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A time capsule set to be loaded with items from all 50 states before its July 4 burial was unveiled this week and New Yorkers have a cornucopia of creative — and retro — ideas of how they’d want the Empire State represented.
Once buried, the cylindrical, three-layer pod commemorating the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding will remain underground, near Independence Hall in Philadelphia, until the year 2276.
America250 organizers have allotted one archival box for New York — with space at a premium inside the 3-foot-by-2-foot vessel.
“Subway tokens would absolutely be a symbol of New York,” Carol Gil, a retired administrative assistant and Upper East Side resident, said Thursday.
Gil seemed nostalgic for the brass tokens that were phased out more than 20 years ago, describing the coin as “better than a MetroCard,” which would also easily fit inside the cozy capsule.
“I often wish I had a token, and often I think maybe someday, if I have grandkids, when they’re my age, they might be worth something,” Gil said.
Jack Alexander Ousmanov, a 26-year-old Upper West Sider and entrepreneur, suggested including a model of France’s famous centennial gift to America.
“I would suggest placing in a figurine of the Statue of Liberty to signify the immigration of the native people to New York and their part in building this beautiful industrial complex we get to enjoy today,” Ousmanov said.
Victor Vora, a 42-year-old small business owner and Brooklyn native, had caffeine and catching a ride on his mind.
“Maybe one of those classic, like hot dog stand coffee cups,” Vora said. “You know, the blue ones that aren’t even around as much anymore, but those classic coffee cups off a stand.”
“Maybe even a mock taxi medallion,” he added.
Stephen Schlesinger, 85, had other ideas.
“It has to be an award or something like that,” Schlesinger said.
“A medal of honor, a New York Medal of Honor, from [Zohran] Mamdani to Donald Trump,” the longtime art gallery director joked.
“How about a picture of a spectacular building?” Schlesinger also suggested. “The new JP Morgan Building. That’s a masterpiece of technology.”
Commissions in each of the 56 states, districts and territories participating in America250 are responsible for selecting their items for the time capsule.
The states have been given guidance on the kinds of paper, ink and nonreactive material — like stainless steel, glass, or ceramics — that will be able to survive being underground for 250 years and won’t interact with other material inside the capsule.
States are in the process of selecting items that “reflect their history, culture, and contributions … within the size parameters provided for inclusion,” according to America250.
Reps for the New York State Two Hundred Fiftieth Commemoration Commission – tasked with picking items for the Empire State – did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
America250, which is organizing a swath of events to commemorate the nation’s semiquincentennial, expects to receive time capsule submissions from the states by April 30 and will reveal them closer to the burial.
“This is truly America’s Time Capsule,” said Rosie Rios, the chair of America250.
“Congress called on us to create a lasting marker of this milestone, and we have worked with the country’s leading scientific and preservation experts to do so thoughtfully and responsibly,” Rios continued. “When it is opened in 2276, we want future generations to have a clear, authentic window into who we were at 250 – what we valued, what we built, and how we saw ourselves as a nation.”
Among the items that have been selected for inclusion are a coin used for the pregame toss during a NFL playoff game, items from the 2026 Rose Parade, and a handheld American flag.
Contributions from all three branches of the federal government will also be encased in the vessel, which was built by engineers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and specifically designed to keep water – which ruins the contents of most time capsules – out.
The capsule will lie adjacent to a new “Join, or Die” snake sculpture, referring to a famous cartoon published in 1754 by Benjamin Franklin that later became a symbol of colonial unity during the Revolutionary War, at the Independence National Historical Park.
English (US)