Shanghai metro souvenir tickets sells off in hour

Souvenir tickets commemorating theinauguration of Shanghai Metro Line 1,which was issued in 1995. (Photo: Shanghai Daily/Ma Yue)

Collectors lapped up 1,200 Metro souvenir tickets within an hour after they were put up on sale online yesterday.

The tickets are collectors' items and hold same value like stamps, old editions of banknotes and coins. Their value can double or soar as much as 10 times in the resale market.

Shanghai Shentong Metro Assets Management Co Ltd, a unit of Metro operator Shanghai Shentong Group, issued the cards yesterday for the first time through its online platform — "China Metro Card" — on taobao.com.

The 1,200 tickets, which also carried ads for the movie "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb," were sold out in an hour after sales kicked off at 9am, a staff member of the online website said.

The souvenir tickets were priced at 15 yuan (US$2.4) — the highest fare in the Metro network in Shanghai. The ticket allows for a one-way ride and passengers can keep the cards as souvenirs.

Souvenir tickets are issued every month featuring various themes like zodiac, movies, pictures of tourist spots, or special activities or festivals. They were sold at the People's Square Station since 2012. There would be long queues every time a new series was issued.

Yesterday was the first time it was made available online.

"Most buyers keep the tickets out of interest," said Zhao Yanjun, a shop owner who sells coins and souvenir cards on Jumen Road. Zhao buys the Metro souvenir tickets also and resells them at a higher price.

Zhao told Shanghai Daily that most of his customers were elderly people. There are few "investors" who buy rare or old editions and hope to profit later when their market value appreciates. Tickets featuring zodiac and classic books are usually the most in demand.

Zhao's favorite collection is a 14-piece souvenir ticket series commemorating the inauguration of Shanghai Metro Line 1, which was issued in 1995.

"It cost me 120 yuan then. It can now fetch me over 300 yuan now in the market," Zhao said. "The rarer the series, the higher its value."