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Why and How to Collect Baseball Tickets
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| In 1954, I started collecting baseball cards-bought, sold and traded baseball cards with some of the finest collectors of that era: Charles "Buck" Barker, Lionel Carter, Preston Orem, Charlie Bray and many more.
By 1958, I had started collecting baseball ticket stubs. There were undoubtedly other baseball ticket collectors in that era but I did not come across them until 10 or 20 years later. There were no baseball ticket buy, sell, trade ads in the hobby papers of the day like Grandstand Manager or The Sports Hobbyist. I don't ever remember seeing tickets for sale in Charlie Bray's auctions.
Across the years, I have collected baseball memorabilia of every type and description-programs, Hartland statues, limited edition art, telecards, autographed baseballs, uniforms-if it relates to baseball, I probably collected it at one time.
By 1975, I turned my full attention to collecting baseball ticket stubs and I have been very pleased with my decision. Here are a few thoughts about why I collect baseball tickets!
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Pieces of History |
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Baseball tickets are often overlooked as a part of baseball history. I have been to Cooperstown and the Negro Hall of Fame in Kansas City many times but I am amazed at how few tickets are on display. Yet baseball tickets are an essential part of the history of the game. |
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Size |
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Few baseball collectables require less storage space than baseball tickets. If you have some rare tickets, you can keep them in a safe deposit box without feeling like you rented a wing in a bank. In addition to keeping my valuable tickets at a bank, I store duplicates in plastic drawers and others in metal storage cabinets-however you store tickets, they require relatively little space. |
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Investment Amount |
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You can spend as little or as much money as you like in collecting baseball tickets. You can spend a few hundred dollars a year on your hobby or spend thousands as an investment for your retirement. |
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Defining a Collection |
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Few memorabilia collections are as easily defined as are baseball tickets. Do you want to collect a ticket stub from each game in which Sandy Koufax pitched? That is an easily defined collection-not easy to find the tickets but easy to define the collection. Or, would you rather collect opening day tickets for the New York Mets? No problem. You are looking for opening day tickets from 1962 forward. Want to find the date of each of those opening day games? Check it out at www.retrosheet.com. |
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The Thrill of the Hunt |
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As with other collecting, the real thrill in ticket collecting is finding a ticket you have had on your want list for months or years. Recent tickets are quite easy to locate-whether on eBay or from reputable ticket dealers. However, the older tickets generally require diligence, money and years to find. |
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| Here are a few baseball ticket collecting ideas: |
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Define Your Collection |
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Start by knowing what you will and you will not collect. Do you want one ticket stub from each World Series from 1975 to the current date? Or, do you want a ticket from each home team from each World Series from 1975 to the current date? Another option is to collect a ticket from each World Series game played from 1975 to the current date. Or, do you want a full unused ticket from each World Series game played from 1975 to the current date plus a ticket from the games not played in the series? Initially define your wants and redefine them from time to time. |
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Create a Want List |
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Without a want list you will have difficulty keeping track of what tickets you need and you don't have a list to send to someone who may be able to help you. I update my want list almost daily. I can attach my want list to an email or just cut and paste a portion of my list. If a dealer or collector cannot easily understand what tickets you need, they may not bother to look for your ticket wants. |
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Understand the Differences in Tickets |
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It is vital to understand the variations of a ticket: |
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A full ticket is what purchaser of the ticket received from the baseball team or other ticket seller (e.g., Ticketmaster). |
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A ticket stub is a full ticket, including the rain check, after the audit or usher stub has been removed. |
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An audit or usher stub is the portion that is often removed by the user. In recent years, tickets are scanned in many ball parks. Therefore, the audit or usher stub is not removed. |
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A proof ticket is generally a full ticket without seat numbers. |
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A phantom ticket is a ticket printed for a post-season series and the series was never played because the team lost an earlier series in the post-season game sequence. |
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It's All About Condition |
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The value of baseball tickets is strongly impacted by condition-the front, the back, the corners, the edges of the ticket. What are some of the condition factors that drive value? If a ticket is sealed in plastic, it is virtually worthless to a collector. If there is an ink mark or writing on a ticket, the value significantly decreases-unless the writing is the autograph of a famous player who was in that game. If a ticket stub portion was torn short when the rain check was removed, this decreased the value. |
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Develop a Network |
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I have an extensive contact list for my ticket collection. Only a few of the individuals are dealers, many are collectors, but even more are not dealers or collectors. They are simply people who have access to tickets from time to time-perhaps only for a particular city. |
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Take Plastic to the Ballpark |
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You never know when a baseball game you attend will be a monumental game for a hitter or a pitcher. And keep that special ticket stub or full ticket out of your pocket and protected--even if it rains at the park. |
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Anticipation is Everything |
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Do your research. Did you know when Mark McGwire was sitting on 399 homers on May 8, 1998 at Shea Stadium, ESPN said nothing about it the night before. |
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Networking |
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Whenever you visit various cities, ask your friends if they attended many games in the past few months (or years ago). Make it worth their while and buy their tickets. |
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Collect for the Artwork |
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Many season tickets have gorgeous designs, logos, colors, etc. Many collectors will collect a "box office" or team issued ticket and then upgrade to a season ticket later if they can find one. Many of these tickets look great in a frame. |
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Buy Them All |
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If you have a opportunity to buy one old ticket versus five old tickets of the same date, you will usually come out ahead if you buy all five. You will probably make a little cash to use to buy other tickets. |
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Be Patient and Consistent |
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Don't even start collecting tickets unless you have the patience to consistently follow your dream to find the tickets on your want list. Otherwise, you will generally be disappointed. |
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Celebrate Small Victories! |
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Finding just one ticket I need is all the reason for I need to celebrate. It makes my day! I often replay simple ticket collecting success in my mind. It's great therapy! |
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My Ticket
Want Lists
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