Collecting Tote Tickets

[AJanks]

Hey guys,

I am 19 years old and have started collecting old-fashioned tote tickets from tracks in the past year. I think its a good way to preserve the history of these tracks in a unique form. I am at around 90-100 different tracks now and have kept a running list of tickets I have seen but haven't been able to obtain.

It's gotten to a point where many of these are either never for sale, or, when they are, they are priced super expensive on eBay and the sellers wont go lower despite nobody buying them for months. I'm in college so currently I am unable to spend crazy amounts of extra money to collect these, as much as I enjoy it. Figured it would be worth a shot to list the tracks that I still need on here, and if anybody has these tracks or any other tickets in general that they would like to go to a good home I would appreciate a private message, I can give you my contact info, trade extra tickets I have, or pay you a bit if needed...just let me know.

This is an alphabetical list of tracks I know there are tickets for but I do not have:

Ak-Sar-Ben, Arizona Downs, Audubon Rwy, Aurora Downs, Bel Air, Brunswick Downs, Buffalo Raceway, Cahokia Downs, Cloverdale Raceway, Cumberland, Delaware Park, Delta Downs Inc, East Moline, Exhibition Park, Fair Grounds, Fair Hill, Florida Downs, Fonner Park, Fort Erie, Fox Valley, Golden Gate Fields, Havre De Grace, Hawthorne, Hazel Park, Helena, Jackson Raceway, Klamath Falls, Laurel Raceway, Leam Rcwy, LRC at Latonia, M.V.Trots, Marlboro, Maywood Park, Miles Park, Nap. - Ft. Myers, Narragansett, Nebr State Fair, Oaklawn, Portland Meadows, Rock Trots, Ruidoso Track, Salem Fair, Saratoga, Scarborough Downs, Sportsman's Park, Suburban Downs, Tampa Bay Downs, Taunton G A, Thistledown, Timonium, Vernon Downs, W.P. Trot Assn, Western Harness WHRI, Yakima Turf

This is an alphabetical list of additional tracks that I do have in case anybody else comes across this post that collects these tickets and would like a checklist of sorts:

3 County Fair, Aqueduct, Arlington Park, Ascot Park, Atl. City Trots, Atlantic City, Balmoral, Barrington, Batavia, Bay Meadows, Bay State Raceway, Belmont, Beulah Park, Bowie, Brandywine, Caliente, Centennial Park, Charles Town, Chicago Downs, Churchill Downs, Cin. Turf Club, Commodore Downs, Continental, Delaware, Delaware Co. Fair, Del-Mar, Detroit Race Course, Detroit Whai Track, Eagle Downs, Egyptian, Empire City, Fairmount Raceway, Finger Lakes, Foxboro Fair, Freehold, Fresno Fair, Garden State, Gator Downs, Golden Gate, Green Mt. Pk., Green Mtn. Trots, Greenwood, Greenwood Raceway, Gulfstream, H. Americas (Mexican track), Hagerstown Fair, Hamilton, Hazel Trots, Hialeah Park, Hollywood Park, Jamaica, Jas C Ellis Park, Keeneland, Kentucky Derby, Latonia, Latonia Trots, Laurel, Lewiston, Liberty Bell, Lincoln Downs, Lincoln Fields, Longacres, Los Alamitos, Louisville, Mid America, Monmouth, Monticello, Northfield, Painesville Downs, Penang T.C. (Malaysian track), Pimlico, Playfair, Quad City Dns, Raceway Park, Randall Park, River Downs, Rockingham, Roosevelt, Rupert, Saint John Exhibition, Santa Anita, Santa Anita Park, Saratoga Raceway, Scioto Downs, Shamrock, Shenandoah, Solano Co. Fair, Sonoma Co. Fair, Stockton Fair, Suffolk Downs, Summit, Tanforan, Toledo Maumee, Tropical Park, Washington Park, Waterford Park, Wheeling Downs, William Penn, Windsor Rwy, Woodbine, Yonkers Raceway

[coachv30]

Just sent a PM

[the little guy]

I used to have a bunch of old tickets from Saratoga in the mid 70s, the old long trifecta tickets and the yellow/gold $100 tickets, up in Saratoga. Sadly, my guess is they were tossed years ago, but I will check as I'm heading up there this weekend. You are more than welcome to some if I can dig anything up.

[Ocala Mike]

Not really a collector, but here's one I have that I will not part with. Actually, it belonged to my late wife who went to the Belmont with me that day and cashed the Secretariat/Twice A Prince exacta while I tore up my bet with My Gallant to finish 2nd. Fortunately, she had the presence of mind to buy and NOT CASH a $2 win ticket on Secretariat.

PS: I do have some tickets from Parr Meadows and, later, Suffolk Meadows (rarities).

[Skanoochies]

Check your PM.

[AJanks]

Not really a collector, but here's one I have that I will not part with. Actually, it belonged to my late wife who went to the Belmont with me that day and cashed the Secretariat/Twice A Prince exacta while I tore up my bet with My Gallant to finish 2nd. Fortunately, she had the presence of mind to buy and NOT CASH a $2 win ticket on Secretariat.

PS: I do have some tickets from Parr Meadows and, later, Suffolk Meadows (rarities).

That’s definitely a cool one to have! When I get older and have more disposable income collecting Triple Crown tickets, especially secretariat, is one of my main goals.

Any way that you’d be able to part with the Suffolk/Parr Meadows one’s?

[Tom]

I never had the opportunity to save old tickets.
I cashed all mine. :cool:

:lol:

[AndyC]

I never had the opportunity to save old tickets.
I cashed all mine. :cool:

:lol:

Did you mean cashed or trashed?

[Mulerider]

I didn't see Louisiana Downs on either of your lists. I'd be happy to help you there if you're interested.

[Skanoochies]

Ajanks did you ever receive those tickets from Hastings Park I sent?

[46zilzal]

Don't know if it is still extant, but I was an almost charter member of a club where we did just what you are doing (called The Sport Of KIngs Society). I won a contest there by sending in 365 DIFFERENT totes to win a prize for widest variety.

When I moved to Toronto, I threw out THOUSANDS of the old stubbies and old cardboard ones from tracks all over the WORLD. Delaware park tote mutuel manager even printed up a set of test totes with my name as the code (the old code that was before the bar code that changed with every race.)

I have a Forego K Derby tote and lots of them from tracks that are no longer: Narragansett, Bowie, etc. Totes from the Typecast-Convenience match race at Hollywood, used to have one from Sect'at last Woodbine race ..I have enclosure passes from many courses, bookie tickets from all over Europe, lapel buttons for seats at places like Hialeah, many post cards, an entire set of what they used to call "yard stick" totes for multiple super bets (man of the ones in the set American Totalisator sent me were never actually popular enough to sell in any number, have "rack" totes from the old days before there were newly printed totes and the sellers used to just remove the pre-printed totes from racks of them, I have totes from about 5 or 6 old time totalisator companies like United, Ace, ..these worked at little places like Sonoita, Arizona or Uranium Downs Colorado. LOTs of old programs of horses like Old Bob Bowers, Many may K Derbies, Preakness, an entire set from the first few years of the Breeder's Cups. I have ENTIRE sets of test totes (some all in the old cardboard like from Evangeline Downs) many many from Canada, Germany, Greece, England etc.

In sending me totes many members of that old club forwarded some form dog tracks and Hijail frontons. They are all currently sitting in special envelopes categorized by alphabet in a box right near me. Wanted to one day present them all in a frame, but I am not getting any younger.

MANY many autographed photos, Woody Stephens, Laz Barrera, Laffit, Shoe, McCarron, P Val, Eddie D, Pat Day etc. and many many photos I took at the early Breeder's Cups and at the breeding farms where I had audiences with Secretariat, Nodouble, Slew and Slew O'Gold, Tom Rolfe, Cougar II, Ack Ack, Nijinsky, Gato Del Sol, Danzig, Mr Prospector, Ferdinand, Lady's Secret, Manila, John Henry, Linkage, Vanlandingham, Damascus, Devils' Bag, Bid, A Pharoah (at his Belmont), California Chrome, Spend a Buck, Chief' Crown (brough one to show the trainer, Roger Laurin when he was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame), Tank's Prospect, Wise Dan at his visit to Woodbine, Lure, All Along, In Reality, Summer Squall, Risen Star, Snow Chief, Life's Magic, Pebbles, Storm Cat, Precisionist, etc etc.

[46zilzal]

I have many from your DO NOT HAVE list including a Harve De Grace from 1946

I have the old Australian Aqueduct Toes as well as their newer versions, then lots from Australia as well

[clocker7]

This is one of the most interesting memorabilia pursuits a racing fan could have. Better than program collecting. Tickets connected to famous racers are incredilbly scarce, much moreso than for programs.

I saved my losers from the moment that I went to the track in 1969, and began buying ebay stuff since 2000.

And, over the years I've built a humongous database that identifies tickets that are worthy of collection. Just PM me ... anyone.

[Ocala Mike]

Any way that you’d be able to part with the Suffolk/Parr Meadows one’s?




I sent you a PM, AJanks.

[Ocala Mike]

And, over the years I've built a humongous database that identifies tickets that are worthy of collection. Just PM me ... anyone.



How much would an uncashed winning ticket in mint condition (encased in protective wrap) on Secretariat in the Belmont be worth, in your opinion?

[46zilzal]

Ajanks did you ever receive those tickets from Hastings Park I sent?

One good thing I heard from the DRF columnist: all new cameras in all the towers this year...Poor little place is a pitiful ghost of what it was under Jack Diamond

[Skanoochies]

Exactly. The place is not just the same. I do all my wagering thru H.P.I.in woodbine now and haven1t been to Hastings in several years.

[46zilzal]

Exactly. The place is not just the same. I do all my wagering thru H.P.I.in woodbine now and haven't been to Hastings in several years.

ALL effort goes to that crappy casino while paint peels off the walls and rails and barn M continues to slide down the hill on the backside

TRIVIA: what race was Gary Stevens first 100 grander win? The British Columbia Derby

[46zilzal]

Ajank.....I found a link to the Sport of Kings Society but it was from 1996....Check out your private mailbox

[Ocala Mike]

zilzal, I was a member of that SOKS too and contributed a couple of articles probably 12-15 years ago now.

[46zilzal]

I was very active in it for many years and collected with a lot of people all over the map....A fun time.

When I was in school in San Francisco, I regularly attended GGF and Bay Meadows with two of the founding members....They got me into parts of the tracks I never would have otherwise...including our photos with none other than Silky Sullivan who came out on St Patrick's Day...GGF executive Kjell Qvale used to get him out yearly.

[clocker7]

How much would an uncashed winning ticket in mint condition (encased in protective wrap) on Secretariat in the Belmont be worth, in your opinion?

Tickets like that come up so rarely anymore, so the present market would be hard to determine. They are not scarce, but people just hold onto them.

Because there are so many out there, a ceiling near 400-500 bucks likely.

I tend to collect the unidentified ones that are much scarcer. That is what my database helps me to do. Tickets from Count Fleet, Citation, Swaps, the first SA Hdcp and Derby, plus all of the earliest KD tickets. Stuff like that. Nobody knows that market because few auction sellers and buyers even know what they are seeing.

[46zilzal]

In around 2002 I sold Secretariat's Triple Crown programs for $250.00

[46zilzal]

I located the last president of SOKS in Chicago, contacted him and found the club is no longer active....HOWEVER he would be a great source to contact to find other collectors with which you could trade or barter.

RICK RADLEIN has a facebook page and lives in the Chicago area.

[clocker7]

Over the weekend, a quality Secretariat Belmont $2 win ticket went unsold for $399.

I suspect that the market is around $300.