2010.29.1B
9 (A-I) Northern California public transportation tokens. A-C: gold/brass colored circular tokens with a capital lettered "S" and "F" punched out in the center. Along the rim of the face of the token are the words "Municipal Railway" and along the rim of the reverse are the words "One Fare San Francisco." D: silver colored circular token with two wedges punched out of the center in an arch shape. The front of the token has the words "Good For One Fare San Francisco." The reverse side has "Samuel Kahn" in cursive and "President" in block letters beneath Kahn's name. Below that, along the curve, is "Market St. Ry. Co." E: One brass colored round token with a heart shaped hole punched out of it's center. The punched out heart is within a larger heart which is within a circle. Along the border on the face of the token in capital block letters are the words "Sacramento City Lines" with a diamond shape on the bottom of the border. On the border on the reverse side of the token ate the words "Good For" at the top of the token and "One Fare" at the bottom of the token. F: One silver colored round token with two half moon shapes cut out of the center of the token so that a horizontal strip of metal runs the center of the token. In capital block letters along the center horizontal strip is the word "TRANSIT," along the upper curve are the words "EAST BAY" and on the lower curve is the word "COMPANY." Each of the words along the curves have a square on either side of the word. On the reverse side of the token are the words "GOOD FOR" along the top curve, "ONE" along the horizontal, and "FARE" along the bottom curve with a square on either side of the words on the curve. G: One brass colored round token with four spaces punched out of the center to have a capital "K" in the center. In capital block letters around the circle around the "k" are the words "GOOD FOR ONE" along the top and "LOCAL FARE" along the bottom. On the other side of the token are the words "KEY SYSTEM" along the top and "OAKLAND" along the bottom of the "K." H-I: Two brass colored circular tokens with a capital "K" in the center with a circle around it. Along the top of the outer circle in capital block letters are the words "KEY SYSTEM OAKLAND" and the date "1945" is along the bottom. On the reverse side of the token are the words "GOOD FOR ONE" along the top of the circle and "LOCAL FARE" along the bottom of the circle.
Curator Inez Brooks-Meyers dates tokens A-E and G as 1940-1945 because of the cut out shapes on the tokens, which is an earlier technology. H and I, the two solid key system tokens are 1945 and later. According to a newspaper clipping on January 1, 1942, the East Bay Transit Company merged into the Key System so "F" is most likely 1940-1942 unless the East Bay Transit Company tokens were used for awhile on the Key System.
Used: California | San Francisco Bay Area | East Bay | San Francisco | Oakland | Sacramento
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