Why Collector Familiarity Is Important

A Wall Street Journal article tells about collectors of strip art. They collect the original hand-drawn comic strip. One collector, “paid $4,000 for the original drawing of the first Pogo strip to appear in newspapers.”

When the collector tried to sell the 1948 strip in an auction, nobody was interested because Pogo was taller and skinnier than most collectors remembered. In the owner’s words, “My page has tremendous historic significance, but Pogo doesn’t really look like Pogo. It just doesn’t have the nostalgic appeal to a lot of today’s collectors.”

The valuation of credit card collections

When it comes to credit card collecting, quite often we’re told, “This credit card is really valuable. They’re out of business.” Remember, prices of credit cards are based on supply and demand. It’s vital to have a credit card collectors can relate to.

Sure, a business may have gone under and few of their cards are available – but remember, if people don’t want their card then it’s worthless. And if people have never heard of the business, you can generally figure they don’t want one of their cards.

Importance of collector familiarity

Collector familiarity is very important. Think along the lines of what you would be interested in collecting if you were just starting to form a collection 20 years from now. In most cases, the answer will be the national credit cards. Think of what you collected when you first started.

You may have started with a few local cards, for example, but now mainly collected national ones. And if that’s the way you started, then you can safely guess that’s the way everyone else is doing it. 

Collector familiarity with the national credit cards make them the most popular collecting group. If a group is the most popular then those cards will probably always be in demand. Keep this in mind when forming your credit card collection.

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