Count tickets in a batch from a photo

Counting tickets, stubs and raffle slips from a photo

Tickets are counted before doors open to check printed stock, after an event to reconcile issued tickets against sales, and in the cloakroom or raffle where stubs pile up in a box. They are thin paper rectangles that slide over one another, so the count depends almost entirely on how they are laid out for the photo.

Spread loose stubs on a table one layer deep with the edges apart; a stack of tickets seen from above shows only the top one. Raffle slips folded in half look different from flat ones, so either unfold them or mark both a folded and a flat slip as examples in Similar items. For an unbroken roll or a numbered book, the first and last serial numbers give the count without a photo; the photo method is for loose, mixed or partial stock.

Corners where two tickets overlap are the place to check closely before the count goes into a labelled tally row such as Unsold, door B. To compare stubs with how many people actually came in, take a photo of the room for an event attendance headcount. Bar tokens and cash notes from the same event can be added to the tally too.

Ticket layout checks

• One layer, no tickets stacked
• Folded slips unfolded, or both forms marked
• A plain table that contrasts with the ticket stock
• Rolls and numbered books counted by serial number instead