June 8, 1996
Issue 36
Phonecards On-Line is written and distributed by Alan Cohen
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News and Views
Administrative Notes
This newsletter is now pushing the 900 mark! It will hit 1,000 sometime this
summer. When I started it last fall, I never expected to have 1,000
subscribers so soon, if ever. On other fronts, there will be no newsletter the
week of June 29 - I will be in Los Angeles at the National Sportscard
Convention. Publication will resume July 6 and July 13, with another week
off July 20 (I'll be moving across the country then) If you e-mail me and get
no response, it does not mean I am not reading e-mail. It means I am busy
packing!
Miami Show
As I am writing this, a large trade show is occurring in Miami. I hope to have
more news about the show next week. There is some big news in the next
story.
USTA = ITA
The United States Telecard Association is no more - Well, in name only. It
was recently decided to change the name of the organization to ITA -
International Telecard Association. One reason may be that they can not go
by USTA, as that is a trademarked name (United States Tennis Association)
A press release should be available soon to clear up any confusion. The news
item I saw mentioned a focus on collectors, and sponsoring a low table cost
collector show - Bravo! I think the recent talk and formation of the IPC
(International Phonecard Collectors) group has pushed the USTA now ITA
to focus on collectors, dealers, and small issuers.
USTA/ITA Phonecards
If you are interested in joining the ITA, collector memberships are available
for $30 - According to Howard Segermark, Executive Director, you'll
receive two phonecards for joining. The 1995 card and 1996 card. You can
e-mail Howard at 76135.1004@compuserve.com for more information.
McDonald's Chip Card
I recently received an interesting McDonalds card from Canada. For those
with web access, a picture of it is available there. There are 5,000 available,
and you can order it from Ben's Phonecards (Specializing in Canadian
Phonecards) by e-mailing Ben at benosato@idirect.com
Showtime / TV Guide Offer
My wife located the original TV Guide Lazarus phonecard contest. Ever
since then, she has enthusiastically gone through every page of the TV Guide
to check for new offers (Funny since we originally subscribed to TV Guide
to get a free phonecard) Well, she found another contest - This involves
Showtime's Free Preview Weekend this weekend! A game card is inserted in
the TV guide. The contest will take place at 7:55 PM Friday, Saturday and
Sunday evenings. You can get additional pieces by ordering Domino's Pizza.
Where do phonecards come in? 2,000 second place winners will receive a 20
minute Showtime Phonecard! You can check out their web site at
http://www.showtimeonline.com
Phonecards out West
My recent trip out west was successful for me to find a place to live, but I
did not go on an active phonecard purchasing trip. I did pay attention to
cards and buy some. The first place I noticed a card was a vending machine
at Los Angeles International Airport. The card has a face value of $20, and
has the AT&T logo on it. I purchased two of them. Unfortunately (and not
unexpectedly) the phone cost per minute is quite high, 33 minutes for $20
(ouch!)
In Las Vegas, I was able to go to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and
purchase cards at face value ($10) I have yet to use one of these cards, so I
do not know the rate per minute. What's interesting about this is that Hard
Rock still sells the first edition card. There is a mintage of 2500. Since I was
able to purchase the card eight months ago, it tells me that sales are not
going very well. This is disturbing, since the card is prominently displayed at
the gift shop.
Other places that sold phonecards - Hotel gift shops, and the Newark
Airport. I'll have a full report from the 17th Annual National Sportscard
Convention later this month.
That's all for now, have a great week!
Until Next week, Happy Collecting,
Alan
Distribution
Phonecards On-Line is written and distributed by Alan Cohen. It is a weekly
newsletter devoted to phonecards - Current news, viewpoints, and reviews of
new issues. It is distributed free of charge, and available two ways.
1) On-Line on the World Wide Web. The address is:
http://www.cardmall.com
2) Direct e-mail. Send a message to: phoneline@cardmall.com
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