel of the main photo. It is, in fact, much like holding a miniature masterpiece. Incredible!

So, what was the "big thing" in the white envelope? Well, I am not the most observant person in the world. So, when I saw the "Contract Archaeology: The Coloring Book" in my gift, I was a bit puzzled. It wasn't until I read the back that things started to click:


"Kris is also an avid baseball fan." Kris!? What the--??

So, I flipped the book back over and there it was, at the bottom on the front cover in plain daylight:

I have to say this is one of the coolest "personal" things I've gotten from my blog-based trading! And, on top of that, I'm sharing the experience of Contract Archaeology with my kids as we go through the book. Entertainment and education, all in one gift!

Thank you VERY much, Kris!! This was a great surprise!