Even if you can’t make it to Washington, DC for the inauguration of Barack Obama as America’s 44th president, you can still get a piece of the history with a commemorative DC Metro SmarTrip Card. The cards work like standard SmarTrip cards, but they available for a limited. The cards also feature a full-color photo of Barack Obama.

If you’re in the DC Metro area, you can buy a commemorative card from Metro Center (Red Line). You can also purchase them from anywhere in world online at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) website. As of 2008, a standard card with $5.00 in funds cost $10.00. However, a commemorative card with no funds costs $10, and a commemorative card with $10 in funds costs $20. One day passes (paper metro passes with a magnetic strip) are $10 and can be used for a full day of unlimited travel.

Here is a description of the commemorative SmarTrip card from the WMATA:

Obama Commemorative SmarTrip® Card - Without Value
A permanent, rechargeable Limited-Edition farecard to commemorate the Inauguration of Barack Obama. It works just like a regular SmarTrip® Card that can hold up to $300 in value to pay for fares on Metrorail and Metrobus and for parking fees at Metro-operated parking facilities. The card costs $10 and it comes with no value on the card. Value must be added to the card before use. Value can be added at any Metrorail station, at the farebox on any Metrobus and on all regional bus systems. Available for sale only while supplies last.

Here is a description of the commemorative one-day pass from the WMATA:

Obama Commemorative One-Day Pass
Valid for one day of unlimited Metrorail travel on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009. Also valid for one day of unlimited Metrorail travel on weekdays after 9:30 a.m. or all day on Saturdays, Sundays or federal holidays. The pass expires at midnight on the day of use (or 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights).