The Same Box at Shea

Shea Stadium always felt like more than just a ballpark. Opened in 1964, it was built for big moments — the Miracle Mets, the roar of the 1986 crowd, the sound of planes cutting through the Flushing air. By the time it closed in 2008, it had seen generations of fans come and go, each with their own story attached to a seat somewhere in the stands.

Josh’s story begins in 2005, when he bought season tickets. Same box every year, same view of the field. He spent four seasons there, through cold Aprils, hot summers, and the bittersweet goodbye in Shea’s final year. When the wrecking crews came, the field disappeared, but that box — that small square of space — stayed fixed in his memory along with the original seats, which are now sitting in his backyard.

Fast-forward to 2025. Josh came across a few ticket stubs for sale from the 1973 World Series. Game Three — the last time Willie Mays ever took the field. For a lifelong Mets fan, it was a piece of baseball history too good to pass up. He chose one, bought it from Stubguy, and added it to his growing collection.

Later, he learned the stub was from the same box he’d sat in decades ago — a strange, almost impossible coincidence in a stadium that seated over 57,000. It’s part of what makes baseball romantic. The game has a way of circling back on itself. The players change, the stadiums fall, but somehow the sport keeps reminding you that you’re part of something bigger.

To a collector, a ticket stub isn’t just a relic. It’s proof of belonging — a bridge between then and now. And every once in a while, like with Josh’s stub from Shea, it’s a reminder that baseball’s real magic isn’t only on the field. Sometimes it’s in the seats.

stubguy.com thanks Josh for sharing this story when he received the stub from us and for allowing us to share his memory with you.