No single object says vintage Disneyland like a ticket book. From 1955 to 1982 the park sold admission separately from rides, and rides were paid for with lettered coupons — A, B, C, then D (1956) and finally E (1959) for the headliners. The phrase "an E-ticket ride" left the park and entered the language; astronaut Sally Ride famously called her 1983 shuttle launch "definitely an E ticket." For collectors, the books are the signature paper of the Classic Disneyland era — and among the most handled, most varied, and most reproduced items in the hobby.
Key Takeaways
- Coupon tiers: A–C from 1955, D added 1956, E added 1959; system retired June 1982 for the passport.
- Date a book by its cover art, price, attraction list and coupon count.
- Intact books with E coupons remaining are worth the most; loose E coupons have their own market.
- Reproductions exist — check paper, perforations, serial numbers and printing.
How the system worked
Opening day, July 17, 1955, Disneyland charged $1 admission and sold individual ride tickets at booths. Within months the park introduced ticket books — a bargain bundle of admission plus a set number of coupons in lettered tiers matching attraction "grades." The cheapest rides (Main Street vehicles, the King Arthur Carrousel) took an A; the marquee attractions took the top letter. As bigger rides arrived, bigger letters did too: the D coupon in 1956 and the E coupon in June 1959 with the Matterhorn, Submarine Voyage and Monorail.
The books evolved for 27 years — different coupon counts ("Big 10," "Jumbo 15," "Deluxe"), children's and junior versions, special editions — until June 1982, when Disneyland switched to the all-inclusive Passport. The E-Ticket Magazine, named for exactly this coupon, documented the era's attractions issue by issue and is the best single reference for what each letter bought in a given year.
A short history of the coupon tiers
It helps to know which attractions lived where on the ladder, because that's how you read a book's era at a glance.
- A coupon — the gentle stuff: Main Street vehicles (horse-drawn streetcar, horseless carriage, fire engine, omnibus), King Arthur Carrousel, later the Main Street Cinema and the Sleeping Beauty Castle walkthrough.
- B coupon — the Mad Tea Party, Casey Jr., Dumbo, the Motor Boat Cruise, Frontierland's stage coach and mule pack in the early years, the Autopia for a while.
- C coupon — the Jungle Cruise (originally), Peter Pan's Flight, Mr. Toad, Snow White, the Disneyland Railroad, the Mark Twain, the Skyway.
- D coupon (1956) — added as the park grew: Rainbow Caverns Mine Train, the Columbia, Tom Sawyer Island rafts, the Astro Jets, and later the Submarines.
- E coupon (1959) — the headliners: the Matterhorn, Submarine Voyage, Monorail; then the Enchanted Tiki Room (1963), It's a Small World (1966), Pirates of the Caribbean (1967), the Haunted Mansion (1969), Space Mountain (1977), Big Thunder (1979).
Attractions also moved between letters as the park rebalanced — the Jungle Cruise was bumped up when it added the elephant bathing pool and the "lost safari" in the 1960s. This is why the coupon list printed on a book is such a precise dating tool: two books that look alike may place the same ride on different letters a few years apart.
Dating a ticket book
Collectors date books by several clues at once:
- Cover art and layout — the artwork changed regularly; the castle, the Disneyland "D" logo, and color schemes shift by era.
- Coupon list — the back cover or inside lists which attractions take which coupon. An attraction present (Flying Saucers, 1961–66; Adventure Thru Inner Space, 1967–85) or absent dates the book tightly. See souvenirs of lost attractions.
- Price — printed on the cover: $2.50 books, $4.50, $5.50 and so on, rising through the 1970s.
- Coupon count and tiers — a book with no E coupons is pre-1959 (or a junior/child book).
- Copyright line — "Walt Disney Productions" throughout this era; anything else is a reprint.
- Serial numbers — books and coupons carried serials; patterns help experts place them.
Magic Kingdom (Florida) used the same lettered system from 1971 with its own graphics — don't mix them up. Our WDW 1971 guide covers Florida books.
What's valuable
The market values books on a few axes:
| Factor | Effect |
|---|---|
| Intact vs. used | A complete unused book is the prize; most surviving books are partially used |
| E coupons remaining | The E is the coupon everyone wants; a book with E's left is worth far more |
| Era | 1955–early 60s books lead; 1970s books are common and affordable |
| Condition | Creases, soft covers, torn stubs, writing all matter — see our grading guide |
| Special editions | Courtesy books, Magic Key, employee/VIP, Grad Nite, specific promotions |
| Loose coupons | Single E coupons (and early A–D) sell on their own; an unused 1959 E is a lovely thing |
A realistic picture: a common 1970s book with a few A–C coupons left is an inexpensive, genuine piece of Disneyland — a perfect first purchase. A 1950s book with E's intact is a centerpiece. Everything in between follows the factors above.
Reproductions and traps
Ticket books are reproduced and "completed" often enough that you should check:
- Paper and printing — originals are letterpress/offset on period stock; modern reprints have digital dots and too-white paper. Loupe it. Our reissue guide has the method.
- Perforations — original coupon perfs are crisp and regular; reprints are often slightly off, or cut with a rotary "perf" wheel.
- Married books — loose coupons inserted into a different book's cover. Check serial continuity and staple holes.
- Fantasy "1955 Opening Day" tickets — there are novelty items sold as souvenirs that were never used as admission. Fine as novelties; not original tickets.
Collecting strategies
By era: one representative book per design change — a wonderful way to show the park's evolution on one shelf.
By coupon: an unused example of each letter, A through E.
By attraction: the book whose list includes your favorite ride — a 1967 book for Inner Space, a 1959 for the Matterhorn.
Florida too: pair a Disneyland book with its Magic Kingdom counterpart.
Storage: rigid acid-free sleeves, backing boards, flat, dark, dry. Never tear coupons out; never tape a loose cover. Storage guide here.
The bigger picture
Ticket books are the gateway to the park's paper — guidebooks, fun maps, postcards and brochures that lived in the same glove compartments and shoeboxes. Read on into guidebooks and maps and postcards. And for the history behind the "E," the whole run of The E-Ticket Magazine — and its alphabetical index — is the deepest dive there is.
Main Street Collectibles in Martinez, Georgia keeps Disneyland and Magic Kingdom ticket books in stock across every era, sleeved and honestly described — coupons remaining, condition, the works. They're among the first things new collectors ask for, and among the first things we'd recommend.
✦ Have old ticket books in a drawer? ✦
They're worth more than you think — especially with E coupons left. Send us a photo or bring them to 4070 Washington Rd, Martinez, GA for a free look.