Catering To Credit Card Collectors Is Big Business

The United States Mint is a government agency that shows a profit. Why?

Because the Mint caters to collectors. It has extensive coin collector programs that generate hundreds of millions of dollars in profits annually. Walk into practically any United States Post Office and look around. 

You’ll probably see at least one poster or display promoting stamp collecting. Why? Because stamp collectors are a major source of revenue for the postal service.

The baseball card collecting hobby has grown tremendously in a short period of time. Why? Because the baseball card issuers have gone out of their way to cater to collectors and for good reason. The profits on the billions of modern baseball cards printed annually is staggering!

Why isn’t credit card collecting the same?

Now, to credit card issuers. With over 100,000,000 people in the United States carrying an average of seven credit cards, you’d think card issuers would be rubbing their hands together thinking of the collector profits out there. Surprisingly though, very little is actually taking place. 

But, is it realistic to think it would be profitable to cater to credit card collectors? You better believe it. A modern bank card, with a beautiful design, can sell for $15. Not bad for a piece of plastic.

Take, for example, Citibank’s National Football League series of Visas. Imagine if team cards were offered to collectors for $15 apiece. It could even be designed as a card a month program, or the entire set of 28 sports cards for just $395. On either program, the cards would come with a beautiful frame for display.

With Citibank’s 20 million+ cardholder base, only one out of 1,000 accepting the offer means 20,000 sets would be sold. Numbers like that make profits from collector plastic truly fantastic.

All that’s really necessary for a credit card issuer to have a successful collector program is foresight and patience. It would probably take time, but the market is untapped and wide-open to the first company with vision. The day issuers cater to collectors is coming. 

Affinity credit cards are leading the way

Affinity cards already approach the idea by being credit cards with interesting designs for special interest groups. That same type of innovation and foresight which made affinity cards successful, is necessary to germinate the collectible credit card field.

Who the issuer will be with determination to dominate the collector credit card market is still undecided. But one thing is for sure, the American way of doing business has proven that if there’s a large potential market, with a big profit base, some company will eventually seize it.

Copyright 1989 by Greg Tunks

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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