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Playing with a Full Deck
One of the most valuable items that any collector of things railroad can add to his collection is a deck of cards from the Penciltucky, Atchafalaya, Rock Island, Tennessee & Yazoo (PARTY) Line. The cards were once given away to passengers on the PARTY line to help them while away the hours of travel. Each card depicts a grinning Hobo biting into a fried chicken leg. Caycey dreamed of someday owning a complete deck of the rare and valuable cards. He looked for years at trade shows, flea markets, yard sales, and online. One afternoon while clicking around on eBay, Caycey saw a deck of PARTY Line cards for sale. The owner explained that one of the cards was missing; that’s why the price was less than half of what it would be for a full deck. Figuring that some is better than none, Caycey ordered the cards. When the deck arrived in the mail, Caycey sorted the cards into suits, curious about which one was missing. The 10 of Hearts was missing. But wait. One of the cards felt thicker than the others. Caycey picked at the edge of the joker and, lo and behold, it peeled away, revealing the 10 of Hearts. All the cards were there...once someone took the time to notice. As long as the card was perceived to be missing, it was.
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