I just got this item back from PSA - graded Authentic. It's a ticket stub from Opening Day at Yankee Stadium in 1951 - Mickey Mantle's Major League debut, the only Opening Day Mantle and DiMaggio were both in the starting lineup, and also the first game with Bob Sheppard in the PA booth at the Stadium. The Yankees shut out Ted Williams and the Red Sox as they raised a championship flag and began another successful pursuit of a World Series crown.
All in all a significant day in baseball history. PSA had graded a few other games from that season at the Stadium, but this is the first from Opening Day on the registry.
I should add that I'm primarily a vintage card collector -- I don't mind tickets, but I don't really know them or collect them. I'm not desperate for the money but wouldn't mind turning it around for the right price.
So that raises two questions. First, about that right price... Does anyone have a sense of what it might draw on the open market? My quick glance through auctions and Google hasn't turned up any previous examples being sold so I'm not sure what we're talking about here. I brought it to the National this year (unslabbed) and got several on-the-spot cash offers, but I don't know if they were fair or not. Any experts anyone can recommend? Is there a particular auction house, or dealer, that has a good reputation when it comes to tickets or ticket stubs?
Second -- as you can see on the scan, it was encased askew by PSA. It's tilting in its case. It seems to me to detract from its eye appeal. Have others had similar experiences with PSA slabbing off-size items a little sloppily? Is it worth complaining to PSA about, and are they likely to offer a resolution that's worth my while?
Appreciate any thoughts or comments...
Rick
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