A piece of New York City history is going to the highest bidder. The colorful metal MetroCard Vending Machines were first installed in 1999, and revolutionized how people took the subway.
Now that the subway is a tap-and-go system, New York City Transit is auctioning off a limited number of these 1,050-pound machines, as well as the smaller, 210-pound Express Machines.
Officials are not saying how many are up for grabs, but Wednesday is the last day to submit a bid.
“I would probably bid a bit on this,” Stanton Gilbertson said. “For a man cave idea, probably 30 bucks, 50 bucks. It’s a cool collector’s item. I feel like we are running out of those nostalgic things where it is actually physical. Now everything is tap these days.”
There is an online form to fill out, and the minimum bid is $1,500.
Before submitting a bid, you have to confirm you can pick it up within 10 days, confirm you can submit a payment on the day you are notified, and complete all the required forms.
Based on those NY1 talked with Wednesday, the machines may not prove as popular at auction as when they pushed out MetroCards.
Some New Yorkers said the machines should be in a museum, while others questioned why they would want something that takes up so much space.
The electronic and payment processing components have been removed from the machines.
There are also accessories being sold separately and available for purchase, including a roll of 750 single-use MetroCards for $250, the audio braille sign for MetroCard Express Machines for $100 and a circuit board assembly for $275.