Once again, my schedule today did not permit a thoughtful blog post. But don’t despair. I have gone into one of my closets and pulled out one of my many shoe boxes filled with valuable ephemera.

I then pulled out seven items (out of maybe 30?) guaranteed to educate and entertain you.

With no further ado:

This official Ronald Reagan door mat (no, not this one yet) lists for $20 to $30 on Ebay. It is really more of a small dish towel. Reagan, you may remember was the host of Death Valley Days, the star of Bedtime for Bonzo, and president of the United States.

Yes, an invitation to come to the first concert of the 1920-1921 season of the (Cleveland) Heights Music and Arts Society. Lila Robeson sang at the Met and was, and looked like, a Wagnerian heroine. In 1922, she retired and spent almost 40 years teaching voice in her native Cleveland. She does not appear to be related to Paul. I can not imagine that this card has any value, other than to descendants of Ms. Lila.

If you have been to Krakow recently, you will probably not recognize this bucolic scene. This is a post card actually sent to me from behind the Iron Curtain 46 years ago. Makes Communism look so relaxing.

This is my entire collection of first day covers of U.S. and Israel jointly issued Hannukah stamps. From 1996. And, no, I can not begin to explain the font choice at the top. Well, actually, I can. You?

This is the 1958 program for the conversion of my childhood rabbi, Samuel Thurman, into Samuel Thurman, Rabbi Emeritus. United Hebrew Congregation,  St. Louis. Rabbi Thurman retired that day at age 76 after serving United Hebrew for 44 years. He was a friend and Masonic brother of fellow Missourian Harry Truman, and was the first rabbi to give an invocation at a presidential inauguration.

Here you have 14 stamps (they were in an envelope) from the Emirate of Fujairah, one of the smaller emirates of the UAE. In great Muslim tradition, they each contain a reproduction of an art work featuring a completely nude woman.

As opposed to places like Dubai, Fujairah is quite conservative. I guarantee that you can not buy these stamps at the local post office. These stamps, for collectors only, do not have any value.  Not even prurient value.

This baseball lineup is the treasure of the seven items I took from the box. The teams were the 58th Bomb Group Wingers, and the 73rd Bomb Group Bombers. Players, if you look closely or even if you don’t,  included Howie Pollett of the Cardinals, Vic Wertz and Birdie Tebbetts of the Tigers, and Bob Dillinger of the Browns. The Bombers won the extra inning game by scoring 4 runs in the 11th.

All but one of these items have something in common. I have no idea when or where I got them. The exception is the postcard. It says on the back.