The story BEHIND the story

Reader-submitted: My husband was out and about on free comic day and found that magazine in a discount bin at a comic store. (WHAT? Hello, employee oversight. Heads are going to roll. Hoff at a discount? So wrong.) He called me and said, "I found something that I think Megan is really going to like." I said, "Megan?" followed by "I'm scared. What is it?"

When I saw it, I was totally giddy. I mean, HOW AWESOME IS IT? And in totally MINT condition. I hope you realize the strength of generosity it took for me to mail it your way. I wanted to stick it under my pillow and keep it there FOREVER. But I knew it would thrill you even more so I willed myself to put it in the envelope and send it to its spiritual home.

Amazing story. Please tell your husband that I understand the strength of character it took to preserve the magazine in mint condition. There is always the risk that some sweat will get on the old-school stuff.

I know he is a moral person, so I appreciate the fact that he did not alert the comic-store owner to his grave error in misfiling it. This must have taken a lot out of him. Usually these situations only arise when Babe Ruth cards accidentally fall into shopping bags or rare recordings get slipped into the wrong LP case. A true dilemma, to be sure. If the owner had discovered his error, this priceless artifact might have been lost to his own private collection.