Phonecards On-Line© is Published by Alan Cohen

November 14 2017

Issue #206

Current Circulation: 0

I did promise everyone (well, in reality, nobody is reading this) an update after my 2010 update, so here goes. I was reviewing some of these issues, and realize that it now has been just about 15 years since I ended this publication...15 years!!! Where did that time go? I started this adventure in 1995 when I was in graduate school in New York. I am now about to turn 50, kids growing up and grown up...pretty amazing! I still every now and then read an issue here and there, it isn't about the phonecards anymore...but that is likely why you (or nobody) is here.

As I stated in 2010, no comeback for phonecards. Amazingly, I still am selling them here and there on Ebay. (the last thing I sold was a TCM Associates set of Annie cards) - but the sales are very occasional, and not many people are phonecard collectors, they are topical collectors who like a theme they see on a phonecard. That's one of the things that initially attracted me to the hobby when we had a hobby. I don't believe my kids (now 20, 17 and 11) have ever used a payphone. Why would they? You can't find them, and there is no need. Nobody thinks about making a call costing money, because with unlimited plans being the norm, there isn't a cost associated once you have a phone...and who makes phone calls anymore? Texting, social media...that's where it is at in 2017. I was amazed at my smartphone in 2010, but the functionality of my little droid is about zero when compared to my iPhone 8. Where are we going? Not sure, but it is a fun ride for sure.

I did read something online today that CompuServe was completely shutting down next month. That's where it all started for me. Back in 1993, I had AOL and CompuServe. The web literally just started, and there was internet newsgroups (but no rec.collecting.phonecards, I didn't help start that until a couple of years later)...I went on CompuServe and found a very active phonecard community. At that time, it cost money by the minute to be in the forum...and it wasn't cheap. It's hard to imagine paying by the minute, but it was a different world in 1993. Eventually, the price came down, and there was software that went in and grabbed messages and quickly went offline (remember, this was dialup days)...most people I met in the hobby was in that little forum. I look back and have fond memories of what is now almost 25 years ago. That's something that happens with time, the bad doesn't seem so bad (and there really wasn't a lot that was really bad anyway) and the rest becomes beloved memories.

There is no future in phonecards. I had hoped there might be a hobby collecting gift cards, but that doesn't seem to be happening outside of thematic collectors. It's all good. I still have most of my phonecards, and I imagine I always will. I'll sell a few here and there on ebay to get a kick out of someone still buying. Not sure when I will check back, I still run the cardmall site and have a few clients but for the most part I've moved on from my little online business that I started so many years ago, but while I have sold some of my domains (including phonecardcentral.com and most recently coinmall.com) I can't imagine not having cardmall.com - so I suspect for some time to come, this will be here. I am still reachable for anyone that is reading this (not likely) and would love to hear from you.

Regards,
Alan Cohen

Alan Cohen

Publisher, Phonecards OnLine.