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POSTER: $100 Currency $65
Through
passenger traffic on the Central Pacific was predominately westbound as
travelers came west to San Francisco the focal point for people destined
to other places on the Pacific Coast. In an effort to balance traffic
loading, bargain rates were offered eastbound passengers. Second-class
tickets were $100 for the trip to New York but if time was not important,
the more patient traveler could pocket a savings of $35. (Westbound
traffic continued to grow at a faster pace than eastbound traffic for several
years, notwithstanding the bargain rates.)
The word "currency" at the top of
the poster was not without significance. At that time coin (gold)
commanded a premium over currency and prices were frequently quoted in
"coin" or "currency" as the case might be. Central Pacific accounts
were segregated between the two forms of monetary exchange. Nearly
all of the railroad operating expenses were settled in coin while revenues
included a substantial amount of currency. Separate accounts were
maintained through 1878.
This is Number Two of twelve Keepsakes issued during 1969 to its members by The Book Club of California in commemoration of the centennial of the transcontinental railroad. The series has been edited by David F. Myrick and designed and printed by Lawton and Alfred Kennedy.
Courtesy The Book Club of California.