The Missing TMNT Tin

If you run a website or business there’s one thing that you most likely carry around with you, that is very common for business owners to have.  This is business cards for the company or website you are part of.  An easy way to pass out information to people you meet, be it for business purposes or just staying in touch.  Before starting Cowabunga Corner I carried around cards for the TMNT-L Forums, though now I carry Cowabunga Corner cards.  If you meet me in person, most likely I’ll have one on me to give out.  I normally carry the cards in an orange Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle candy tin.  I will like to share a story of my Card Tin.

My Candy tin came from Hot Topic back in 2009, it has an image of the 2007 TMNT movie Michelangelo on the tin.  Right away I realized just how great this tin would be as a card holder.  It fits a handful of cards in it and keeps them safe in my pocket.  The tin itself has taken a beating over the years as it’s gone everywhere with me from New York City, San Diego, Los Angels, and so many other locations.  I bring it with me daily when I go out, in case someone talks to me about my Turtle hats, coat or shirts.  Easy way to share Cowabunga Corner with fellow TMNT fans.  At conventions the tin has another use, as I give out cards it make space to carry other people’s cards.  So I put important business cards inside the tin to keep safe.  If not for the important cards from others inside this tin, I would not be worried if anything happens to this tin since I have a ton of extra Cowabunga Corner cards.

Early December I realized that I did not have my business card tin on me.  So I started to carry the cards loose in my coat pockets to give out.  I knew I had to lose it somewhere in the house, so I was not very concerned.  I would check around the house from time to time try and find it, it was the night before Christmas eve when I got worried about my tin.  I was moving the couch as we got a carpet cleaner and was doing a nice clean of the living room for Christmas.  Under the edge of the couch was my tin, empty of all cards and even the lid was missing.  This was when worry kicked in.  I had cards from friends, actors, and businesses all inside this one tin.  Now they were all gone!

With my brother’s help we lifted the couch up and searched under, around, and even inside the couch with no luck.  I already cleared out the area around the coffee table across from the couch.  So I got out all of my normal travel bags, from my convention backpack, my shoulder bag, and even my tote bag.  These are bags I carry around with me to friend houses, conventions and other outings.  But there was no sign of my cards or the lid to my tin in any of these spots.  No one in my family knew where these were.  The cards were missing.  I felt sick inside.

After hours of taking a break from cleaning the living room, searching for the cards I realized it was getting late.  I still had to wash the vacuum and wash the carpet.  Everyone else went out for a little bit, leaving me home alone to work at cleaning.  I got most of the carpet vacuumed and got to my mother’s recliner.  I pushed the chair out of my way to vacuum under it and saw a fortune from a fortune cookie.  It read “Good things come in invisible packages, you will be happy”.  I looked up and in front of me on the floor was my card from Phil Lamarr that I got at Comic Con, one of the many cards lost from the tin.  I did not see anymore cards on the floor, so I looked at my mom’s chair only to start finding the cards inside of her chair.  I dug through the chair finding all of the cards and the last thing to come out of that chair for me was the lid of the tin!  Putting my card collection back together.

I’m happy to have found my cards.  They were found 1am on Christmas eve.  I’m going to put these important cards in a safer spot that does not travel with me all over the place.  Though my tin is back to traveling and protecting the business cards in my pocket.

Do you have something to keep business cards safe when you’re out and around?  What is it?  And what type of cards do you carry?  Please feel free to share this, your thoughts and questions down below!