This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/11/2022
Offered here is an important ticket stub to the 1936 Berlin Olympic debut of U.S. Track & Field legend Jesse Owens. The Men's 100 Meter dash has traditionally been the first Olympic event on the track at the Summer Games. It kicked off the historic Berlin Games at 10:30 a.m. on August 2nd with the preliminary rounds. The quarterfinals were held four and a half hours later that same day. Spectators in Olympiastadion with this ticket got to see Owens and his U.S. teammate Ralph Metcalfe easily qualify in the event that settles the debate on "World's Fastest Man." The semifinals and finals were held the next day (Aug. 3) and we all know the outcome -- Jesse winning gold and Metcalfe taking silver in what would be a preview of several dominant performances to come by Owens and other African American USAT&F athletes (Archie Williams, John Woodruff & Cornelius Johnson) at Hitler's Olympics.
This stub, graded VG-EX 4 by PSA, ranks among the better preserved examples in the PSA resgistry. Of 28 authenticated examples in the pop report, only 12 are graded higher. The colors and print clarity are favorable to other mid-grade stubs, and the edges are remarkably straight. The fuzziness of the perforated edges is perhaps what kept it from acheiving a higher number.