Ticket to Top of World Trade Center from 2001! A Rare Comp Example!

World Trade Center
New York, NY, March 5, 2001

Ticket to Top of World Trade Center from 2001! A Rare Comp Example!
Ticket/Invitation

Rare "comp" original admission receipt from the Top of the World Trade Center Observatories in New York City, dated March 5, 2001, just over six months before the destruction of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. Printed on narrow paper stock, the receipt is marked "COMP 0.00" and "TOP OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER OBSERVATORIES," with the date and time "03/05/01 12:39," transaction numbers, a vertical barcode, and the notation "Tax Included." A boxed promotional area identifies the Top of the World Trade Center Observatories and names Kodak and Pepsi as sponsors. A perforated lower section repeats "COMP 0.00." The reverse is largely blank, with the printed information faintly visible through the paper. The piece exhibits light, even age toning but remains well preserved and highly legible. The receipt measures 2" x 5.5".

This surviving piece of World Trade Center ephemera documents an ordinary visitor experience at the Twin Towers shortly before September 11, 2001. The Top of the World observation facilities were located in the South Tower, 2 World Trade Center. The principal indoor observatory occupied the 107th floor, while visitors could also access an outdoor viewing platform on the roof. At 1,377 feet above street level, the outdoor platform was the highest in the world when the observatory opened in December 1975. On clear days, visitors could see approximately 45 miles in every direction.

The observation deck became one of New York City's major tourist attractions. According to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, it welcomed an average of approximately 1.8 million visitors annually, and more than 46.3 million people experienced the view between its opening in December 1975 and the close of business on September 10, 2001. The Museum's collection preserves other original Top of the World admission tickets as artifacts documenting the visitor experience at the World Trade Center.

Dated March 5, 2001, this receipt was issued during the final year of the original World Trade Center. At that time, the complex consisted of seven buildings, with the 110-story North and South Towers dominating the Lower Manhattan skyline. The towers had become internationally recognized symbols of New York, while the larger complex accommodated hundreds of businesses and enormous numbers of workers, commuters, and tourists each day. As a precisely dated artifact from the Top of the World Observatories, this modest receipt preserves a tangible record of the everyday life and tourism of the World Trade Center only months before the September 11 attacks.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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