The Amazing Credit Card Opportunity

Credit cards are one of the hottest collectibles of all time. This fact is overlooked by many people, including collectors in the hobby itself.

The pricing structure

To explain the opportunity this hobby offers, it’s important to start with the pricing structure of modern credit cards.

A Mint condition single purpose credit card has a typical retail value of $4.00. This means if you applied for a gas or department store credit card, that the day it arrived in the mail you could sell it to a collector for $4.00.

The next thing to understand is the way prices jump for modern Mint cards. Example: Diamond Shamrock issued a credit card in the early ’80s that had a picture of a blue sky on its front and a drawing of a leprechaun on the back.

Card variations

Next came a credit card with a blue sky front and leprechaun back, but this time a signature space was added to the reverse.

Then came the card with the blue sky front and signature space on the back, but the picture of the leprechaun was gone.

Then came the blue sky front with a signature space and magnetic stripe on the back.

Finally, Diamond Shamrock issued a card with a dark brown top and light brown bottom.

So basically, Diamond Shamrock has issued five different credit cards in the last decade.

The price of the current card is $4.00, but the price of the one that precedes it is $6.00. The price of a card jumps $2.00 every time there’s a major type or variety change.

Appreciation of value

Here’s the retail value of all five of the different cards as of today: (1) $12.00, (2) $10.00, (3) $8.00, (4) $6.00 and (5) $4.00. The pricing of single purpose credit cards basically just start with a $4.00 base and add $2.00 for each change along the way. .

As you can see, any collector who started collecting credit cards in the early ’80s has done extremely well by having a Diamond Shamrock account. Once the account was opened, the collector only had to use the account occasionally to keep the renewal cards coming in through the years. 

The total retail value of one each of the cards, over a period of a decade, would mean that the set of five cards now has a retail value of $40.00.

Profiting from credit card varieties

Now, let’s take this a step further. Any serious collector should have additional cards on each account. Going back to the original Diamond Shamrock card, a serious collector would be highly likely to have four cards on the account. And since renewals would be coming in automatically, he would have four of the next one and the next one and so on down the line. He’s locked-in to getting four cards at a time.

To show the potential this hobby offers, let’s say the collector had four of the first cards worth $12.00 each. Those four cards are worth $48.00 today.

The next four would be worth $40.00. The next ones worth $32.00, the next $24.00 and the final cards would be four times $4.00 each or $16.00. So, if a collector had a Diamond Shamrock account ten years ago and kept it current and received four cards with each renewal, he would now have a total of 20 cards worth $160.00. 

Keep in mind we’re talking about single purpose cards so the cost to the collector is nothing. That’s right, FREE!

Try to figure a percentage gain on the price increases of the Diamond Shamrock cards when you start with a base price of nothing. Amazing, isn’t it?

Leveraging numerous accounts

Now remember, we’ve only illustrated what the Diamond Shamrock cards have done. But serious credit card collectors have numerous accounts. What about the early collectors who had 50 single purpose accounts and four cards on each account that started at the beginning of the ’80s. As you can quickly see, this hobby has been very good to many collectors.

One person who started collecting in the early ’80s, who understood the potential this hobby offered, started his collection by saying, I’m only going to collect credit cards with no annual fees. I want to see if I can send my daughter through college by selling my collection.

When he started collecting, his daughter was just born. Today, this one collector has 2,000 Mint modern cards in his collection, all acquired for the magnificent sum of NOTHING. A collection of nothing but free single purpose credit cards! Today, his collection has a retail value of over $10,000.00!

Future potential of credit card collecting

What credit cards have done up till now is no indication of what they may do in the future. But, let’s be positive and open minded about the whole thing. It doesn’t mean they won’t. 

The hobby still has potential for immense future growth. Maybe things could actually get better?

What if the price jumps between types and varieties of cards moved to being $3.00 a step instead of the $2.00? Just a thought.

No one knows what the future holds in store for our hobby, but one thing is certain, whatever takes place should prove to be quite interesting. Up till now, modern credit cards have been nothing short of amazing!

Copyright 1991, Greg Tunks

Contact Us


Got questions about your credit cards?

Wondering if your cards are valuable?

Looking to sell, trade, or donate your cards?

Send us a message

acc_512

Frequently asked questions

You can find out the value of old credit cards by checking how much similar cards sell for. There are several ways to do this.

The simplest way to determine the value of old credit cards is to ask an experienced collector. If you submit an inquiry via our contact form, we can connect you with an expert who can assist you and point out if there is anything rare or unusual in your collection.

Alternatively, you can become a member of the American Credit Card Collectors Society. Membership in our credit card collecting club provides access to resources and knowledgeable members who can help. Benefits of membership include access to a gallery containing thousands of cards with historical pricing information, and access to our entire collection of newsletters, from 1994 through the present day.

You can look at recent sales on auction sites, however, there are some considerations to keep in mind when doing this. Firstly, it’s important to look at selling prices, rather than asking prices. Selling prices are the prices people actually paid, while asking prices can be very different. Secondly, historical sales on some sites are only saved for 3 months, so you may not find something that exactly matches what you have. Thirdly, it is sometimes possible to see rare or unusual cards sell for lower prices than they should have because people do not understand their worth, the ads don't do justice to the card, they're listed in the wrong category, or any combination thereof.

There are always people in our club who are actively buying cards. Collectors tend to focus on a niche, like gas cards or retail cards, or they might focus on a slightly broader area, like bank cards or travel and entertainment cards. Many of the rarest or most unusual cards will exchange hands in private sales. Please contact us if you are thinking of selling your collection.

You can also sell your old credit cards on online marketplaces. You will get the highest price if you sell each of your cards individually, although this approach requires the most effort. At the opposite end of the effort scale would be selling all cards as a job lot, an approach which typically results in the lowest price on a per-card basis. Halfway between these two approaches would be to group cards into different categories and to sell these individual groups, e.g., BankAmericard, Master Charge, oil and gas, retail, and so on.

To join the club, visit the membership section and complete the registration form. You can pay by check or PayPal. We offer annual or lifetime memberships. If you have any questions please contact us via the form on our website.

Credit cards are more worthwhile collecting if they are rare, in good condition, have historical significance, or are associated with famous personalities or events. Valuable modern cards might include those that are difficult to obtain, such as American Express Centurion (a.k.a. ‘black’) cards, while older credit cards might include early independent bank cards, American Express, Diners Club, or BankAmericard (Visa) cards from the 50s/early 60s, or Master Charge (MasterCard) cards from the late 60s. Rare or unusual cards can also be sought after, such as those issued in small numbers, like small independent department stores or gas stations, or cards with appealing aesthetics.

Consulting with other collectors or experts in the club can provide valuable insights. Contact us for more information via the form on our website.

We do not offer an appraisal service in a traditional sense (such services are normally a paid service) but we can connect you with an expert who should be able to assist for free and point out anything rare or unusual in your collection. The simplest way to do this is to submit an inquiry via our contact form.

The American Credit Card Collectors Society accepts donations and is most grateful for any we receive. When donations happen, we strive to find good homes for cards where they will be looked after, matching cards with collectors who will appreciate them. The club may charge members a nominal fee for donated cards, and the proceeds are offset against the running costs of our club. We are a non-profit organization. Running costs include expenses like our convention and website hosting. Donations are most popular for people getting out of the hobby, or when someone has inherited a collection and doesn’t know what to do with it.

If you wish to donate your collection, please contact us via the contact form above.

American Credit Card Collectors Society