Mysteries of the universe

There are many great mysteries of the universe, one of which is the question of why I still have a Twitter account. 

I rarely use Twitter. I don't interact with people on Twitter. I don't want to see most of what comes up in my feed on Twitter (I refuse to call it "X"). Even the vast majority of the baseball card content I get is the usual sales/breaker stuff I don't care a lick about. 

But every once in a while, a light at the end of the Twitter tunnel appears: like, in this case, a message from @raiderjoe that simply says something along the lines of "I've got a big box of cards to send you."

He's done this to me before, and this most recent offering was a particularly glorious mix of unpredictable madness.

Case in point: my first and second cards from the 1960 Baseball Hi-Lites set (and both Senators!), the oversized precursors to my beloved '61 Nu-Scoops. 

Couple that with a Maury Wills autograph and a pair of Topps Supers, and you have a heavy-hitting start to what was a wild romp of cardboard.

These conventional '82 Topps singles had a very unconventional twist to them - as you can tell from the oblong edges and varying sizes, they look to have been hand-cut from a sheet (or the product of an inebriated Topps employee?). 

I'm not great with a pair of scissors, but even I could do better than this.

If you wanna put a smile on my face, send me miscuts, send me scribbled-on cards, send me evidence of glorious imperfection.

Minis of many shapes, sizes, and nationalities - among the many great things about Kellogg's cards is that even receiving ones I already have (like those two, sadly) is still a treat.

I don't specifically chase those '70s discs - keeping track of the 846 different variations would make my head explode - but I certainly won't refuse any that fall into my lap (especially Vida Blue!). 

More miscellany that warms my heart - I've spent the good part of my collecting life ignoring vintage team cards, and I've often wondered if it's time to change that.

This box was a fitting parallel to my Twitter life in general, in that I can't explain a lot of what was in there (don't even begin to ask me what that frightening clown is doing on a baseball card). 

Took until now to learn that Campbell's Soup released a handful of Richie Ashburn reprints in the late '80s - this, of course, led me to purchase the rest of the set (which was surprisingly affordable).

Vintage League Leaders have never been high on my priority list, but my God has there ever been more star power on a single baseball card??

I may be showing a '61 Fleer Greats Hughie Jennings here, but please don't tell anyone because I feel like these are among the better-kept (see: cheaper) secrets in the vintage universe. 

I also can't give a good reason why I love hand-cut cards so much - but you better believe my head almost hit the ceiling when I saw this slew of box bottoms...THAT I GOT TO CUT!

I went to a burger place once where the fries were served in a taco shell, thus meaning that the container was itself edible - I think of that whenever I see box bottoms.

One particular box bottom caught my eye: at first I was floored because I didn't know these Cramer Greats were ever issued as box bottoms, but then, upon closer look...

...hark, that's a Hoyt I need!

I'm proud to say I don't secure many new Hoyts these days because I already have so many. But every so often I'll find one that slipped through the cracks, and in this case it was attached to three other cards (that I also needed!). A few short scissor snips later, and voila, there's a rare new Hoyt!

Maybe, after such a staggering cardboard romp, I don't mind saying something I once thought was impossible: to admit that, yes, I'm glad I have a Twitter account.