The first known
tickets were used in the Greek period, they were using tickets for events, like theaters. A ticket is a voucher to indicate that one has paid for admission to a theatre, movie theater, amusement park, zoo, museum, concert, or other attraction, or permission to travel on an airplane, public transit, boat trip, etc., typically because one has paid the fare.
A ticket may be bought at a ticket window or counter, also called box office (this term is also used for the total receipts). The ticket check may be there, or it may be separate.
Where applicable, a ticket may be for an arbitrary seat ("free seating") or for a specific one. Sometimes, e.g. for some train journeys, one can either just buy a ticket, or also a seat reservation. A ticket to the 2003 Rugby
World Cup sporting event. The black ball in the top centre is a hologram, used to prevent counterfeiting
Paper is generally used, although plastic may be used instead for durability. Some have a barcode or magnetic stripe for keeping simple data stored on them, higher end ones use chips to store more data and prevent counterfeiting.
Counterfeit tickets are a problem at high-priced concerts and other events, so holograms are used on tickets for the Olympic Games, Super Bowl, World Cups and other high-profile events.
No tickets are needed in the case of voluntary contributions, e.g. after a street performance; in fact, a ticket system is often neither practical nor legal in such a case.
Free tickets are applied in virtual queueing. In a place where one has to wait one's turn, there may be the system that one takes a ticket with a number from a machine. It applies at the doctor/hospital, and at offices where many people visit, like the town hall, social security office, labor exchange, or post office.
