Presented is a treasured relic that is rapidly becoming an endangered species - an actual ticket box, this one from the 1960s at Shea Stadium, with some prior history of use at the Polo Grounds. For most of professional baseball's history, fans would present a ticket at an entrance gate, and the ticket taker would tear the ticket in two, giving the rain check stub to the patron and placing the torn ticket though a slot on the ticket box. The digital age is making a ticket box as rare as a blacksmith's anvil. When the New York Mets made their home debut in 1962, it was at the Polo Grounds, where the team played its first two seasons before moving to the newly constructed Shea Stadium for the 1964 season. The ticket box was used in the Polo Grounds earlier than the 1962 season of the Mets, being used by the New York Giants for baseball and the New York Football Giants, and most likely by the New York Titans, the forerunner of the New York Jets football team.
The offered light metal ticket box has a height of 28.25", and length/width measurement of approx. 10x10". Each of the dual ticket slots on top measures approx. 1.5x3.75". The ticket box appears to have a new metal latch. There is a leather carrying strap that has a length of approx. 8". The ticket box exhibits great use. The black surface color on the top has been worn away from years of use. The is some minor rust, scratches, dings, and some small dents. There is no lock on the latch, and the leather strap shows significant use. A small part of a paper sign, now illegible, remains near the latch. The top still opens and shuts. The ticket box was in use when the Mets played their very first home game on April 13, 1962, at the Polo Grounds as the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Mets 4-3, and playing for the Mets, managed by Hall of famer Casey Stengel, was Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn and playing for the Pirates Hall of Famers Roberto Clemente and Bill Mazeroski. The ticket box weighs 8.5 lbs., and it has an attached "Event Shea Stadium" MLB Authentication (#055277 8H).
Estimated domestic USA shipping cost only. Does not include handling or insurance: 61.64 Please feel free to contact us for a more accurate shipping cost.