A pair of tickets from the Columbian exposition. I've long admired them but I finally went ahead and pulled the trigger on a BIN on the bay. They were a bit cheaper than the others because they had old stamp hinges on the reverse, but I wetted them and lifted them off with a pair of tweezers...they came off nicely and the tickets look great.
I've also had admired these, I consider buying a set at a Annapolis show last year. The dealer wanted more than I was willing to pay . Nice pick up.
eventually, but I don't want to half-*** it which means getting the Chief and Washington and then all four with the A stamp, the Handel, the Franklin and the three good for a day tickets with the stubs.
There are even more tickets than the ones you listed. I have some with the same face but a different design on the back, those that show different entrance gates, child admissions and all the midway ride tickets. I don't know how you can tell if you have achieved a complete set. A new one always shows up now and then. I have stumbled upon merchant discount tickets from the fair as well.
I have a couple myself. Very nice. Never gave them much thought until this post.... I'm feeling this irresistible urge to hunt and gather
I only collect the ones like these, printed by American Bank Note. Both of yours great looking examples. I was able to get the "easy four" at good prices before interest took off, but it took me forever to pick up the Franklin and finally Handel at what I considered reasonable prices. Incidentally there are a couple other threads on this subject archived on this forum: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/1893-colombian-exposition-admission-ticket.229930/#post-1734376 https://www.cointalk.com/threads/post-some-tickets.107131/
The tickets with the "A" on them were from a second printing as demand rose. Those without the A were first issue. The Franklin ticket has the word "Complimentary" printed on it and was given to business to issue as perks to good clients. These were first given out during the second printing so none exist without the A on them. The Handel ticket was very limited and is the key to the collection. It was to acknowledge music and that word is printed on the ticket as well. A lot of his music themes represented water which was a key part of the Fair's various ponds, reflection pools and fountains.
One more time ... https://www.cointalk.com/threads/1893-colombian-exposition-admission-ticket.229930/
