Hi, all -

To follow up on all the other postings about Master Shergold and his cards:
The 1991 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records says:

"Craig Shergold of Carshalton, Surrey, United Kingdom had collected a
record 16,250,692 get-well cards by May 1990."

As has been pointed out, he doesn't want or need any more cards (perhaps
he could open a museum, he certainly has the collection for it!). In
addition, Guinness no longer accepts this as a category for inclusion in
their Book of Records (just as they no longer accept the youngest pilot
to fly across ________, sad to say).

Also, according to my 1994 Encyclopedia of Associations, the address for
the Children's Wish Foundation is:
      7840 Roswell Road
      Suite 301
      Atlanta, GA 30358
Perhaps they've moved, but perhaps not given the other errors in the
urban legend (Craig is NOT from "Keen, NH" and his name is spelled
"Shergold").

If anyone is moved by this legend and wants to help a child, perhaps the
most appropriate response would be to take the $3.50 or so it would cost
to buy a card and make a cash donation in that amount to their favorite
charity. The Children's Wish Foundation, Children's Defense Foundation,
etc in the US come to mind as does the Cancer Society. Can you imagine
what good could have been done if those 16 million cards had been
replaced by an equivalent cash donation?

BTW, thanks to the original poster, it's good to know that people still care
enough about one child to pass this "legend" along whenever it appears. It
would be nice if the same caring was routinely shown about the welfare of
children in general.

Gregg Jackson
Librarian
([log in to unmask])
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
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