100 years Wildlife Conservation Society founded in 1895 as the New York zoological society: visit the Bronx Zoo – it’s closer than you think! That is full description of this metrocard issued in 1995 with circulation of 20,000.

Wildlife Conservation Society

Radio City Music hall was issued in 1995 with circulation of 20,000. This card has 2 different types. One card has caption: ‘New York Landmark Grand Tour: (212) 632-4041′, another one has caption: ‘Grand Tour Behind the Scenes: (212) 632-4041′. Is is unknown to me if that circulation is for both cards.

Radio City Music Hall 1st version

Radio City Music Hall 2nd version

Queens Unisphere was made in 1995 with circulation of 20,000 and is another card featuring New York city landmarks.

Queens Unisphere

Brooklyn Bridge metrocard issued in 1995 with circulation of 20,000 is another fine example of earlier efforts of MTA to promote New York city landmarks.

Brooklyn Bridge

Claes Oldenburg: An Anthology at Guggenheim Museum was issued in 1995 and had circulation of 20,000, there are cards with different date of expiration exist.

Claes Oldenburg

Staten Island Snug Harbor Cultural Center metrocard was issued in 1995 and had circulation of 20,000. This one of the earlier metrocards which actually promoted New York city. There are at least 2 different expiration dates known for this card and matching leaflet.

Snug Harbor

New York Times metrocard was enclosed in specially designed envelope and into some newspaper distributed across New York city. Official circulation is 1,000. That is the main reason this card is so rare. In addition, most customers who found that card inside newspaper used fare encoded into metrocard and through it into garbage adding to initial shortage of cards. At the same time, there are known cards with different expiration dates which add doubts that actual circulation was just a thousand cards, it could be more than that. Metrocard was inserted into special envelope that could be used to send request for subscription.

New York Times

Smokey Joe’s Cafe is musical which was running in 1995 in Virginia Theater on Broadway. Card had circulation of 20,000. There are at least 2 known expiration dates: one ends in 1996 and another in 1997 and matching leaflet which if presented into Sam Goody music store could give you a $5.00 off while buying original recording of this musical. That is the first known cross promotion used with metrocard.

Smokey Joe’s Cafe

Ringling Brothers circus set contains of 4 metrocards each issued and sold separately and was made to commemorate 125th anniversary of establishment of the circus. All cards have the same initial circulation of 20,000. Unknown number of one particular card (tiger) was given away at on of the circus performances at Madison Square Garden and most of those cards were lost in the process. That is the reason for that card to be more rare than other cards of the set.

It is known that the same cards were issued with different expiration dates.

Anita Baker metrocard was issued in 1995 and number of metrocards in circulation is 24,000.

This card features “Rhythm of love” CD cover.

Anita Baker