stamps & tokens was Low res. movies

I'm collecting phrases that have died in my lifetime, such as "that and a token will get you on the subway". The NYC busses and subway eliminated tokens for a magstripe farecard with a dollar value, but the value is NOT printed on the card (as with the Washington DC Metro system) so it's useless as barter. And since the value is in money instead of number of fares, fare increases don't make the card more valuable. (but the Metrocards are now accepted on the PATH trains too: no need for 2 incompatible fare cards).

Tokens have been almost totally eliminated: even washing machines now use pre-paid cards instead of coins. Highways and bridges that used tokens now use wireless fare systems (SunPbutt is the Florida Department of Transportation's Prepaid Toll Program).

When tokens were used, token hoarding was thwarted by - limiting the number of tokens you can buy when a fare increase was soon - sometimes changing the design to invalidate the old tokens (and reduce the use of slugs)

The United States Postal Service has an interesting history regarding stamps - they NEVER expire - no live person may appear on coins or stamps - all stamps have a monetary value, even the non-denominational make-up (A-H) and bulk-mail stamps.

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-- mejeep deMeep ferret!