LA Metro's tokens didn't last as long as some of the bigger systems — under three decades, compared to the 50-year runs of places like New York and Chicago — but they still carried riders through the birth of the county's modern subway system before TAP cards took over. In circulation from the early 1990s until 2019, they predate the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) itself, which formed in 1993 from the merger of two older transit agencies.

The end came gradually, not all at once. Metro spent 18 months phasing tokens out in favor of the TAP card before finally pulling the plug — Friday, November 29, 2019 was the last day tokens were accepted anywhere on the system. Riders with leftover tokens couldn't get a refund, only one final ride loaded onto a TAP card.

These cufflinks are made from the real thing, genuine LA Metro tokens, soldered to the cufflink backs, not glued.

A great gift for the Angeleno in your life, the transit history buff, or anyone who rode the Red Line before it was cool.