“From the inauguration of IRT subway services in 1904 until the unified system of 1948 (including predecessor BMT and IND subway services), the fare for a ride on the subway of any length was 5 cents ($.05 in 1904 equivalent to $1.51 in 2021; $.05 in 1948 equivalent to $0.56 in 2021). … For the most part, token models were changed periodically as prices changed, but not always. The first token change occurred in 1953, but this change did not to reflect a change in fare cost. The NYCTA’s original design as proposed on July 25, 1953, for the 15 cent fare raise was the 16mm ‘Small Y Cutout’ token. However, due to the time the NYCTA actually received approval for a fare hike on June 14, it left them short of time ordering the tokens. … Due to the pressing need to get a token into service, the NYCTA…