Documented here are two perforated admission coupons from the 1948 Democratic National Convention, convened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the month of July. The upper coupon provided admittance to the SECOND SESSION, while the lower granted access to the FIRST SESSION, both explicitly designated for the THIRD DAY ONLY of the convention. The printed inscription THIS COUPON ADMITS BEARER but is NOT GOOD UNLESS ATTACHED TO TICKET suggests these coupons were originally part of a larger, comprehensive ticket booklet.
The 1948 convention, held at Philadelphia Convention Hall, culminated in the nomination of President Harry S. Truman and Senator Alben W. Barkley as the Democratic Party's candidates. The E.A. Wright Bank Note Company of Philadelphia, a reputable firm specializing in security printing and known for its production of currency and official documents, printed the coupons. The design features a straightforward typographic arrangement, employing a sans-serif font for emphasis and a simple ruled border framing the session and day details.
These detached coupons represent a form of political ephemera associated with a major party nominating event in the post-World War II period. Their survival provides evidence of the logistical procedures governing access to the convention floor, embodying a time-sensitive credential from the 1948 election cycle.