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Lot # 863: 1955 Roberto Clemente MLB Debut Ticket Stub PSA VG-EX 4 (1 of 1 Only Known Example)

Starting Bid: $5,000.00

Bids: 53 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "2023 Spring Classic",
which ran from 4/2/2023 7:00 PM to
4/22/2023 10:00 PM



Amazing and historic ticket stub dating to the 1955 Major League debut of legendary Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente. Debuts are typically made in the opening game of a player's rookie year, but Clemente made his debut four games into the season, thus making this an even scarcer ticket since fans would normally save season opener tickets and not ones from the fourth game. Green stub measures 1.25x2.5" and is green, signifying that it was from the Second Tier Reserved section. Front has a detailed illustration of a pirate and lists a face value of $2.20, dated April 17, 1955, while the back has a broadcast rights disclaimer. Some age is shown and there is a touch of extra paper loss from where it was torn, however the green color and all print remain bold and clear. Roberto was born in Puerto Rico, where he played his first professional ball at age 18, and during this stint he was offered a minor league contract by the Brooklyn Dodgers before he was drafted as a 1st round selection by the Pirates in 1954. The April 17th matchup against the Brooklyn Dodgers was actually a double-header, and though Pittsburgh dropped both ends, Roberto had a solid day batting 3rd, going 1-for-4, and scoring his first career run in the opener. In the second game, he led off and went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Not only is this exceptional piece new to the hobby, but it is also the first ever submitted to PSA for grading, and it has been encapsulated as PSA VG-EX 4; with the terrific presentation value in this piece, it is hard to imagine that any others to surface in the future are likely to beat this specimen. 

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