Example in NYT paper of how Penn conductors used hole punching
The Washington Post (1877-1922); Washington, D.C.. 22 Aug 1890: 4.
The Washington Post (1877-1922); Washington, D.C.. 21 Feb 1897: 20.
cientific American (1845-1908)
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; New York Vol. VOL. VI., Iss. NO. 19., (May 10, 1862): 296.
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As of this date, conductors were using stamps to record information on tickets. and it seemed like common practice.
WILY TRAVELERS CHECKMATED.: GENERAL PASSENGER AGENT MEEKER'S NEW ORDER--PUNCHING THE TICKETS OF THE NEW-YORK CENTRAL RAILROAD.
New York Times (1857-1922); New York, N.Y.. 15 Dec 1877: 3.
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this article says
"The first recorded patents for a paper hole puncher was published in 1885, when a man named Benjamin Smith invented spring-loaded hole puncher that had a receptacle to collect those little clips — Smith called it the “conductor’s punch”. A later paper punch was patented in 1893 by Charles Brooks, and that one was referred to as a ticket punch.
Google gives the honours of having invented the paper punch to the Germans, however. Friedrich Soennecken made his patent for a paper punch device in November 1886.
That the American patents were referred to as “conductor’s punch” and “ticket punch” may be no coincidence. Between 1850 and 1900, rails became increasingly popular as a means for passenger and commercial travel, and re-imagining the possibilities of the future of the world."
but i have clearly found evidence of earlier use-cases of punching tickets