Introducing the Griffey Generosity Project

On Tuesday I started a project that is now more or less completely out of my hands. Simply put: I mailed a box containing 500 Griffey cards to a fellow Griffey collector along with a note containing instructions. Here’s the box:

The goal here is to help build everyone’s Griffey collection a few cards at a time. The idea is simple: you take what you want out of the box, put in what you don’t need (duplicates and such), and send the box on to another collector. It’s a fun and, apart from the cost of shipping the box, inexpensive way to spread the Griffey love.

I’ve also included a section where folks can write their name, city, the date, and any comments they want as they receive the box and send it out again.

This project depends entirely on the generosity of other Griffey collectors. I honestly have no control over what happens next, and that is kind of exciting. Is it possible that someone could decide they want all the Griffeys and keep the whole thing? I suppose it is, but I don’t think that is going to happen. I like to think my fellow Griffey collectors are going to embrace this thing and use it as a tool to contribute to the card collecting community, find some trading partners, and maybe even make some friends.

500 Griffeys!

The project has a built-in “opt-out” option, too: I’ve included my contact information (on the letter and also taped to the inside of the lid), so as patriarch of the project, anyone who doesn’t want to participate can simply shoot me an e-mail, and I will gladly pay for shipping back to me so I can send it on to the next Griffey collector. My goal is to keep the box going as long as possible.

Then again, the ultimate opt-out would be for them to simply keep the box and call it a day, but I am hopeful that won’t happen. While I didn’t include any specific rules against that, it is totally against the spirit of the project and of being a decent person in general. Most of the cards in the box could be had for less than a buck or so on COMC (or just for the asking from most Griffey collectors), so that would be pretty lame. Plus if it did happen, the last person to mail it would know exactly where they sent it, so it’s not like we wouldn’t know who it was. Then a quick drive over to that dude’s house with a hammer to dispatch them from the gene pool, and we’re back in business.

Try me.

Anyway, this is something I’ve wanted to do for a while, and I finally had some time this week to get it done. I figured if it gave me the chance to clear out some space in my Griffey Overflow Box and help out a bunch of fellow Griffey collectors in the process, it was time well-spent.

Godspeed, little box.

Here's a link to the 18-month update posted 12.14.2018. It's still going!