When it comes to memorabilia, there’s plenty that you can collect.
One underrated collectable – and probably my favorite to collect – are old match tickets.
Rather than collectable cards, a match ticket is a small part of the sport’s history.
In this article, I’ll give a rundown on how to start collecting sports tickets.
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How To Start a Sport Ticket Collection
If you’re thinking of starting to collect sports tickets, here’s a few things to keep in mind.
Know What to Look For
A Player’s Debut Match
When you’re looking at a collecting sport tickets – a player’s debut match is the go-to collectable item. In a way that’s similar to the way a rookie card is usually a player’s most valuable trading card.
A player might play hundreds or even thousands of matches, but they’ll only ever debut once. It’s like the ultra rookie card.
And the thing about debut matches is that they’re often inconspicuous depending on the sport. For example, when LeBron James made his debut, he was the number one draft pick and was already a big deal – so that match meant something and people may have kept their tickets as a memento.
However, when Lionel Messi made his professional debut, it was a friendly match in Portugal and he came off the bench. Hell, Messi wasn’t even named in the official team programme! This means it’s a lot harder to find tickets from Messi’s debut match.
Big Matches (Finals and Iconic Performances)
Alongside a players’ debut match, key matches are also incredibly important collectables.
For example, it might be an Olympian’s first gold medal, or a Final. It might even be a ticket from an iconic game – think Michael Jordan’s “Flu Game” for example, or Kobe Bryant’s 81-point match.
These tickets help tell the story of a player’s and a sport’s history and are often sought after in the hobby.
Others
It’s not just a player’s debut match and iconic performances that gain attention when collecting tickets, people also collect the following:
- A series of “firsts”. For example, it could be LeBron James’ first match against all 30 NBA sides, or a soccer player’s first goal for a club
- A debut for a new team, national team, or a new competition. For example, Cristiano Ronaldo’s first match at Manchester United is a big deal – even though it isn’t his debut match. The same goes for a