The Bank Card Genius – A Story From The 90s

Pick a card. Any card.

Sounds like the start of a card trick, doesn’t it?

It’s not though. It was the life of Sandra Murray of Gardena, California, in the nineties, deciding which of her 1,000 valid credit cards she wanted to use next. 

A credit card obsession

Sandra got her start with credit cards in 1971 when she was 17. Her first one was a Sears. Ever since then Sandra has been developing her techniques to get more cards. Lots more.

A typical weekend in Sandra’s life consisted of filling out postcards to get credit applications. She also fills in applications received from the previous ritual of sending out postcards.

In 1989, Sandra became particularly aggressive with her credit card endeavors. She started each month by going to the post office to buy anywhere between 500 to 800 postcards. That’s the number of applications she requested each time.

Then, it’s over to a group of Rand McNally Bank Directories she paid $200 a year to get. Looking through the directories gave her the addresses of the next banks she wanted to investigate getting cards from. Sandra was quite successful with her bank and Travel & Entertainment card applications, as proven by the $25,000 she paid in annual fees for her 600 valid MasterCard, Visa, Diners Club, Carte Blanche, and American Express accounts!

Why so many credit cards?

You might be thinking, “How could anyone possibly have 600 bank card accounts?” It’s easy when you have good credit, know what you’re doing and have institutions in existence like Citibank, where Sandra had 25 accounts.

Sandra didn’t let her weekends stop with just getting more bank card applications to look over. She also went for all the retail outlet aps she could find.

Sandra looked through magazines to find addresses of retailers she could approach for applications. Even if she could only find a retailer’s name, that was good enough. She’d track down the address and get an application.

With so many applications to choose from, Sandra’s work began. She had to choose which 35 applications she’s going to send in for the month. She didn’t like to send more since it had a tendency to put too many inquiries on her 20 page TRW credit report.

You may be wondering if all this was really worth the effort? Sandra thought so. She loved having a credit line that totals $2 million. It helped keep her in the little luxuries she so much enjoyed, such as her shiny black Cadillac and beautiful red Corvette.

Becoming a member of a credit card collecting club

Then, Sandra became a Credit Card Collector member, and an interest in older and collectible cards started. Thinking of the cards she had cut up before starting to save them, she wanted to replace some and fill spaces in her collection so she could get a complete picture of their evolution.

Sandra had 2,500 credit cards, all in her own name. That number jumped astronomically as she started to take an interest in getting additional and replacement cards, something she hadn’t bothered doing in the past. Her only interest had been credit lines and not the plastic itself.

Until finding Credit Card Collector, Sandra felt alone in her endeavors to get more cards. Now that there are others who share her interest, which mainly lies in current bank cards, she’d like to be contacted by them and to share what she knows while taking a keen interest in learning from others their techniques in handling excessive inquiries, getting credit limits raised and how to get more bank cards.

Copyright 1990 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