I wanted to start a collection with real historical significance, and I decided on presidential inauguration ticket stubs. I’m not sure exactly how far back inauguration tickets exist—I’ve never seen anything earlier than Lincoln, so targeting Lincoln to present.. Since McKinley, I’m only missing one. The 1921 Warren Harding tickets seem especially rare; I haven’t seen one come up for sale yet. Since Gerald Ford never had an inauguration, I’m using a national convention ticket to represent him. One thing that bothers me is how PSA slabbed a few of the tickets in different directions, but I’ll eventually have that corrected. Most tickets from the 1900s to today are relatively affordable, but the ones from the 1800s can start to get expensive.

2021 U.S. President Inauguration-Full Full Joe Biden January 20 - Amethyst

2017 U.S. President Inauguration-Full Full Donald Trump January 20-Red

2009 U.S. President Inauguration-Full Full Barack Obama January 20-Blue

2001 U.S. President Inauguration-Pass Pass George W. Bush January 20

1993 U.S. President Inauguration-Pass Pass Bill Clinton January 20-North Standing

1981 U.S. President Inauguration- Full Ronald Reagan January 20 - President Platform

1989 U.S. President Inauguration-Pass Pass George Bush January 20- Gold

1977 U.S. President Inauguration-Full Full James E. Carter January 20-Southeast Front Capitol

1976 Republican National Convention-Full Aug.19,Kansas City/Gerald Ford Session 5

1969 U.S. President Inauguration-Full Richard M. Nixon January 20

1965 U.S. President Inauguration- Stub Lyndon B. Johnson January 20

1961 U.S. President Inauguration- Stub John F. Kennedy January 20

1953 U.S. President Inauguration- Stub Dwight D. Eisenhower Inauguration-January 20

1949 U.S. President Inauguration- Stub Harry S. Truman Inauguration-January 20

1933 U.S. President Inauguration- Stub Franklin D. Roosevelt Inauguration-January 20

1929 U.S. President Inauguration-Pass Herbert C. Hoover March 4

1925 U.S. President Inauguration- Pass Calvin Coolidge March 4

1913 U.S. President Inauguration- Pass Woodrow Wilson March 4

1908 U.S. President Inauguration- Pass William Taft March 4

1908 U.S. President Inauguration- Pass Theodore Roosevelt March 4

1897 U.S. President Inauguration- Pass William McKinley March 4

1877 U.S. President Inauguration- Pass Rutherford B Hayes March 5

1869 U.S. President Inauguration- Pass Ulysses S Grant March 4

1868 U.S. President Impeachment Trial - Pass Andrew Johnson May 7

I know a lot of tickets are just a piece a paper with a date on it, but this ticket to Bird’s Jersey Retirement is Art.

The Hitman turns 64 today.

OTD A groundbreaking broadcast debut in Chicago.

Mary Shane became one of the first female announcers in MLB history, making her debut on White Sox games over WMAQ radio and Channel 44. Mary joined Lorn Brown, Harry Caray and Jimmy Piersall in the booth. She was the first full-time female play by play broadcaster for a Major League Baseball team.

Shane only lasted the 1977 season. Shane was pulled from the White Sox Broadcasts before the 1977 season concluded and her contract was not renewed. While her voice was an issue, Mary distinguished herself as a hard worker.

Broadcasting partner Jimmy Piersall stated: “She never had a chance. Even a bad baseball player gets at least one full season to see if he’ll come around. But because of all the in-bred prejudice against a woman covering a baseball team, Mary didn’t even get that. It was a real shame, because I thought she had what it takes to make it. Someday, the idea of a woman bringing a woman’s perspective to baseball broadcasting will be a tremendous innovation somewhere.”

She returned to Massachusetts, where she became an award-winning sportswriter covering the Celtics, before passing away at 42, on November 1, 1987.