Collector Marc Mader has one of the top ticket collections in the hobby. He offers tips on collecting special tickets.

By John Newman

While I’ve been in the hobby a while, I’ve never collected tickets. That changed in 2023 when I acquired a couple.

I didn’t own a ticket, however, related to Jackie Robinson, which was something I wanted. Many were not in my budget, especially graded. I kept up the hunt and eventually purchased an ungraded 1953 World Series Game 4 ticket stub featuring the Yankees vs. the Dodgers at Ebbets Field.

In that game the Dodgers beat Whitey Ford. Duke Snider had a heck of a day and Jackie had a hit and an RBI. On the other side, Mickey Mantle had a hit and RBI. When I received the stub, I was pleasantly surprised at the great shape it was in. So much so I decided to submit it to PSA for grading. It garnered a 6, which is actually the highest graded Game 4 ticket on the registry. I was pumped.

I recently had Marc Mader on Episode 280 of Sports Card Nation. Marc is one of the preeminent ticket collectors in the space. His collection is insane and he loves to pair a significant ticket with a significant card or Type 1 Photo. Mader collects cards but he has become a force in ticket collecting. His collection is one of the best on the planet.

Ticket collector Marc Mader shows off one of his historic tickets.
Marc Mader

His inventory reads like a Who’s Who of sports debut tickets, featuring the likes of Mantle, Robinson, Clemente, MJ, Kobe, Tiger, Montana, Gretzky, Ohtani, Messi, and Lewis Hamilton. He has tickets from World Series, Super Bowls, and record-setting events. Heck, he even has the ticket from Zion Williamson’s shoe blowout game. Chances are, if it’s a significant ticket, he probably has it.

Mader is extremely helpful and informative and supports the ticket collecting community as a whole.

We talked about how tickets are more rare than cards as many were just passes to get into a stadium or arena, only to be thrown away after being bent or crumpled up in a pocket. Even if kept, condition became an issue, making well-preserved tickets more valuable and sought after.

He also points out something I didn’t think about. Debut tickets made during the regular season instead of Opening Day are harder to find as many fans keep Opening Day tickets as mementos. That’s why there are more Jackie Robinson debut tickets than for Clemente.

1947 Jackie Robinson MLB debut ticket.
Courtesy of Marc Mader.

To kickstart his ticket collection, Mader sold a PSA 10 Derek Jeter 1993 SP Foil rookie card and some duplicates. He loves the connection between the ticket and the player and sometimes acquires tickets because the seat or section number corresponds with the player’s number or a significant stat.

He suggests doing your research. Every once in a while a significant moment or game may slip through the cracks, making a ticket acquisition more affordable or easier to obtain. He also warns to be careful of commemorative tickets, which are not genuine tickets to the game itself. He also points out that the ticket side of the hobby hasn’t seen the counterfeiting or altering issues like cards, making it less risky for collectors.

Marc’s collection is obviously tremendous, but more importantly, he’s a great ambassador and advocate for a part of the hobby that’s definitely starting to garner more attention and collectors. And deservedly so.

— John Newman is a collector, dealer and the host of the Sports Card Nation podcast. Catch his Hobby Quick Hits on Monday and his guest interviews on Friday on your favorite podcast plat­form. You can reach him at sportscard­nationpc@gmail.com or on Twitter at @sportscardnati1