QUESTION:
Do you how to tell the difference between an authentic and counterfeit Disneyland opening day ticket? I read that about 10,000 counterfeit tickets were produced resulting in the overcrowded "Black Sunday". I can find little information on it doing internet searches. The opening day Disneyland tickets sell for quite high prices on eBay so authenticity is very important.
ANSWER:
Though we've heard this rumor often ourselves... in all this time we've never actually seen a counterfeit ticket to Disneyland's premiere.
The first problem, is that the tickets were not numbered. Major mistake! Though the tickets were color coded (silver, gold, orange, etc.), the vast majority were silver; each color for a different time of entry (silver was 2:30pm). We wouldn't be surprised if the authorized printer simply printed far more than contracted, and issued the tickets to whomever they wanted.
In our opinion, it is more likely that poor planning was the culprit. No one knew how many would actually show up for this day's events, and Disney sure didn't want a nationally televised event to appear poorly attended. As a result, tickets found a very liberal distribution. As an example, many of the contractors who built Disneyland received a cover letter, instructing them to pick up theire "ticket"... good for their entire family! You can imagine the difficult with crowd control on that one...
If the ticket has a very stiff card stock; with a metallic printing, it is likely real. Often, the real ones were slightly bent, as well. The best ones to purchase, still include their original invitation packet. You'll pay MUCH more for these, but provenance is everything to a Disneyana collector... especially for something as special as a ticket to Disneyland's dedication. That's a keeper!
Best wishes,
Dave Mason
for Saturday's Toys
www.SaturdaysToys.com
