More than 30 years after New York City switched from tokens to the magnetic swipe of a MetroCard to ride its subways and buses, the card's era is about to end.

When the MetroCard replaced the New York City subway token in 1994, the swipeable plastic card infused much-needed modernity into one of the world’s oldest and largest transit systems. Now, more than three decades later, the gold-hued fare card and its notoriously finicky magnetic strip are following the token into retirement.