Things I miss

[46zilzal]

The old totes brought a lot of color to the old tracks.....Part of the game I miss

I even have some old RACK totes (printed and held in racks BEFORE the day's meet)

[46zilzal]

some more....still looking for the old Australian ones from the NYRA

[46zilzal]

Australian totes form Penn National

[46zilzal]

or a UNITED tote form Maries Fair Missoula Montana...A very small midwestern comapny that coverd most of the Summer fair meets in the West.

[Overlay]

I used to get mailings from a group that I believe was based in Ohio. (I can't even remember the name, because it's been so long since I've even thought about them.) I contacted them originally because I thought from the name of the group that its members would be interested in handicapping, but it turned out they all just collected and traded programs and mutuel tickets from famous races and various tracks around the country, and weren't into the betting side of the game at all. If they're still in existence, they'd be a good source for items like this. Does this ring a bell with anyone?

[46zilzal]

True Austalian totes form the Colac Club in Victoria....BIG SPENDER tickets with 50 cent wagers.

[46zilzal]

that was the Sport of Kings Society of which I was a longstanding member and have TONS of these as I won many a contest by having MORE variety of totes than the next fellow.

Guy sent me a few purchased on the first Satruday in May 1973 and one was on Forego to show, and I have win and place tickets on Northern Dancer's Belmont which was held at Aqueduct that year, a oddity in itself...

[banacek]

that was the Sport of Kings Society of which I was a longstanding member and have TONS of these as I won many a contest by having MORE variety of totes than the next fellow.

I was a member too - must have been 30 years ago. I even might still have the Sport of Kings Society button somewhere in my stuff. I swapped totes and programs from local bush tracks for ones from the big tracks. But the neatest thing is one of the things I got sent was an admission ticket for the 1973 Preakness - that I kept! Looking at ebay it looks like it is worth well over $100.

[46zilzal]

Recently sold my Secretarat Triple progams for a nice price. helped me to go see my dad.

One of these days I am going to sell off the programs from the first 20 years of the Breeder's Cup...Interested???

[46zilzal]

How's this for memories then????

[Tom]

Nice trip down memory lane - funny how those old tickets bring back so many mems just looking at them.

[46zilzal]

ticket from an English bookie, interesting but different

[46zilzal]

old track...hard to spell sometimes

[michiken]

Gosh I am not old enough to even remember those kind of tickets. I must be a maiden in training! Glad to see that you carry on the traditions. I hope that some younger students may be watching and will learn as I have.

[TimesTheyRAChangin]

Tickets are always up for sale on eBay,some as early as the 1920's.At times you can get 20 or 30 for $5.00.Then,it's like there's a sudden interest,and sellers want the same $$ for only 1 or 2!

[toetoe]

Longstanding Zilzal,

Sit a spell. :D

Once at the Solano County Fair, as we waited for the race to become official, we saw the official payout being recorded by a mechanical arm in cursive writing. Slightly off-topic, but isn't that strange? Instead of a printout, a writeout.

[TimesTheyRAChangin]

the official payout being recorded by a mechanical arm in cursive writing.

Man!I had forgotten all about those!And they wouldn't pay you off until it was finished writing!And you had to go to different windows to get a win,place or show ticket.And again if it was $2-/$5-/$10-,etc.Or if you wanted a combine.The high rollers went to machines that were cordoned off with partitions,etc.,to keep regular patrons from seeing how much was being bet there!And still different windows to cash!And at Fort Erie they had windows to bet Cdn.$$ at,and others for U.S.$$!Remember,back then,the exchange favoured Cdn. money.The good old days!Our booze was stronger,our cigarettes were stronger,and Yanks would pay us a premium to get one of our brown two dollar bills!!!