One of these Panini buyback redemptions is not like the other

Months ago, I redeemed two cards from Panini from the 2017 Classics football set. I knew that they were autographed buybacks. I knew the players, and what the cards were numbered out of, but I didn't know what cards/teams would be chosen, or when they would arrive. They would be delivered to my home address in Canada.

A week or so into September, I received an email that one of the redemptions had been mailed. A couple of weeks later, a bubble envelope arrived.

The envelope was pretty much what I expected.

And there is the card, in a taped toploader, by itself in the envelope.

I don't know why, but I expected a letter or something with it.

Lets take a better look at the card.

I wasn't sure if I would be getting a Bronco or Redskin card of Portis.

A 2009 Donruss Threads base card is pretty generic, but it is a pretty cool on-card autograph. It also has embossing that doesn't seem to show up on the scan that seems to say "Recollection Collection 2017". (It's really hard to make out in hand.) It's a pretty cool hit from a box.

Enjoying the results of the first box, I decided to buy a second one, and once again pulled an autographed buyback redemption that I ended up redeeming at the same time as the first one. This one was better.

Last week, I received the shipping notice for the second card. It was being sent FedEx.

Okay, that's different.

Well, I got home tonight to a package waiting for me.

Yes, a package, not a bubble envelope.

I guess it doesn't matter that the photo is upside down. The silver tray underneath the bag is the same tray as underneath the Portis envelope, and that shows the package size differences.

All of a sudden, I have the idea of singing a song similar to Rattlin' Bog.

"...there's a box in the bag..."

"...there's an envelope (and packing paper) in a box, a box in the bag..."





"...there's a sealed card in the envelope, an envelope in a box, a box in the bag..."

Oh, and once again, just the sealed card in the envelope (in the box, in the bag), with no letter or anything.

Here are better scans of the card.

This one is a 2008 Donruss Threads card that also has the embossing in the upper right of the card, over Tomlinson's shoulder, and is numbered 1/5.

Again, it has an on-card autograph, and it is nice to get the Hall of Famer on a Chargers card.

This might be the best hit I've pulled from a box of any type.

I'm just shocked at the packaging and shipping differences between the two cards. I understand that Panini would want tracking for a card numbered out of 5 like the Tomlinson, but, wow, I don't want to think what that must have cost to ship to Canada.

Thank you, Panini! My two redemptions are quite nice and arrived safely.