On Sunday, Jan. 15, 1967, nearly 62,000 football fans spent around $10 each to watch what is now known as Super Bowl I. Then billed as the "World Championship Game" featuring the AFL champion (the Kansas City Chiefs) vs. the NFL champion (Green Bay Packers), the event included little of the circus atmosphere now associated with Super Sunday. In fact, nearly one third of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseums tickets went unsold.

Today the Super Bowl is as American as the 4th of July. Its the single biggest day in sports, and collectors have taken notice. From pins to pennants to programs, Super Bowl memorabilia is gotta-have stuff, and tickets are at the top of the list. In fact, two entire runs of Super Bowl full tickets recently sold for more than $40,000 at auction.

"Super Bowl ticket sets are becoming one of my key areas in working with collectors," says Dennis A. Jose of Chicagotix.com. "While baseball is the national pastime and NASCAR may have the most fans in terms of attendance at tracks, Super Bowl collectors are participating in the single-game, winner-take-all obsession. There are people as passionate about their team as they are about family and religion."

Super Bowl tickets also feature more elaborate designs than most other tickets. "From an art standpoint, [they're] beautiful," says Jose

You'll find at Super Bowl ticket stubs starting at around $40 and full tickets starting at around $100 at Chicagotix.com. Tickets and stubs from the more notable Super Bowls can sell for far more. In December, a ticket from the first Super Bowl (1968) sold on ebay for $355. Thats nearly $1 for every yard the Packers gained (361) in their 35-10 win over the Chiefs-not bad for a $12 ticket.

Values are often determined by the popularity of the teams, condition of the item, and such factors as scarcity and game location. Recent sales on eBay include:

Ticket stubs

$212: full ticket from Super Bowl XXXIII (1999, Broncos 34, Falcons 19) $187: ticket stub from Super Bowl VI (1972, Cowboys 24, Dolphins 3) $154: full ticket from Super Bowl XXXV (2001, Ravens 34, Giants 7) $104: ticket stub from Super Bowl XXV (1991, Giants 20, Bills 19) $101: ticket stub from Super Bowl IX (1975, Steelers 16, Vikings 6)

"Every year I make a New Years resolution to build a set of tickets in the upcoming year. In 2003, I went after a run of Super Bowl ticket stubs and built two of them," says Jose, who lives three blocks from Wrigley Field and his beloved Chicago Cubs. "In 2004, I may focus on my Cubs ticket-and-schedule collection representing every year since 1906. That may be my Holy Grail." - Keith Gentili

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