Callcards

Blisterman

Do they still have them?
My friend used to collect them. I remember there was a rumour that if you froze them, they recharged. I believed it at the time, but i'm sure its false.

simu

Yeah, you can still buy them.

I used to collect them too. I used to hang around near phone boxes with my best friend at the time waiting to see if people would leave any behind. Sadly, I also used to spend a small fortune buying new ones!

dearg_doom

simu wrote:

Yeah, you can still buy them.

I used to collect them too. I used to hang around near phone boxes with my best friend at the time waiting to see if people would leave any behind. Sadly, I also used to spend a small fortune buying new ones!

ahh memories!!

remember the BLINK callcards?

or the OLD ronseal ones were waaay more valuable than the NEW ronseal ones

*damn must be getting old, I cant remember any of the others, I used to have handfuls of the things! and this holder thing as well

irishgeo

i remnber the one with a car on them and if you rubbed them agiast the plastic glass of the phone box , they used to work again.

Fabritzo

Did someone say callcard...

Silvera

Yeah, I have a small collection too.

Are they yours fabritzo ?

I would like to get a callcard that depicts an Irish Air Corps plane. It was released to celebrate it's 75th anniversary in 1997.

Would swop a few other callcards for it ?

Fabritzo

Yeh, they're mine, I don't have that one you're looking for though.

Basq

Yeah, i was a member of the Callcard Collector's Club (don't you pity me...!! ) and i've a big bookfull.

Some Irish, some English, some Greek etc.

My personal favourites are some BT Toy Story ones i got at a convention. Out of the set of 6, i got 5. Got all but Woody... probably be worth a fair bit if they had him too!

irishgeo

Anyone want some german ones. My father used to work out there and there is loads lying around the house.

FranknFurter

i have a hundred an fifty or so i'll let go for 60 yoyos if anyone wants them, pm me.
garth brooks, tina turner, guiness, baileys, tia maria, etc etc

Eye

wow have'nt seen any of those in ages, i started collecting them years ago when they first appeared, then my mum got in on it and started buying all the new ones, joined the callcard club and got all the released cards since near the very begining. Don;t think we've gotten much from the club lately. Have'nt looked in a while but i think there was 3 or maybe 4 folders full of mint irish callcards there, must have a look tomorrow.

anyone remember those really old....and valuable GAA and Hurling cards can't remember if we ever got those...think we did, oh and the set they brought out of the irish football team for the last world cup.

can't think of any of the other expensive/limited edition sets off the top of my head, but we have all of them expect for some of the test cards and a handfull of the very first ones.

MrJoeSoap

Anyone who has them should keep them for another few years, I'm sure they'll get high prices as antiques in the middle of this century.

Hand them down as heirlooms or whatever!

dearg_doom

lol.. what a sign of our times when useless bits of tat are hailed as heirlooms:)

iguana

Anyone remember when a few years ago the government launched an anti-drugs web-site and listed collecting callcards as a cool alternative to drug taking?

oneweb

I went into a few shops not so long ago and asked for a €20 callcard. "A wha?". A callcard. "Wha, call credit?" No, the lil cards you put in payphones. "Paywha?"

You get the idea...

No idea where I'd use a callcard, there's so few phones around.

Nostalgia90s

I have started my collection again, can anyone contact me with swaps/sales etc?

An Riabhach

Blisterman wrote: »

Do they still have them?
My friend used to collect them. I remember there was a rumour that if you froze them, they recharged. I believed it at the time, but i'm sure its false.

I remember trying that once, and......wait for it......

no, it didn't work.

Amalgam

There was an excellent publication by Piero Tintori at the time, 'The Concise Irish Callcard Catalogue', my own one, below, is titled, 'Second Edition 1994'.

Very detailed book, going into the technical aspects in a clear and concise manner. Types of chips used, early attempts at Transport/Callcard hybrid cards etc. (quote: The DASH card was produced as part of the GAUDI ~ Generalised and Advanced Urban Innovations project, which was financed by the EU)

The prices for test cards at the time, in Punt, were eye watering.. an Orga 'ICC Test card 2, Telecom Eireann July 1992', had a listed worth of £700 Punt.



The above card is the only one I have at hand, I'm quite sure I have more, somewhere.. You had to send off for that Kellogg's card, it came with a personalised letter with a logo header page.

A lot of the traders are long gone, I remember this one well, on Ormond Quay (Dublin), that area has changed quite a bit now.



Enjoyable book, anyone with an interest, including the technical, not just the collection, should try and track down a copy.

---

Piero Tintori
The Concise Irish Callcard Catalogue

ISSN 1393 - 0400
ISBN 0-9524250-0-9

EDIT: You can view this in the National Library of Ireland! ..if you're that way inclined.

http://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000017965