<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0Xfqqr_0wMxga5000" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0Xfqqr_0wMxga5000" width="1000" height="588" ></figure><p>In the sports memorabilia sphere, few items are as coveted as that of rare, game-used tickets, especially one linked to a historic moment in NCAA basketball history. </p><p>David Catalano, affectionately known as “The Ticket Bastard” and Founder of Iconic Sports Media has spent years curating an impressive collection of vintage tickets. His latest treasure, a graded, autographed full ticket from the 1973 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship game, is set to fetch a handsome sum at Goldin Auctions. This remarkable piece of history is a testament to Catalano’s keen eye for the rare and extraordinary.</p><h2>A Piece of History</h2><p>The ticket in question commemorates the UCLA Bruins’ dominating 87-66 victory over Memphis State on March 26, 1973. That game will forever be etched in the annals of college basketball history, thanks to Bill Walton’s breathtaking performance. The Hall of Famer scored 44 points, making 21 out of 22 field goal attempts, leading the Bruins to their second consecutive undefeated season. This win secured Coach John Wooden’s ninth NCAA championship and cemented UCLA’s record-breaking 75-game winning streak.</p><h2>A Unicorn of a Ticket</h2><p>What makes this ticket truly remarkable is its rarity and condition. Graded VG 3 by PSA, with the autograph certified and graded GEM MT 10 by PSA/DNA, it is the superior copy among only two recorded examples in PSA/DNA’s census reporting. Walton’s bold, blue marker signature adorns the front of the ticket, accompanied by the triumphant inscription “We Won!” This unique combination of provenance, condition, and autograph authenticity renders the ticket virtually irreplaceable.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media sbi-embed" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DBSUBAnMvWt/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DBSUBAnMvWt/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"><div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div><div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"><div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div><div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div><div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewbox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"><div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div><div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"><div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div><div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"><div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div><div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div><div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div><div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"><div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div><div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DBSUBAnMvWt/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by IconicSportsMedia (@iconicsports_official)</a></p></div><input type="image" src="empty.gif" style="opacity:0" onerror="s=document.createElement(&quot;script&quot;);s.src=&quot;https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js&quot;;document.body.appendChild(s);delay=function(){window.instgrm.Embeds.process()};setTimeout(delay,500)"></blockquote><h2>The “Ticket Bastard” Strikes Again</h2><p>David Catalano’s reputation as a New Jersey based premier ticket collector and dealer has earned him the nickname “The Ticket Bastard”, and he has a podcast and web series donning the same name. With a keen eye for the rare and unusual, Catalano has built a reputation for unearthing hidden gems. His latest find is a testament to his dedication and expertise.</p><p>“Hard to put this into words,” Dave Amerman, Head of Revenue at Goldin Auctions. Amerman remarks. “The ticket is honestly a unicorn, and the fact that it’s full and signed just makes it that much more unlikely to have another one surface. We are honored to represent such an incredible ticket from NCAA basketball history at Goldin.” Goldin Auctions is also New Jersey based company that was featured on the Netflix series “King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch”.</p><h2>Auction Fever</h2><p>Goldin Auctions, a leading sports memorabilia auction house, is hosting the sale of this remarkable ticket. Dave Amerman echoes Catalano’s enthusiasm: “We are thrilled to offer this exceptional piece of NCAA basketball history to our collectors. The combination of its rarity, condition, and significance makes it a truly unique opportunity.” With its impeccable provenance and unmatched rarity, this ticket is poised to fetch a substantial sum, cementing its place among the most valuable sports memorabilia items ever sold.</p><h2>A Podcast Pioneer</h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2u5PNb_0wMxga5000" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2u5PNb_0wMxga5000" width="882" height="634" ></figure><h2>David Catalano aka “The Ticket Bastard”</h2><p>Catalano’s influence extends beyond the world of sports collectibles. He has also made a name for himself as a podcaster, sharing his expertise and passion for tickets with a wider audience. His podcast series offers a unique glimpse into the world of sports memorabilia, featuring interviews with fellow collectors, dealers, and industry experts.</p><h2>A Legacy of Preservation</h2><p>The sale of this historic ticket serves as a reminder of the importance of preserving sports history. Items like this ticket provide a tangible connection to the past, allowing future generations to appreciate the achievements of athletic legends like Bill Walton and Coach John Wooden.</p><p>As the auction fever builds, one thing is certain: David Catalano’s “unicorn” ticket will find a new home, cherished by a collector who appreciates its significance and rarity. For “The Ticket Bastard,” it’s another chapter in a career dedicated to uncovering the hidden treasures of sports history.</p><p><b>Auction Details:</b></p><ul><li>Auction House: Goldin Auctions</li><li>Item: 1973 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Game Full Ticket (UCLA vs. Memphis State)</li><li>Grade: VG 3 (PSA), Autograph Certified and Graded GEM MT 10 (PSA/DNA)</li><li>Estimate: No Reserve Price</li><li>Link to the auction: here</li></ul></div></body>

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Iconic Sports Media Strikes Gold: New Jersey Based Collectible Up for Auction

In the sports memorabilia sphere, few items are as coveted as that of rare, game-used tickets, especially one linked to a historic moment in NCAA basketball history. David Catalano, affectionately known as “The Ticket Bastard” and Founder of Iconic Sports Media has spent years curating an impressive collection of vintage tickets. His latest treasure, a graded, autographed full ticket from the 1973 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship game, is set to fetch a handsome sum at Goldin Auctions. This remarkable piece of history is a testament to Catalano’s keen eye for the rare and extraordinary.