International Phone Card
There
has never been a satisfactory explanation as to why any of us collect
anything, or indeed why we find a compelling interest each month to
purchase a magazine such as 'Collectables'! Perhaps it is a generic
trait within our personality, or even simply, as one enthusiast was
once reported to reply when asked why he collected, "because
they are there".
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| International Phone Card |
On
a personal basis, because I have never felt an impulse urge to
collect sewing machines, tractor seats or vintage vehicles, practical
storage space and finances have been determining factors, and I would
never criticise or eschew the activities of others to collect
whatever they wish.
They
obviously derive much personal satisfaction from their collections,
and enjoy sharing that interest with others.
My
own collecting interests have been the accumulation of miniature
visual images, originally on postage stamps and cigarette cards, and
more recently on telephone cards.
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| International Phone Card |
The
image area of a telephone card is of more generous proportions than
that of most postage stamps or cigarette cards, and additionally they
are far more durable and less prone to accidental damage.
International Phone Card are Furthermore,
they can be easily indexed and stored in albums.
As
a final bonus, there is such wealth of diverse subject matter that
can be developed into special themes by subject or country.
Even
if I am unable to collect actual vintage vehicles, my own personal
collection of images on telephone cards gives me much pleasure, and
can encompass many different theme interests through a single medium.
One
of the popular areas of multi-theme collecting is stamps on telephone
cards, and it is well known that most older collectors of telephone
cards have their origins as stamp or postcard collectors, thereby
extending a past collecting interest into a modern medium.
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| International Phone Card |
Whilst
not wanting to divert readers' interest from the excellent monthly
feature on stamps, this month I am illustrating and listing some of
the stamp issues which have appeared on telephone cards.
The
widest selection of stamps on telephone cards can be found in the
Denmark 'Tele Sonderjylland' issues of private cards commissioned
from Germany in 1993/1994.
Illustrations
of some of the world's rarest stamps feature on twenty cards which
can still be obtained for prices of about £6-7 each.
Here
can be found images of the first stamp issues from America, Saxony,
Norway, France, Greece et cetera, together with the famous octagonal
British Guiana 2 cents and the Cape of Good Hope triangular on which
the business of Stanley Gibbons was originally founded.
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| International Phone Card |
The
classic British 'penny black' is featured on a BT private
commemorative card (BTG 338) issued in 1994 to celebrate the
Southborough Centenary.
The
same stamp was also illustrated on a promotional Mercurycard from
Stanley Gibbons in 1990, whilst the Postal Union Congress £1 is
depicted on three Mercurycards produced in the same year on behalf of
Brian Reeve Auctions.
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| International Phone Card |
Stamps
are also a prominent part of the designs of twelve of the
Mercurycards commissioned from Germany to celebrate the Olympic
Games.
Stamps
are illustrated only for those countries who issued special
commemorative stamps in honour of the Games, but these include the
1896 Greek issue, and 1912 Stockholm stamp, as well as those for more
recent years.
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| International Phone Card |
There
are attractive representations of early stamps on a series of cards
rom Brazil. Even if philatelists do not have the means to acquire the
original stamps, for a pound or two each, the Brazilian cards may
notionally provide interest in a stamp album!
There
are currently several series of cards on sale in China featuring
various stamp issues- flowers, folklore, and the Lunar New Year being
the subjects depicted.
Albanian stamps were the subject
of one of the earlier card issues from this East European country. In
fact, two issues were made, the second with the stamps in a larger
format than the first.
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| International Phone Card |
Malta is another Mediterranean
country which acknowledges the close relationship between stamps and
telephone cards.
A promotional card was issued in
1997 publicising the services of the Maltese Philatelic Bureau, and
featuring the 2/6d value from the 1966 set of stamps commemorating
the Great Siege which played such a prominent part in the island's
history.
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| International Phone Card |
Switzerland is another nation with
strong philatelic links.
Various cards have appeared since
1990 illustrating Swiss stamp issues. Most of these can be found for
two or three pounds each, and can be acquired piecemeal to build into
a mini-collection.
Stamps also feature on phonecards
from a number of other European countries including Croatia,
Luxembourg, Belgium, Germany and Spain, not infrequently in
connection with international fairs where there is an association of
interest between the two hobbies.
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| International Phone Card |
This is not surprising since both
stamps and telephone cards are prepayments for services in either
postal or audible communications!
As a general principle, it is
worth sourcing albums of cards from almost any country, since there
is often a possibility of a stamp-related phonecard.
This certainly applies to issues
from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, French Polynesia, St Helena and
even French Antarctica, all of which have felt that stamp designs are
worthy of further representation on telephone cards. Similarly, the
Isle of Man has seen fit to reproduce two sets of stamps on telephone
cards as long ago as 1989/1990.
International Phone Card To emphasise the close
relationship between the two collecting hobbies, pride of place for
innovation and the ultimate proximity of one to the other goes to
Eric Elias of Philcard International.
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| International Phone Card |
In 1991 he commissioned a
'private' card from BT to commemorate the Philatelia Exhibition held
in Cologne.
The illustration incorporated into
the card design is of a German telephone card with a stamp on the
card, k i.e a stamp on a phonecard on a phonecard! Nice one Eric!
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