How I Ended Up With an Auto From One of 2015's Top Rookies...For Free

Sorry about the long winded post title. Gather 'round and I'll tell you a tale... 

Way back in 1989, a pre-teen version of me was in California visiting some family. At that time, I was a huge fan of a certain Bash Brother by the name of Jose Canseco. After a few days visiting(and pestering any adult I could), I finally convinced my uncle to take me somewhere I could buy some packs so I could look for new Canseco cards. I can't remember where we went, but it was probably an early version of a 'big box' store. There, my cousin and I found unopened wax boxes of 1989 Donruss. So somehow we pooled our money and/ or convinced my uncle to grab us a box because we ended up taking one back to the house.  We took turns pulling and ripping packs from the 36 count box, always intently watching which players the other was getting. All I was looking for was Canseco. I eventually got him(and some guy named Griffey Jr for that matter). However, even with my goal met, I still talked my cousin's ear off about Canseco and the A's for the rest of that trip.

Fast forward twenty-five plus years to a few weeks ago... I saw a Facebook post from a local card show promoter that is putting together a really big show in a few months. He was asking people from a card collecting group that I am a member of to please share his show's promo poster to help spread the word, drum up interest, and hopefully pre-sell a bunch of autograph tickets. After a few days of minimal response, he began to offer a few giveaway cards which would be randomed off to those that helped him out by sharing/liking his promotional post.

So, I shared something that looked like this. This show is about a three hour drive for me, but I figured I'd share the promo and maybe I'd be lucky enough to end up with one of the giveaways. Teo of the three cards weren't really of interest to me, but I figured I could always use me as trade bait or eBay/Listia fodder. When I shared the post, I had written that maybe I'd consider going so I could meet Canseco since I was such a big fan when I was younger. My cousin immediately liked what I had written. At the end of the sharing period, the promoter posted a video of him randomizing the entrants names and the three cards he was giving away. I didn't watch terribly closely except to see that I wasn't one of the top three names that were associated with the three prize cards. I was bummed, but I figured: nothing ventured, nothing gained...right? I immediately forgot all about this until yesterday. I went to the mailbox and found a few PWEs that held some Listia winnings and an unexpected, medium sized bubble mailer. I looked at the return name and address, and it happened to be Mr. Cherry, he being the promoter listed on the above ad piece. I was a bit confused, but excitedly ripped into it and was pleasantly surprised to pull this out:

This was giveaway card number two when the randomizer stopped, and the one of the three that I was actually interested in. It turns out, that my cousin happened to be the winner of this one. Once I figured that out, I messaged her. She proceeded to tell me that she had liked the post because she remembered how much of a Canseco fan I was when we were young. She hadn't really intended to enter the contest and no longer collects, so she asked that her prize be sent to me. I was blown away! Not only was this a huge surprise, it happens to be one of the top young talents in MLB and I really love these Bowman Chrome mini shimmer cards from 2015. 

So, there you have it, the very long-winded story of how this awesome auto wound up in my collection for free. If anyone is anywhere remotely close to Fayetteville and wants to make the trip, give me a shout. It could be a fun time! Thanks for reading!