One of the most overlooked dynasties in the pre-war era was that of the Cincinnati Reds of 1939-1940. In a decade dominated by the Cardinals, Cubs and Giants, the Reds were one of only two teams in the National League able to win back-to-back pennants. The feat was even more remarkable because the franchise had been at the bottom of the standings for most of the decade, only achieving success under the leadership of Hall of Fame manager Bill McKechnie. The Reds were powered by the big bat of Ernie Lombardi and the knockout pitching quartet of Paul Derringer, Bucky Walters, Johnny Vander Meer and Junior Thompson. They ran into the Yankees juggernaut in the 1939 World Series, going down in four straight. The following year the team bolstered their lineup with the addition of Bill Werber and Johnny Ripple, and the Reds defeated the Tigers for their first World Championship since 1919.

This is a collection of six ticket stubs from games played at Crosley Field during the 1939 and 1940 World Series. The first pair is lower box stubs from Game 4 of the 1939 series. This game was notable for Ernie Lombardi’s infamous 10th inning “snooze" at home plate. With the game tied in the top of the 10th, Yankee outfielder Charlie Keller collided with Lombardi at home plate, dislodging the ball and knocking him senseless. With nobody covering the plate, two runs scored. The Reds were unable to come back and lost the game and series. The pair are each graded PSA Fair 1.5. The other four stubs are from the three games 1, 6 and 7 played at Crosley Field in the 1940 Fall Classic. The two lower box Game 1 stubs are graded PSA Poor 1, and Games 6 and 7 are graded PSA Fair 1.5. The fronts of these tickets show light toning with colors still vibrant. The backs of the set show glue and paper residue from where they were removed from a scrapbook. A near complete set of home World Series stubs from one of baseball’s forgotten dynasties.