# I found an unused concert ticket in my library book **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 20, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-an-unused-concert-ticket-in-my-library-book/589770 "2011-07-20T22:16:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-an-unused-concert-ticket-in-my-library-book/589770/1 "2011-07-20T22:16:53Z")
If you’re the one who was reading Douglas Adams’ _The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide_ in early September of last year, and stopped halfway through, and forgot you were using your ticket to The Flaming Lips at the Pageant on September 17th 2010 as a bookmark, and still want it as a souvenir, I have it. (At least until I take out the garbage.) I have to say, it made a nice change from the blood stains, squashed flies, and used grocery lists that I more usually find in library books. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-an-unused-concert-ticket-in-my-library-book/589770/2 "2011-07-20T22:51:06Z")
How do you know it was unused? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-an-unused-concert-ticket-in-my-library-book/589770/3 "2011-07-20T22:58:25Z")
> [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](#): > > How do you know it was unused? It was in perfect shape, clean and crisp, just as it came off the printer. (Stubs still on too, but I know they mostly just scan nowadays.) I’m assuming that nobody gets through a concert at the Pageant with the ticket remaining in uncirculated condition. And the last due date on the book is September 10th. Could be wrong. I doubt it. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-an-unused-concert-ticket-in-my-library-book/589770/4 "2011-07-20T23:09:38Z")
This is a true test of the power of the Dope. -D/a ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-an-unused-concert-ticket-in-my-library-book/589770/5 "2011-07-21T01:06:34Z")
Go to the library and find out who that person was. If it’s a guy, I want to marry him. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-an-unused-concert-ticket-in-my-library-book/589770/6 "2011-07-21T02:36:27Z")
I can honestly say it wasn’t me. The Flaming Lips? ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-an-unused-concert-ticket-in-my-library-book/589770/7 "2011-07-21T02:39:11Z")
Alas, it can’t be a _souvenir_ if he didn’t get to the show. ---
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-an-unused-concert-ticket-in-my-library-book/589770/8 "2011-07-21T02:40:23Z")
I had some friends at that concert, my friend met Wayne Coyne and was ecstatic. It was probably sold out too. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-an-unused-concert-ticket-in-my-library-book/589770/9 "2011-07-21T02:41:51Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Alas, it can’t be a _souvenir_ if he didn’t get to the show. Perhaps not a souvenir of the show itself, but it has a story all the same. Not necessarily a _good_ story, mind you… ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-an-unused-concert-ticket-in-my-library-book/589770/10 "2011-07-21T03:07:33Z")
How does one use blood or squashed flies as book marks? ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-an-unused-concert-ticket-in-my-library-book/589770/11 "2011-07-21T03:16:42Z")
Blood just goes on the edge of the page. Harder to do with deckle edges. With a good-sized fly placed near an edge, he humps a little space open, so you can thumb the book open at that spot. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-an-unused-concert-ticket-in-my-library-book/589770/12 "2011-07-21T03:54:13Z")
How do you know the last due date on the book? Does your library still stamp it on the book? I thought everyone used computers these days; even our fairly small town library checks out via computer, and I kinda miss knowing the last time a book was checked out. ---
**Author:** ![scootergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-an-unused-concert-ticket-in-my-library-book/589770/13 "2011-07-21T04:17:43Z")
I work at a library and the things that folks use for bookmarks are always surprising. Everything from little pieces of Kleenex (eww people, if this is you, please don’t!) to bank/creditcard statements, love letters, appointment reminder cards to medical procedures…etc. Today I found a one dollar bill. I took it out and put it in our donation box. I could have bought a coffee with it, but chose not to. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-an-unused-concert-ticket-in-my-library-book/589770/14 "2011-07-21T11:17:44Z")
I have heard of a library book that was returned with a kippered herring as a book-marker. I have also once found a butterfly inside a book. This was in the 80s and it had probably been there ever since the book was new sometime around 1920, so I carefully put it back again when I was finished with the book. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-an-unused-concert-ticket-in-my-library-book/589770/15 "2011-07-21T11:20:51Z")
I was going to reply here, but I think we are drifting from Frank’s topic. I will start a new thread. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-an-unused-concert-ticket-in-my-library-book/589770/16 "2011-07-21T11:26:19Z")
[New thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14046833#post14046833) ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-an-unused-concert-ticket-in-my-library-book/589770/17 "2011-07-21T11:26:37Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > How do you know the last due date on the book? Does your library still stamp it on the book? Yeah, some of the city libraries still do, even though they scan it for check out. And some don’t. Go figure. The county library doesn’t stamp at all anymore, and I usually can use the stamp or lack of stamp to figure out which library it needs to go back to. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-an-unused-concert-ticket-in-my-library-book/589770/18 "2011-07-21T17:54:44Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > It was in perfect shape, clean and crisp, just as it came off the printer. (Stubs still on too, but I know they mostly just scan nowadays.) I’m assuming that nobody gets through a concert at the Pageant with the ticket remaining in uncirculated condition. And the last due date on the book is September 10th. > > Could be wrong. I doubt it. I don’t really pay attention to this thing or go to many concerts/events, but don’t they sometimes just grab it, scan the barcode, and hand it back. Then that serial number is in the system as “used.” ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-an-unused-concert-ticket-in-my-library-book/589770/19 "2011-07-21T17:58:58Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I don’t really pay attention to this thing or go to many concerts/events, but don’t they sometimes just grab it, scan the barcode, and hand it back. Then that serial number is in the system as “used.” That’s what he’s saying though; it’s in such good condition that it may not have even been scanned. Concert tickets usually get jammed in pockets or bags. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-an-unused-concert-ticket-in-my-library-book/589770/20 "2011-07-21T18:53:11Z")
> [@ReticulatingSplines](#): > > That’s what he’s saying though; it’s in such good condition that it may not have even been scanned. Concert tickets usually get jammed in pockets or bags. I don’t know – I have a ticket from a pop concert I went to in May that was just scanned and handed back to me. It’s still in perfect shape. I use it as a bookmark now. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-an-unused-concert-ticket-in-my-library-book/589770.md?page=2)