1971 World Series Game 1 Ticket Review and Stub Appraisal

The 1971 World Series was played between the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates won the series 4 games to 3, led by Hall of Fame legend Roberto Clemente.

Game 1 of the series was won by the Baltimore Orioles 5-3. Dave McNally tallied the win with a complete game and 9 strikeouts. Roberto Clemente had two hits and a stolen base, but no runs or RBI. Hall of Famer Frank Robinson hit a solo home run in the second inning. Other home runs came from Merv Rettenmund and Don Buford, both from the Orioles.

Opening game tickets and World Series clinching game tickets are usually the most sought after of each series. Both teams contained Hall of Famers, but the scope of the rivalry and lack of relevance for both teams now diminishes the potential value of the ticket slightly. Among Robert Clemente collectors this ticket remains relevant although he did not tally a run.

Attendance was over 53,000 and tied for the largest during the series. Many of the tickets remain around today, so the condition of the ticket is of importance in determining value. The ticket displays very well as you can see by the picture and has minimal damage. The ticket does have a hairline crease at the center bottom of the ticket that can be seen while examining the ticket close up. The back of the ticket is clean with no writing.

Tickets from Memorial Stadium fetch a higher price than those at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Seen here on a generic online price guide the vague ticket values given are $40-50 at Memorial Stadium and $25-50 for those at Three Rivers Stadium.

Appraisal Value: $50-60

The slight increase of value is due to the overall condition of the piece and the fact that this ticket is from an opening game. Please see other appraisals and please leave comments.

I have been appraising ticket stubs for over 3 years and have been collecting tickets for 15 years. I previously owned Stubs4sale.com, online ticket stub marketplace and was on a panel in 2007 at the Ticket Summit in Las Vegas to speak about collectible tickets.