What Makes Credit Cards Valuable?

A question we’re often asked at the ACCCS is why, if collecting credit cards is such a great hobby, would a collector want to wait a long time before their collection is worth anything?

The answer is this: many people believe that the price of an item is directly related to its age. In other words, the older an item is, the more valuable it becomes. This simply isn’t true.

Its value is based on supply and demand. It’s better to own a five-year-old item which has 50 known pieces that 500 collectors want, than it is to own a 100-year-old item with six in existence that three people want.

The belief in age and price exists because it sometimes takes years to generate interest (or demand). Also, as the years go by, more and more of the items are damaged, destroyed or lost, thus decreasing the supply.

The time factor of supply and demand

Suppose there are 50 pieces of an item, and it takes 25 years for 100 people to each want one. But what if we take the same 50 pieces and within one year 100 people want them. Basically, the item is worth the same whether it takes one or 25 years. Very simply stated, to increase an item’s value you must increase the demand (number of collectors) or decrease the supply. It’s even better if both take place!

Physical condition of the cards

Credit cards are an interesting situation. There is a small and limited supply of early (10 years or older) credit cards. Also remember collectors desire the best for their collections, meaning pristine condition cards. Taking only pristine cards into consideration means there is an extremely small supply.

If early credit cards in pristine condition are difficult to acquire now, when there are 25 collectors, imagine the difficulty in acquiring them when the collector base explodes to say 5,000. Even if more cards come out of hiding, the growth of the collector base should out pace them. The question now is, “How long will it take to get 5,000 collectors?” The answer, “Not long!”

Quality of collections

It’s also reasonable to expect the better collections to be valued, at that time, into the tens if not the hundreds of thousands of dollars. But do you have to wait 100 years? No. It’s totally up to us how long it takes to make credit cards valuable. With all of us working together and everyone making a sincere effort, the job can be accomplished within a few years.

Remember, everyone should be a credit card collector because it costs nothing to start, and it takes little effort to build a collection. It’s up to us to make people aware that credit card collecting exists and how easy it is to get started.

Copyright 1986 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