Credit Card Collecting Hobby Glossary

Many new people interested in collecting credit cards and other types of credit pieces are joining the American Credit Card Collectors’ Society. It’s important everyone understands the credit card collecting hobby’s terminologies. Here goes:

Credit card collecting terms you need to know

Affinity Card

A MasterCard or Visa bank credit card sponsored by an organization. The organization gets a portion of the revenue from the bank issuing the card.

American Numismatic Association

The world’s largest organization that encourages the study and collecting of coins, paper money, medals, and tokens. Also known as the ANA.

ATM

Automatic Teller Machines are used to dispense cash to cardholders. 

BankAmericard

Predecessor of today’s Visa bank credit card.

Cash Card

See Prepayment Card.

Charga-Plate

See Metal Charge Plate.

Charge Card

A card that establishes the credit of the person to whom it is issued. The account must be paid in full each month.

Charge Coins

The first known credit pieces, issued from the 1890s to the 1950s. Usually made of metal, issued in various shapes and approximately the size of a quarter dollar. The issuing store’s name, monogram or initials are on it. Each coin carries an account number but no customer name.

Charge Token

See Charge Coins.

Coupon

Perforated paper attached to a paperboard credit card that must be torn off to allow the cardholder to charge certain items. Mainly used on early gas credit cards to limit the number of tires and batteries that could be charged.

Credit Bureau

The organization where local companies check and report on a person’s credit file.

Credit Card

A card that establishes the credit of the person to whom it’s issued. The card has revolving credit attached to it so only part of the card’s debt is due each month.

Credit Protection Services

Companies that keep a list of your credit cards and account numbers. If your cards become lost or stolen, call the company’s 800 number and they’ll notify your credit cards’ issuers and order replacements.

Credit Token

See Metal Charge Plate.

Data Card

The world’s largest credit card manufacturer.

Debit Card

A card used to deduct the cost of your purchase from your bank account. The card has no credit attached.

Diners’ Club Booklet Card

An early Diners’ Club credit card which is a directory of where the card could be used. The booklet’s front cover is the credit card.

Excessive Inquiries

When a person applies for credit, the credit grantor requests a copy of the applicant’s credit file from the credit bureau. The credit bureau is required to record this “inquiry”, showing by who and when the file was requested. When a person applies for numerous credit accounts, in a short time period, the file shows a large number or an excessive number of inquiries.

Hologram

Foil backed, three-dimensional design that appears to change shapes and colors when rotated in the light.

Laser Card

A standard-sized card that uses laser beams to read and record information. Some cards have the capacity to store the equivalent of 8,000 pages of typed information.

Lifestyle Card

MasterCards and Visas issued with colorful designs to attract special interest groups. Similar to affinity cards except no organization is involved so the issuing institution gets all the profits.

Magnetic Stripe

The dark band on the back of a card that has account information encoded in it.

Maverick

An unidentified credit piece. Generally applies to charge coins with initials where the issuer’s name isn’t known.

Master Charge

Predecessor of today’s MasterCard bank credit card.

Melinex

A pure polyester plastic that’s safe for storing collectibles.

Metal Charge Plate

A charge piece, generally made from aluminum, with raised metal that has the customer’s name, address and account number. It’s similar in shape, size, and appearance to a military dog tag. The back of the plate has a cardboard mount which carries the issuer’s name and customer signature space. All metal charge plates were issued with carrying cases.

Mint

The original condition of an item when it’s made.

Mylar

A pure polyester plastic that’s safe for storing collectibles.

NFL Card

National Football League affinity Visa bank credit card. There are 28 different varieties of cards, one for each of the National Football League’s teams.

Numismatics

The study, science, and collecting of coins, paper money, medals and tokens.

Prepayment Card

Thin, standard-sized card that is paid for in advance and used to make purchases. Purchases are deducted from the amount stored on the card. Mainly used in Japan for public telephones and vending machines.

PIN

Personal Identification Number. A four digit number used to identify the cardholder in a transaction.

Punch Canceled

A card that has been invalidated by having holes punched in it.

PVC

Polyvinyl Chloride. Vinyl is an unsafe plastic marketed to store collectibles. Generally available in sheets or 2″ X 2″ holders.

Smart Card

A card containing a miro-chip which can exchange information with a computer.

T&E Card

Travel & entertainment card. A charge card aimed at business customers. Examples are American Express and Diners Club cards. 

Token

An object made of a hard material issued to represent value or money. Also used for advertising, services or other purposes.

Violet Cards

An American Express series of violet colored plastic credit cards issued with the Centurion logo in the cards’ upper left front corner.

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