Most of the time I'm hunting for Pirate cards, and grabbing anything else that catches my eye. And I've definitely come across some unique finds in dime boxes - magazine inserts, 80's oddball reprints, Starting Lineup cards. Maybe even the occasional Pokemon, Magic the Gathering, or non-sport card. Or even a Benchwarmer card. Not your typical dimebox fare, but definitely not something that seems out of place.
But I was at a card show a few years ago, flipping through cards, when something a little unusual caught me off guard. Not "hide the wife and kids" unusual, but still enough to get me to pause and stare.
It was a ticket stub. But...a part part of a ticket stub. About an inch wide and three inches long, just the right size to neatly fit in with a stack of baseball cards. But there was a Pirates logo, so into my stack it went. It is, after all, a dime. But that was about as much thought as I gave the stub, and went back to flipping through the box.
When I got home, I was going through all of my new purchases. As I flipped through the stack, I would lay each card face down in a pile. When I got to the stub, I again thought "huh, that's odd." It says Pac Bell Park, which, if you're keeping score at home, is not very close to Pittsburgh. I had figured if it was a Pirates stub, it was from a home game. And again, that was about as much brain power as I cared to exert on the stub. I flipped it over, continuing through the stack.
And then I noticed something on the back of the ticket stub.
Any odd or unique finds in your dime box digs?
When I got home, I was going through all of my new purchases. As I flipped through the stack, I would lay each card face down in a pile. When I got to the stub, I again thought "huh, that's odd." It says Pac Bell Park, which, if you're keeping score at home, is not very close to Pittsburgh. I had figured if it was a Pirates stub, it was from a home game. And again, that was about as much brain power as I cared to exert on the stub. I flipped it over, continuing through the stack.
And then I noticed something on the back of the ticket stub.
Business is about to pick up...
Off to Google I went. And yep, August 9, 2002. Barry Bonds hit his 600th home run in the 6th inning of Kip Wells.
Off to Google I went. And yep, August 9, 2002. Barry Bonds hit his 600th home run in the 6th inning of Kip Wells.
Bonds was far from done hitting homers. Still, it's a cool piece of baseball history to add to my collection. But a lot of questions remain.
How did the card end up in a dimebox in Pittsburgh? Was there a Bonds fan in the Burgh that wasn't jilted by his exit from Pittsburgh that flew out for the game? Where the heck is the rest of the stub? Was it torn off by an usher at the game (there's perforation marks on top), or separated later? And a suite ticket? That can't be a cheap seat. Maybe if they revive Unsolved Mysteries I'll see if I can get them on the case. In the mean time, it's a fun piece of baseball history for my collection.
How did the card end up in a dimebox in Pittsburgh? Was there a Bonds fan in the Burgh that wasn't jilted by his exit from Pittsburgh that flew out for the game? Where the heck is the rest of the stub? Was it torn off by an usher at the game (there's perforation marks on top), or separated later? And a suite ticket? That can't be a cheap seat. Maybe if they revive Unsolved Mysteries I'll see if I can get them on the case. In the mean time, it's a fun piece of baseball history for my collection.
Any odd or unique finds in your dime box digs?
Wow, GREAT find!
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely the most unexpected thing I've come across at a show. Well worth the dime, I'd say.
DeleteThere's a chance the stub was stamped on the back afterward...for certain milestone homers that BB hit, you could go to a window kiosk in the team store, show your ticket stub, and be given a commemorative pin/button to prove you were in attendance. They would stamp your ticket to prevent 'double-dippers'.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info! I thought something like that might be the case, but couldn't find anything concrete in some quick googling.
DeleteThat ticket is sweet! I’m going to my first card show in 2 weeks, and hope to find something in the Dime bins half as cool as the Bonds HR ticket.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Good luck at the show!
DeleteI've seen ticket stubs in dime boxes before, but I don't think I've ever purchased one. Cool to think that stub may well have traveled almost all the way across the country until you dug it up.
ReplyDeleteI did find a watch mixed in with a bucket of baseball cards at the flea market once. Whether it was for sale or had simply fallen off the wrist of a previous customer, I'll never know.
Wow nice find. Ticket stubs are cool. I like stumbling across them and researching to see if anything cool happened. Don't know if I've actually seen them in dime boxes, but I have found them on numerous occasion at my local flea markets.
ReplyDelete