Collecting Transportation Tokens

Transportation tokens, sometimes called TransitJohn M. Coffee and Harold V. Ford. Their catalogs
tokens or Bus tokens, are tokens made for anare published by the American Vecturist
operator of a transportation facility. They wereAssociation (AVA). Their most recent catalog is
used with his authority on his facility for personaltitled Catalog of United States and Canadian
transport or passage. They include tokens usedTransportation Tokens and was published in 1997.
mainly on buses and streetcars to accepted asThe catalog contains detailed description with retail
payment for one fare, one half fare or oneprices for each token. The book is the 5th edition,
student fare. Toll roads, bridges, amusement rideshardbound, 870 pages and usually retails for about
and ferries also used tokens and they fall under$48.00.
the transportation token category. The majorityLooking for something interesting to collect and
of these tokens are 16mm or 23mm and haddon't have a lot of cash then try transportation
three main types of buses pictured. The old bustokens. Most regular issue transportation tokens
type with the protruding front first appeared inare common and priced very low. You could
1924. A second type appeared in 1936 and byassemble thousands of different tokens for less
1952 a third type closely resembled a Greyhoundthan $1.00 each. These tokens can be collected
bus. Many other tokens had the name of theby type or by state and can be enjoyed by both
transportation company, city and state on them.young and old. The history and availability of these
Many did not have the city and state, so atokens make them very popular as a collectible.
catalog is needed to identify there location.The best place to purchase transportation tokens
More than 12,000 different United Statesand the catalog mentioned above is eBay.
Transportation tokens have been catalogued by