Question for ticket/stub collectors
 

The "Quickest flip" thread got me wondering how to order the importance of stubs. I know full tickets generally carry a premium over stubs, all else equal, but as far as the event that happened at the game, how would you order their importance/value? That thread is about a final career HR, which I would guess would be less desirable than first, if for no other reason than the first is usually 15+ years older and harder to find, but I could he wrong. Is a first game more valuable than a 500th HR? Is a first appearance better than a 300th win? I know there's tons of variables, but in broad strokes, I'd love to know how you guys rank them.

To me, a "first" of any kind (first career win, first RBI, first home run, first stolen base, first appearance) would be worth more than a milestone ticket.

Nobody would know to save the "first", so the rarity factor is exponentially greater. Both because the ticket is older, and because the attendee would need to have ESP to comprehend its significance at the time.

For a "Milestone" Ticket (say a Perfect Game or Aaron's 715th HR), almost everyone in the stadium understands the significance, and most know to save that stub. Plus, there were probably far more people in attendance for the "milestone" game.... thus, a far greater inventory of tickets/stubs.

Perhaps the market values it differently, but that's how I would view it.

I agree with Mark. For example, a lot with a ticket stub to Mike Schmidt's first home run sold for $2247 on Ebay earlier this year. It might have possibly gone higher but the listing did not note the ticket's significance. In contrast, a stub to Schmidt's last home run goes for around $50.

I saw that Schmidt 1st HR go for that ridiculous price. I really feel that was high but as a ticket guy I am always glad to see strong prices.

As mentioned earlier, a milestone is usually far easier to predict and therefore tickets will be plentiful. Take a look at prices for the 3000th hits of Ripken, Molitor, Brett and Yount. Sometimes they sell for $5.

A debut ticket is becoming a big deal. 10 years ago it wasn't, but now there are more ticket collectors around. I believe the thinking is a debut is like a rookie card. Debuts nowadays are a known entity. They are announced ahead of time for a lot of players so again tickets are available. Older players can be tougher because as stated earlier, people did not think to save this new guys first game ticket.

The hardest modern tickets are for teams that no longer print season tickets. There are 7 teams not printing this year and the number will go up. Keep that in mind if you are collecting contemporary players. So the other day when JD Martinez hit 4 homeruns against the Dodgers, people got agita. Dodgers do not print season tickets. A 4 HR game is not something you know is coming so you can't purchase the ticket ahead of time. Now what? You sit and hope someone who walked up to the game and bought a ticket will part with it! And then you also hope he didn't stick it in his sweaty pocket all night!

you didn't ask about this, but i'll chime in on the recent trend over the past 5-7 years of sellers hyping season passes as "tickets" to monumental games from that season, i.e. a 1941 Yankees season pass as a ticket to games from DiMaggio's streak. at best this kind of marketing is a reach and at worst it is a flat-out misrepresentation. i don't consider passes to be substitutes for tickets to a specific game. i'm curious if the majority of ticket collectors -- not sellers desperate to make a buck -- feel differently.

A lot of times the pass did not get you into the game, it got you a ticket! In the 70's we knew someone at a local newspaper who let us use their press pass. We still had to go to a "Courtesy Window" and show the pass and were issued tickets.

Also some people try and sell Stadium Club passes as tickets. And watch out for "seat locators" which they have in Cleveland. Not a ticket!

Interesting. I wondered how these season passes worked. Not sure if they all worked the same, but it makes sense that they would entitle you to a ticket -- otherwise you'd just be given entrance to the ballpark with no assigned, or theoretically assured, place to sit.

Interesting thoughts...makes total sense. Thanks guys. I'd love to hear how others rank them too. I like the idea of how collectors within such a tight niche of the hobby can still value things completely differently.

Has there ever been a study done to find out what percentage of games played in any given season end up having nothing historically significant happen in them? If not, someone feel free to use this idea for your statistics thesis and report back :)

I generally only collect tickets to games played by the Pirates in 1971. I stray from this occasionally for milestone stubs or famous games such as Game 7 1960 Series, Game 6 of 1977 Series, Hank Aaron April 8th 1974 etc. I searched for a 1971 Season pass to Three Rivers that was unpunched for many years. It's value and significance is only of importance to me. I live on the west coast so ebay has been my primary source of Pirate stubs other than Lenny Sterran. My dream ticket is 09/01/71. I have never seen one and would certainly pay a premium for one and a finders fee to anyone who could point me in the right direction.

Conor,
Echoing what others have previously posted, the 1st of anything would be the most valuable, not the later milestone.
Additionally, vintage tickets will always be way more valuable that their modern day counterparts just due to scarcity.

Somehow I don't think this annual (season) pass holder went to a window to get his 1st World Series ticket. My guess is that he showed this to someone at the gate and they let him in. But hopefully someone knows for sure? I am not positive. Interesting subject.

http://luckeycards.com/ppass1903al.jpg

annual passes typically were not valid for entry to the world series

Leon, if he walked in with that pass where did he sit? They still have to assign you a seat. A pass is not a season ticket entitling you to a certain seat.

There are several types of passes used at professional sporting events. As far as baseball is concerned, they are issued to active players, club and league personnel, media, and selected VIP'S. Additionally there are passes issued for one specific game, for one specific team, for a league, and some which allow admittance to a number of leagues. . There are also general passes , example is a LIfetime pass issued to select executives and players. The illustrated American League pass would entitle the bearer to entrance into an American League park during a specific season.

I cannot speak to the policies prior to World War 2, but in modern times, these various passes are presented at either the press gate / window or in some cases at will call. The pass is released to club personnel , is recorded, and the bearer is presented with one ticket (sometimes more at the discretion of the team). In most cases the passes are returned to the bearer at the same time. Certain one time use or day passes are retained by the teams for accounting purposes. In modern times, all authentic passes will have a number on them to allow for easier inter-office accounting. In some cases the bearer will be responsible for any taxes.

Passes should NEVER be considered as tickets, as there is no guarantee how many, or which, games were attended by the person issued the pass. There is a restriction that these passes are not to be used for All-Star or championship games, and there are many 'unwritten' rules regarding their use. Most people who are granted the passes understand this, and if they do not understand the rules; and violate them; they may lose the privilege . To be a ticket it has to state a seat or (general admission) section where the person will be watching the game from.

Thanks guys.....still seems this pass might have gotten the holder to a 1903 WS game if not a specific seat? It says ALL GROUNDS 1903, I dunno.
I will have to do some research on early passes to see if they would have entitled the holder of this pass to those games, unless someone knows for sure?

I have never really been a ticket collector, just saving tickets from games I attended. However, there are games I'd love to try & get tickets for like Game 6 of the 1977 World Series, June 1st (my first game), Pine Tar Game, etc.

I was in attendace for Aaron Judge's record breaking game where he hit 2 home runs to break Mark McGuire's Rookie Home Run Record so I started thinking about collecting the tickets for every game he homered this season. Someone did bring up a great point where there may not be tickets because clubs aren't issuing tickets ahead of time, thus making the task a bit more difficult. I will still try. Where can I look to see the games Judge homered this season?

Thanks,

Mike

Here you go!
https://www.baseball-reference.com/p...=judgeaa01&t=b

Thanks Paul. I appreciate the help.

Mike

Passes
 

I tend to disagree that passes aren't tickets. I agree that league annual passes to see specific events are a stretch but team issued passes are great collectibles. Most passses were given to press or dignataries. They could find a seat I.e. General admission (bleachers) press row etc. or section designed for their seating. If your important enough to have a pass it isn't hard to find a seat. I think for example what press member operating in NY city wouldn't go to watch Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig hit homers during 1927 season or watch Jackie Robinson break the color barrier in 1947 or watch DiMaggio in 1941 during his streak.. I know that I got in on pass from my father being a baseball coach in the 1990s in St. Louis. I went to every game from 60 hr on in 1998 and never once was issued a ticket. We stood or found a seat that was empty. Also growing up in St. Louis area all bleachers were general admission until probably 1990. Just find a seat and sit. I would imagine that most stadiums weren't close to being full 1980s or earlier and had some general admission areas for regular season games.

as a ticket collector, i love season passes, both those issued by leagues and by teams, i just love them for what they are. and what they are not are a substitute, in my collecting, for a ticket to a specific game.

The graphics tend to be pretty cool, they weren't torn even when used, and -- at the very least -- gave the holder the right to get into every regular season game. Definitely not a substitute for a ticket for those who collect them, particularly those looking for for specific games, but very cool in their own right. And more rare. All of this makes them very desirable and, from what I've seen, they can be pretty pricey.

I would like to get more info about how various teams, and perhaps it varied by era as well, handled the game entrance issue -- whether one simply walked in and found a seat or was instead issued a ticket for a seat upon presenting the pass.

I still contend they are not good for admission, they are good for a ticket. season and lifetime pass holders tend to be VIPs and ex-players. They would not sit a VIP or ex-player in the bleachers. They give them a decent seat. Good seats all have numbers and get accounted for so they have to hand you a ticket for a vacant seat and then let you in. As I mentioned earlier, in the 70's we had a friend with a press pass and the Phillies would give us an unused ticket to go into the park.

Sorry to dig this up, but where do you look for tickets?

I’ve been looking for season tickets from May 16, 17, 18 1998 Cardinals vs Marlins and May 20 and 21? 1998 Diamondbacks at Marlins.

I’ve gotten lucky and got the non season ticket versions of the cardinals but the season tickets we’re so nice back then.

eBay searches and networking with other baseball ticket collectors would be your best bet. Start here on net54 by posting on the memorabilia BST section letting everyone that reads your post know that you are looking for those dates.

Ticket Firsts
 

A couple years ago I was blissfully unaware of ticket stubs. Now I always saved my own stubs but did not buy anyone else's . Then I posted a 500 HR autograph collection and a board member suggested that a stub from a HR game would look nice mounted next to the autographed card. And I was introduced to ticket collecting. Now I collect 500 HR related stubs and 3000 hit related stubs. Arod was the first player I was able to find a first hit 3000th hit and last hit stubs for. I recently got them signed and will frame them up shortly.
So my question for this thread is I see many collectors going after first game stubs. Which are nice ..but I tend to prefer first hit stubs which are not always first game. In Arod' s case first hit was second game. Because milestones like 3000 hits start with the first hit 500 HR start with homer number 1 etc. Anyone else collect firsts?

Jonathan,
Many collectors do, in fact, collect firsts. This is a very common collecting theme. First hit, first HR, first strikeout, first win, first game at a baseball stadium, etc., etc., etc. The same is true of lasts, IMHO.

That's what's so fun about collecting tickets; there are more than enough themes to chase! ;):D

I know that at Dodgers Stadium there is a separate corporate level where the team has (had? It's been a while) business offices and private stadium seating. I was invited on a charity thing with Don Newcombe one year and that is where we were seated. No ticket, just admission to the area via a pass we wore. Padded seats, too, which was a nice change. Perhaps that's where they stash the pass-holders.

I think the point is that for the most part a pass to either a major leauge park or parks. Required the pass holder to go to some form of ticket window. (Will call press gate etc.) And there he would receive his tickets / stubs. On a couple of occasions I was walked up to the Phillies will call desk by a former player who had a relationship with my workplace. There the person said step through the gate and handed me stubs for the seats we had ( right behind home plate with Philly wives etc.)
At current Yankee Stadium I often use a premium parking pass so I go in the gate that press and VIP's go in. There they give name and are handed tickets or lanyards so you know where your seats are.
The idea that a Pass good for all National leauge parks for 1938 was used to attend both of Vandemeer's no hit games is a stretch at best. And my e xperiance not my opinion tells me that.

Amen, its hard to get the guys who sell passes to believe this.

When I was younger, I used to walk around the ballpark after the game looking for stubs. I haven't done that for years but I do occasionally note the odd stub after a game.

My general gut feeling is that post-game discarded tickets are harder to find than they used to be - partially because there's more of an awareness of tickets as potential collectibles, and there's also the proliferation of print-at-home tickets, making "real" stubs (box office and season ticket style) scarcer.

Interestingly, I did find a discarded ticket stub after Game 4 of the 2015 World Series. This is how I found it:

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/576/23...7fd2c109_b.jpg
(Photo taken October 31, 2015. © Gary Dunaier. Link to upload on Flickr.com: here.)

Unfortunately, once I picked it up I found it was soaked in beer, rendering it uncollectible... so I left it behind. :(