Phonecards On-Line - Published by Alan H. Cohen

February 21, 1999


Issue 162


Phonecards On-Line is Published by Alan Cohen


Return to POL Index

In This Issue:

Check out the latest phonecard auctions on Ebay. Visit Ebay at: http://www.cardmall.com/ebay

Advertisement:
Welcome to our Inventory Clearance Sale. The more you buy, the more you save. View our web site ( http://www.ipce.com ) to see the entire list or to view cards by theme (Coca-Cola, Disney, Sports, etc.)

Cards listed are available now, and as cards sell out, they will be removed from the list. Sale ends February 28, 1999.

Here is the discount schedule:

For example, a $250 order would cost $200. A $400 order would cost $280.

For easy ordering, use the order form at our web site ( http://www.ipce.com ). We will calculate the discount from list prices for you. U.S.A. shipping is $3 for orders up to $100; $6 for orders greater than $100. Overseas shipping is $6 for Western Europe and Canada and $8 for most Pacific Rim countries.

Roger Streit
International Phone Card Exchange
272 North Mountain Avenue
Upper Montclair, NJ 07043
74243.1522@compuserve.com Fax: 973 744-3013

Advertisement:
NASA LUNAR LANDING 25TH ANNIVERSARY PHONECARD SET
"Here Men from the Planet Earth First Set Foot upon the Moon July 1969, A.D. We came in Peace for all Mankind" So states the Silver PhoneCard of the set Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing. The One Gram Pure Silver card is an exact replica in miniature of the plaque left on the moon by the American Astronauts Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin. The other three cards are in plastic showing Apollo 11 blasting off, a shot of an Astronaut taking "One Giant step" on the Moon and a close-up of the footprint on the Lunar surface.

This set of 4 PhoneCards is accompanied with 4 patches which are replicas of the crew patches used in this mission. They have been revised to show the numeral 25 to commemorate this anniversary . The Pure Silver Card comes in a plush presentation case. All four cards are in Gem Uncirculated condition issued in $8.00 denominations by Sprint. The telephone time on these cards has expired. Powell Associates will ship you this set for $16.25 plus $3.20 for postage.

These and many other rare and interesting telephone cards are available from our extensive inventory by mail order (send for free catalog). Powell Associates has been in business and dealing in Collectible PhoneCards since 1992. We recently moved our offices from Manhattan to Morganville, New Jersey. All major credit cards are accepted.

Powell Associates
P.O. Box 38
Morganville NJ 07751

Tel 732-332-9093 Fax 732-332-9094 Email - luisvigdor@compuserve.com Internet - http://www.powellpm.com

NEWS / COMMENTARIES

Make-A-Wish Foundation Auction

The long overdue Make-A-Wish Foundation charity auction is finally set to take place from March 5-12, 1999. This auction will contain at least 100 lots of phonecards generously donated by collectors and dealers. The auction will be listed on the various internet locations including The Card Mall ( http://www.cardmall.com ) and the Phone Card Central mailing list ( http://www.phonecardcentral.com ) The auction will also be distributed to this list one time in a special mailing soon after the auction begins. If anyone does not have internet access and wishes to receive a copy of this, just phone (909) 981-6522 or fax (310) 734-1529 a mailing address or fax number, and I will get a copy off to you. Additionally, donations will still be accepted until right before the auction begins. If you have some spare cards, or want to donate to a good cause (and get a tax-deductible write-off) contact me as soon as possible.

Long Beach Show Review

The February 1999 Long Beach show has come and gone. Dealer Steve Eyer was offering some great prizes, and a list of those prizes and winners are now available. They are:

Concerning the show, I had a nice visit there on Thursday. It was the only day I went this year. I was disappointed to see that two long-time dealers were not set up this time. Hopefully, they will return when the show takes place again in June. USA Cards produced a card commemorating the show, with a print run of 500. More details about the June show will appear in future months.

Topical Collecting Contest

Keep those entries coming for the contest (see last weeks newsletter at http://www.cardmall.com/pol for details) - Ive received over a dozen responses, from a few words to over a page and a detailed list. I will run an article next week summarizing the results of everybodys responses. A winner will be randomly drawn to receive an assortment of cards worth $200, so why not enter today?

PRESS RELEASES

SunNet Telecom, Inc. Announcement

(Thanks to Dirk Kringen for submitting this)

Due to an overwhelming lack of support, commitment and sales on the part of the Independent Distributors of SunNet Telecom, Inc., we are unable to meet the minimum requirements to effectuate the merger that we had been discussing. As such we have discontinued all merger negotiations and will cease operations immediately. Those of you with service accounts such as long distance and internet, will see no change to your ongoing service and may continue to use them as in the past. You will continue to be billed directly by the provider of those services and will pay them directly as you have in the past.

We regret that the opportunities that we worked so hard to provide to you were not realized as we can not do it without the support of a viable network of independent distributors.

More Than 1000 Convenience Stores Offering the New GTS PhoneCard

MARLTON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 18, 1999Global Telecommunication Solutions Inc. (OTC BB:GTST - news, GTSTW - news; ``GTS'' or the ``Company''), a leading provider of prepaid telecommunication services, announced today that the new GTS(TM) phone card is now being sold in more than 1000 convenience stores across the country, including Sunoco Mid/America, DB Mart, Stop'N Go, Heritage Dairy, KwikFill/Red Apple and Shipley Stores.

The convenience store industry reports that this category has accounted for more than $600 million dollars annualized and GTS is positioning its convenience store clients to take advantage of this growth by offering a phone card unlike any other in the U.S.

According to Randy Cherkas, President of GTS, ``These six C-Store chains represent more than 450 company owned stores and over 800 independent dealers who immediately lay the foundation for significant distribution and revenue potential for this exciting new product.

``The overall acceptance of the new GTS(TM) PhoneCard by these retailers and the consumers confirms our premise that we are offering a product that differentiates GTS and its retail clients from the maze of phone card companies selling the same product.''

Cherkas added, ``In addition, we are also excited about the growth of the Company's custom phone card product which is now available through Wawa Food Markets and QuickChek Stores.''

Designed to give retailers a competitive advantage, the Company designed the new GTS(TM) PhoneCard based on trends and issues voiced by retailers and mainstream consumers.

The Company determined that the average consumer no longer buys a phone card just for international or long distance calls and equipped the GTS(TM) PhoneCard with the technology to differentiate local vs. long distance calls and instantly adjust the rates for each call. Callers now receive more minutes for their money by not paying a traditional flat long distance rate for every call.

By implementing no expiration date and six digit PIN codes, this product also addresses concerns of consumers who have been disgruntled about paying for services that prematurely expire and inputting endless streams of digits.

To benefit the convenience store retailer, GTS has packaged this product with effective point of purchase materials and in-store promotions which ultimately allows the card to sell itself.

George Smith, vice president of Retail Marketing for DB Mart confirmed, ``Since we have replaced our phone card program with the GTS(TM) PhoneCard, our phone card sales have increased by more than 300%. We believe this product offers a better overall value to our customers and judging by our sales figures, they obviously agree.''

Jim Buck, director of Finance & Marketing Services for Sunoco MidAmerica added, ``We have been very pleased since offering our customers the new GTS(TM) PhoneCard. Our results have been outstanding! We attribute our success to a product which is more suitable for the convenience store user, well positioned promotional programs which have helped to educate our customers and the attention our stores receive from GTS.''

Prestige Graphic Inc. is Awarded a Contract from the United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation.

PENNSAUKEN, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 17, 1999--The United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation (USBSF) recognized by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) as the National Governing Body for the sports of Bobsled and Skeleton in the United States has awarded Prestige Graphics of Pennsauken (OTC-BB:PGPI - news) an exclusive four year contract to create and market various types of prepaid phone-cards, including but not limited to retail phone-cards, promotional cards and collectible cards on a worldwide basis.

The phone-card backed by AT&T (NYSE:T - news) will have exciting multicolor graphics that will feature corporate identities along with USBSF identity.

The USBSF will receive royalties from all sales generated. Prestige Graphics will us its existing salesforce in its marketing efforts as well as establish internet distributions sights with large internet portal companies.

Prestige Graphics is presently in negotiation with internet marketing companys. In addition, Prestige Graphics will establish joint marketing efforts with other prepaid phone carriers to maximize its distribution.

For the first time in history, women are expected to compete in the bobsled competition at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Currently, the U.S. Women's team is ranked No. 2 in the world.

The excellent results achieved by the U.S. Women's Team during the 1998-99 World Cup season makes them one of the top contenders for the gold at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. We expect that Prestige Graphics will be able to capture significant interest in the marketplace with various limited edition cards showing our men and women bobsledders, as well as mass marketing of prepaid phonecards of our athletes.

The USBSF will assist Prestige Graphics with various large accounts by making available the Bobsled Team for personal appearances with key clients as well as at trade shows.

The USBSF, depending on the level of participation can offer corporate paint schemes on the sled, the corporate identity on all event kit materials, newsletters, on the website www.usabobsled.org and even signage at World Cup and America's Cup events. Many events have been televised offering the ultimate corporate visibility domestically and internationally.

Coverage can be seen on CBS, ABC, NBC, ESPN 2 and Outdoor Life Network in the United States and on Euro-Sports in Europe.

According to MCI, surveys have shown that the best leave behind material for the maximum corporate visibility is promotional phone cards.

STAR Telecom Selects TechWave for E-Commerce Solutions

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 18, 1999--STAR Telecommunications, Inc. (Nasdaq:STRX - news), the seventh largest long-distance provider in the United States today announced an agreement with TechWave, Inc. to provide e-commerce transaction capabilities and distribution services for prepaid calling card sales over the Internet.

STAR recently acquired PT-1 Communications, Inc., the nation's largest prepaid calling card provider. The company will sell PT-1 prepaid calling cards from the PT-1 Communications website (www.pt-1.com) beginning April 1, 1999.

The PT-1 website can be accessed from search engines such as America Online (NYSE:AOL - news); Lycos, Inc. (Nasdaq:LCOS - news), Yahoo, Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news), Infoseek, Corp. (Nasdaq:SEEK - news) and Excite, Inc. (Nasdaq:XCIT - news).

``We believe that selling prepaid calling card services over the Internet is an effective way to market prepaid services directly to consumers as well as smaller distribution points of sale,'' said Chris Edgecomb, chairman of the board and CEO of STAR.

``The dominant brand recognition that PT-1 has established will certainly support the growth of this new distribution channel. By selling prepaid services to the broadest market of customers in the world, we expect that up to 25% of our prepaid calling card sales will be transacted over the Internet in the year 2000.''

STAR will use the TechWave e-commerce platform for online sales and will utilize the TechWave distribution site for online phone card sales and other telecommunications services. TechWave utilizes one of the largest marketing and sales networks on the Internet, housing more than 15,000 merchants and reaching millions of shoppers.

TechWave real-time payment processing, automated tax calculation, export control, and fraud prevention services ensure that customers receive secure and timely transaction processing without any operational responsibilities.

Dwayne Walker, president and chief executive officer of TechWave, commented, ``The addition of STAR Telecom to the TechWave Online Store Network supports our goal of connecting buyers and sellers worldwide. Our distribution services and transaction processing capabilities will allow STAR Telecom to offer their products in a secure environment.''

PROMOTIONAL NEWS

Free Calling Card

The first 10,000 people who respond via the GTC Telecom web site (http://www.gtctelecom.com/) will get a free calling card. (ed. Note: unsure if this is a "prepaid" card or not, I submitted an application on-line and will let you know what I get)

From: Christine Kasnick

Remember,

Until Next Time,

Alan

Distribution

Phonecards On-Line is published 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 - All back issues are archived at the web site!

2) Direct e-mail. Send a message to: phoneline@cardmall.com

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