Metrocards Are Easily Transferable Into Memorabilia

The NY Times has an article about a growing number of people who hold onto Metrocards as collectible "miniature works of art." The swipe card-collecting community has formed its own Yahoo! group (60 deep!) and hunts down cards on eBay. A card with an "NYPD" stamp went for $520 and even an expired student Metrocard sold for $20. The city has fueled the industry since Metrocards debuted in 1994, issuing a steady stream of special edition and limited run cards. Harvey Spiller, one of the collectors the Times talked to said, “What is most unique about the cards is that they form a diary of sorts that tells a history of New York City.” Spiller also collects neckties, yellow pencils, and chewing gum from foreign countries.