If you decide to order, a number of phonecard dealers are selling the catalog, including:
"Money cards have the utility of cash, the beauty of postage stamps and the tradeability of trading cards," said Murray Church, publisher of MoneyCard Collector, a monthly publication on the subject.
"The contemporary nature of the collectible is attracting people to it. It has been called the first collectible of the information age."
There are an estimated 2 million collectors worldwide, mostly in Japan, Germany and German-speaking Europe, Church said. There are 20,000 to 50,000 U.S. collectors, and the dealer count is growing, helping to sustain the cards' value.
While most most phone cards don't have a strong secondary market potential, the value of rarer cards has skyrocketed.
The most valuable U.S. card to date is worth $5,500, Church said. The AT&T ``IlliCall TeleTicket'' card was worth just 50 minutes of phone time when issued in December 1993.
The first U.S. prepaid phone card, issued for the Intelexpo in Washington, D.C. in 1985 has a market value of $1,325. It was originally worth 120 minutes of phone time.
Among the rarest cards are those made by Michigan Bell in 1987 for use with test payphones at the University of Michigan. The 40-cent cards, which were given away, now cost $3,000 to $4,000. It helps that Michigan Bell, a then-household name, doesn't exist anymore.
While prepaid phone cards are the most common and favorite among collectors, a new version of plastic poised to make society even more cashless could be the next wave in the hobby. The ``smart card'' with an embedded computer chip rolls all the functions of the credit, debit and prepaid card in one and can even contain insurance, medical and other data.
The first chip-based U.S. card issued for use at the 1992 annual MAC Conference is now worth $750.
As Visa, MasterCard and banks test ``smart cards'' in various parts of the country, it may be worth keeping them as potentially valuable relics of the new technology.
However, there is no guarantee that prices will go up. For instance, leftover smart cards used at the Olympic Games in Atlanta were sold by the issuers after they had expired.
``Whenever you do that you destroy the value of anything,'' said Luis Vigdor of Powell Associates, a dealer in New York (212-332-8105). ``We sold 19 (Atlanta Olympics) cards for $60.''
By all accounts, it's a good time to jump into the hobby.
``This hobby is not in a slump, but it has reached a saturation point. It's going through a process of consolidation, then slow and steady growth'' after a red-hot beginning in the United States around 1992, Vigdor said.
``Prices have dropped. The best example is a card for the New York Democratic convention in 1992. At one point it was worth $1,700. Today it's $200.'' The card was originally given away to convention delegates.
Dealers blame the market's downfall on greedy issuers who keep churning out cards, hoping that buyers will keep paying for phone time that they will not use immediately, if at all.
While the use of money cards is growing, the market for collectible cards is ``sedate,'' at least for now, Powell said.
In an attempt to bring order to the unwieldy market, MoneyCard Collector last week published a Catalog of U.S. & Canadian Prepaid Phone, Cash & Transit Cards. The 872-page catalog lists thousands of cards, with color photos, and costs $34.95. (To order, call 800-645-7456 or e-mail (terris''at''amospress.com) using the ``at'' sign.)
Prospective buyers should choose a specialty, figure out which cards are the hardest to get and start looking for them right away, Church advised. Since the number of collectors is bound to grow, ``the early bird catches the card,'' he said.
``Look especially for large companies that are being acquired. Nynex, PacBell won't exist anymore. They will be very historical,'' added Vigdor.
``If LDDS (now WorldCom Inc.) buys MCI, it would become the second-largest long-distance company in the world. Ten years ago LDDS was nobody. Anything LDDS issued when it started out will be real super,'' he said.
At the 26th annual Kodak Albuquerque International Balloon Festival held this last week in Albuquerque New Mexico, phonecard collecting got a great amount of exposure.
There was a large white tent devoted strictly to selling phonecards at the festival. It was located as the first concession in the souvenir and food line stands. There were a series of, I believe, 6 cards authorized by festival officials. Also there were various methods of display from folders to a series of cards sold in a "watch box". One card (the mass ascension one) was especially unique in that it had a small hole in the phone card and a balloon pin was inserted in hole. The balloon pin covered the same balloon shown on the card. Balloonists are great pin collectors.
Most locals and visitors from other states did not seem to understand what a phonecard was all about Those operating the stand spent most of their time explaining the cards. However most of the foreign visitors seemed to be buying, especially the British and the Italian.
Also there is a large launch control tower in the center of the balloon park that would "make a pitch" for phonecards about once an hour. It was aimed at the collector but it was also mentioned that one could make a phone call with the card.
The festival draws about 1.6 million visitors during its 9 day run and all had to pass by the stand .(Note the population of the state of New Mexico is only 1.5 million).
I did not have time to purchase any cards, but I believe the cost of the 6 cards was under forty dollars. You can obtain more information by contacting:
Derrich Pollack COO
510 S. Congress, Suite 101
Austin, TX 78704
Phone: 512-474-5953
Fax: 512-474-5895
The first-of-its-kind combination of prepaid gasoline and phone cards expands the options for consumers to use just one prepaid transaction card to purchase gasoline, services and merchandise at Mobil service stations, and long distance telephone services from MCI from any phone in the country. The test will begin Oct. 10.
The test will be conducted through Mobil service stations operated by Wallace Oil, Mobil's gasoline distributor in the St. Louis area.
The "Mobil/MCI GO Card" will be sold in denominations of $10, $25, $50 and $100. The card is "rechargeable" by calling a toll-free number -- 1/800/730-8646.
Customers may use the Mobil-MCI GO Card in Mobil's customer- activated gasoline pumps or present it to the station attendant for payment of purchases. Cardholders can use the MCI feature to make prepaid domestic long distance telephone calls at predetermined rates of 25 cents per minute. Calls can be made from any phone -- public or private, touch tone or rotary.
Each time a GO Card is used for calling, the cardholder will hear the balance-of-call minutes remaining before entering a telephone number. After a call is completed the appropriate number of units is automatically subtracted from the previous balance.
"Our customers continue to ask for payment options," said Len Eason, manager of Mobil's Card Business. "We have further enhanced the prepaid convenience of the Mobil GO Card with a premier long distance telecommunications partner -- MCI."
"The concept of prepaid cards originally started with long distance calling several years ago, but with the introduction of the GO Card, Mobil is taking the stored value concept into a much broader consumer market," said Jeff Lindauer, general manager, MCI PrePaid. "We expect that the test market results will be a springboard to expand the program nationally, as well as add more capabilities, value and convenience for customers."
MCI and Mobil have jointly offered several prepaid calling products over the past year. In July 1996, the companies introduced the MCI/Mobil Prepaid card which is sold in more than 2,000 Mobil-branded stations. The stations have also offered various specialty lines from MCI PrePaid.
Like other prepaid or declining-balance formats, such as subway fare cards and tollway passes, the Mobil GO Card has been popular with travelers who do not wish to carry extra cash or credit cards.
"GO Cards have also been a hit with parents who want to help budget their teenagers' expenses for items like gasoline," said Mobil's Eason. "GO Cards have also proven popular as Christmas and birthday gifts, employee incentives, and as a promotional item with all types of businesses."
The long-awaited chip/debit/ATM cards have finally arrived in New York City. I was planning to write to Citibank and request in on the program, but they sent me one today anyway. The cards look like regular Citibank ATM cards, with the exception of a small silver chip. (I am speaking from the Visa/Citibank point of view, since I don't plan on seeing the Mastercard/Chase cards anytime soon.) Anyway, the program is just launching on the Upper West Side (60 to 96 Streets), and it looks like a ton of merchants are participating in the trial.
As an added bonus, if you take your chip card in to a participating Citibank or retailer with a Citibank kiosk, you will be helped loading value onto your chip, and you will get $5 (and up to $25) free as a trial (up to November 15th). I assume they will be doing some sort of random "drawing" where the majority of participants will get $5 free, and some lucky people will get $10 or $25. They also sent out this cool chip-reader keychain, which you can carry around, and can be used to display the amount on your chip, and even your last ten transactions!! In addition, you can call to order a transfer unit which you can use to add value to your chip over the phone at home or at work. It costs $10 I think.
The only negative thing is that I hear they will charge for the privilege of using the chip in the future, but as of now, there is no indication on how much that will be. Oh, and I almost forgot, people who aren't patrons of Citibank or Chase can buy stored-value cards for use during the trial period. For more information, you can also check out their website (including a list of participating merchants) at:
http://www.citibank.com/chipcard
From: Jaclyn Hartzell
"Collectible and useful, Dali's surreal instrument of communication goes practical as a phone card. Save up to 50% on your surreal long-distance phone calls and support the museum and its educational programming with this limited edition card of 5000. Arrives at your house complete with 20 minutes prepaid. Renewable. For use only in United States" $10
There is a picture of a lobster on top of a telephone. Both are a pale green color. To order a catalog call 1-800-442-DALI. They have an Internet site but are not showing the phone card. http://www.Daliweb.com
From: Laura Mann
Until Next Week,
Alan
2) Direct e-mail. Send a message to: phoneline@cardmall.com
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