Token of the Past: How a Small Coin Moved a City
Written by Madison Francis, Marketing Intern
As the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) transitions from MetroCards to One Metro New York (OMNY) cards, do you remember what came before the MetroCard? It was the subway token. Part of the Lott House collection includes the classic Y-shaped token and the Diamond Jubilee token.
In 1966, the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) raised the fare to 15 cents and introduced brass Y-shaped tokens, valid for the subway and bus. New Yorkers embraced the idea of having an official transit currency. The standard size of the token allowed the NYCTA to increase the fare without modifying the equipment. Around this time, the most convenient transportation options for a Lott family member traveling around Brooklyn are the B train, whose current route began in 1967, and the Q train, which started in 1920. Being a 30-minute walk from the King's Highway station, the subway is only accessible by the B100 and B2.
Exhibition of historic turnstiles at the MTA Transit Museum. "NYCS museum turnstiles" by Russell Bernice is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
In 1970, the MTA raised the fare to 30 cents and introduced the large Y-shaped token. The NYCTA claimed they increased the fare to make up for operational deficits, and the surplus could go towards infrastructure repairs. The NYCTA failed to complete the required maintenance, and the fare hike led to a reduction in ridership. The late 70s and early 80s were one of the worst decades for the New York subways. Frequent derailments, car fires, crime, and graffiti plagued the subway. Many residents left the city, and suburban commuters stopped taking the train. Between June 1976 and 1977, ridership decreased by 25 million, continuing an eight-year decline that saw 327 leave the system.
To influence public perception, the MTA introduced the Diamond Jubilee token on its 75th anniversary. In circulation for a year, the token was part of a campaign to remind New Yorkers of the subway's progress. The campaign included fan trips on museum subway cars, educational programs on the subway, and highlighting the subway’s history. The campaign was somewhat effective as it increased ridership by 4%.
In 1982, the MTA launched a capital investment program to address the deterioration of the subway system. The MTA installed AC systems on subways and buses, increased the police presence on platforms, and ran the “We’re Coming Back” ad campaign to show the public how much the subway had improved. In 1989, the capital investment program greatly increased the subways' performance and customer satisfaction.
By 1995, the NYCTA produced three additional token variations after the Diamond Jubilee. Valued at $1.50, the Five Boroughs Pentagram was the last subway token the NYCTA produced.
A New York subway train, R22 series, as it was typical for the late 1970s. The graffiti-piece is by DONDI, a famous graffiti artist. "NYCS tagged IRT train" by JJ & Special K is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Of the six token variations, the Y-cut token was a fan favorite, while the Five Boroughs Pentagram token was the least liked. New Yorkers felt that the Y token best represented New York, as it was convenient for those in a rush, with a center cut-out that made it easy to identify the coins by touch. They associated the Five Boroughs Pentagram token with Washington, D.C., because the cutout was generic and resembled a pentagon. Although the final subway token was not as popular as the previous versions, the tokens were great for combating fare evasion. The tokens were slightly magnetic, making any imitations unusable. The Five Boroughs Pentagram was the only NYCTA token that was never successfully counterfeited.8
The MTA introduced MetroCards in 1994 and phased out the subway token.. It was not till 1997 that New Yorkers could make free transfers from non-connecting bus and subway lines. In 2003, MetroCards had officially taken over as subway currency. Now, OMNY cards are replacing MetroCards. December 31, 2025, is the final day for Metrocard sales and distribution. MetroCards will remain a valid form of transit payment through 2026. The MTA will announce the official acceptance date at a later time.
The subway token is one of many items preserved at the Lott House. Each item allows us to interpret the past and recognize events that have shaped our present day.
Are you ready for the OMNY card to take over the transit system?
Work Cited
Carlson, Jen. 2022. “A Brief History Of How New Yorkers Have Paid For The Subway.” Gothamist. https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/brief-history-how-new-yorkers-have-paid-subway.
DeCesare, Jason R., Richard Weil, David Pirmann, and Frank D'Alessandro. n.d. “New York City Subway Tokens.” nycsubway.org. Accessed June 27, 2025. https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/New_York_City_Subway_Tokens.
Feinman, Mark S. 2002. “The New York Transit Authority in the 1970s.” nycsubway.org. https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/The_New_York_Transit_Authority_in_the_1970s.
Friia, John. 2024. “NYC Subway Token Makes a Nostalgic Comeback.” amNewYork. https://www.amny.com/nyc-transit/what-happened-here-in-new-york-the-token-rolls-out/.
Goldberger, Paul. 1995. “The New Token: An Icon Gone Generic;Design Lacks the Brass Of Its Predecessors.” The New York Times.
Seaman, Mark, Allison LC de Cerreño, and Seth English-Young. "From Rescue to Renaissance: The Achievements of the MTA Capital Program 1982-2004." (2004).
“MTA to Sunset MetroCard Sales at End of the Year.” 2025. MTA. https://www.mta.info/press-release/mta-sunset-metrocard-sales-end-of-year.
