I love old stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I’m totally down with modern tech. I don’t actually want to go back and live in olden days. But there’s something about that sense of age you get when you hold an old pocket watch or run your fingers over an old piece of parchment. There’s a kind of mystery to old things that just doesn’t seem to measure up to the plastic digital world we live in now.

Which is why I was so excited when I found out about the new project our good friend Hannah Elizabeth has been working on. It started out as a kind of letter transcription service. Send her a message and she’ll whip out her collection of typewriters, type it up on fancy old-looking paper, and send it off in the old-fashioned snail mail to the recipient you specify. Each message is hand-crafted and unique. It’s a great way to say something that needs to carry with it a sense of weight you just can’t get from a text message or Facebook comment.

But the thing about this service that really interested me was the fact that she added the option to send a code, typewritten and accompanied with a few hints to push you in the right direction. And as a guy who grew up reading mysteries, the idea of getting an envelope in the mail with a secret code typed out on old paper is one of the coolest things I can imagine.

Hannah-Elizabeth sent me an example code a few weeks back. I could describe it, but that wouldn’t do it justice, so I took some pictures to show you guys how awesome this thing is.

I spilled the package’s contents out on the desk. (Microphone and camera not included.)

This box wrapped up in string and tissue paper demanded examination.

I took a macro shot of the watch face affixed to the outside of the box. Could it be some kind of clue?

Inside the box I found this tiny bottle with a strip of paper rolled up inside.

I carefully removed the paper from the bottle and set about trying to decrypt the code.

I also found this pin in the box. Another clue? (Spoilers: no it wasn’t. It was just a cool weird old pin.)

I’m not going to tell you what the code was. Partly because it won’t mean anything to you, but mostly because I want you to try this thing out for yourself. It only costs five bucks to get Hannah to send you your very own mystery in an envelope. She crafts each one by hand, and each one is a work of art. The codes are fun, and not too difficult to solve, but getting one of these is an experience you won’t soon forget.

Check out this video I made for the last code she sent me.

I’m not getting paid to shill this stuff for her. I just think she’s an awesome lady with an awesome service that some of you guys might enjoy. Check out her stuff at fiverr.com/hugsaresent. And if your world isn’t filled with enough awesome or internet hugs, you should definitely follow her on twitter.