So after all those years, are my Callcards valuable?...
So after all those years, are my Callcards valuable?...
A question I have been asked quite a bit lately is this. Unfortunately in the majority of cases I get asked, the answer is no. Telecom Eireann (and Eircom) released different kinds of cards throughout the years, with a mix of trial, definitive, private and general release cards. In this short guide I am going to provide very broad but useful information and tables you can use to find out if the cards you have are valuable or not.
When a Limited Edition is not limited at all!
Many people have the Garth Brooks, Diana Ross,Tina Turner, Aladdin and Blink (Wonder what happened to them?) Callcards in their collection. Printed quite prominently on the front of each of these cards is “Limited Edition”. Unfortunately these particular cards are far from being a “limited edition”, but rather the term limited edition was used to signify Telecom Eireann’s partnership with EMI music to produce “band” cards, and market them as a collector’s item for the fans.
All the cards mentioned above in mint condition should be worth a few euro, but used would not be worth much if anything. Please refer to the Card List to see how many of the particular card was made.
Of course just to confuse us all Telecom Eireann did bring out a card with Limited Edition stated which was in fact limited! The 1050 Cable & Wireless card only had 10, 000 made, and is considerably rarer than the above.
Sure that card looks lovely, marks a special event, has a nice design, it must be valuable?
Ironically enough it would be the plainer, boring Callcards that tend to be the more valuable. All of the Disney Callcards (with the exception of 1261 Tarzan Special) are general releases with massive amounts produced. Phonecards that were made to commemorate Clinton’s historic visit, The Foxford Woolen Mills, the 1994 World Cup or Gay Byrnes last Late Late Show cards are all very common.
The earlier the Callcard the more valuable they are…
Older Callcards, particularly the earlier trial Callcards and some very early cards (the Rock of Cashel, All-Ireland Hurling and Football, the Shamrock, Limerick Treaty) are rare and fetch quite a bit these days, particularly in good condition. Depending on the card of course, some trial cards would fetch into the hundreds (the IMI cards).
An interesting point to make here is that not all Callcards came wrapped. Not one of the trial cards was issued in a plastic wrapper and many of the early cards (the Rock of Cashel, All-Ireland Hurling and Football, the Shamrock, Limerick Treaty) never came wrapped.
So how does one find out if the card is mint? For the Dublin or Limerick trials, that would be impossible, however a card reader may be used to check unwrapped callcards for units. These readers are quite difficult to come by.
Some examples of valuable early cards (and how they sold recently)
| Callcard | Price Range | Mint/Used |
|---|---|---|
| Cork FITCE | €60-90 | MINT/Used |
| Irish Management Institute (IMI) Ireland's Europe 20 units | €180-250 | MINT/Used |
| Irish Management Institute (IMI) Ireland's Europe 50 units | €350-500 | MINT/Used |
| Irish Management Institute (IMI) New Ways for the Nineties | €20-25 | MINT |
| Black Back Cottage (Train Trial) | €35-55 | MINT/Used |
| Royal Hospital Kilmainham | €40-60 | MINT |
| Rock of Cashel | €15-28 | MINT |
| All Ireland Football/Hurling | €15-30 | MINT |
| Shamrock (La Le Padraig) | €10-20 | MINT |
| The Limerick Treaty | €10-20 | MINT |
Cards I am commonly asked about regarding value
| Callcard | Price Range | Mint/Used |
|---|---|---|
| Garth Brooks | €1-3 | MINT |
| Gay Byrne (Late Late Show) | €1-3 | MINT |
| Boyzone | €1-2 | MINT |
| Diana Ross | €1-3 | MINT |
| Cottage (certain variations more valuable than others) | €1-5 | MINT |
| Tina Turner | €1-3 | MINT |
| Niamh from Tir Na Nog | €1-2 | MINT |
| Irish Horse Racing (certain variations more valuable than others) | €1-5 | MINT |
| Blink (EMI Music) | €1-2 | MINT |
| Aladdin | €1-2 | MINT |
This list will be updated as often as people contact me. Why don't you contact me for a collection appraisal?
For other Callcards, a more general value range can be viewed in the tables below. Feel free to use the Card List to cross check the table with your collection.
General Trial card releases table (5, 10, 20, 50, 100 Unit)
|
Unit |
Price Range |
|
5 |
€7-€50 |
|
10 |
€3-€12 |
|
20 |
€5-€15 |
|
50 |
€10-€24 |
|
100 |
€20-€50 |
Tip!: Mint Callcards
Mint Callcards (i.e: ones that are still in their plastic wrapper) will fetch more than a used card in the majority of cases. Remember that not all Callcards came wrapped, and a card reader would be necessary to show if a card is mint with units or not. There are some very rare exceptions to this rule.
General Release Cards (100, 000-1, 000,000)
|
Unit |
Used Price Range |
Mint Price Range |
|
5 |
€1-€4 |
€2-€6 |
|
10 |
- |
€1.50-€5 |
|
20 |
- |
€2.50-€7 |
|
50 |
€.50-€3 |
€7.50-€11 |
|
100 |
€.50-€3 |
€17-€24 |
Special Release Cards (10, 000-99, 000)
|
Unit |
Used Price Range |
Mint Price Range |
|
5 |
€1-€15 |
€4-€20 |
|
10 |
€1-€12 |
€2-€16 |
|
20 |
€1-€12 |
€2.50-€7 |
|
50 |
€1-€11 |
€8.50-€16 |
|
100 |
€1.50-€15 |
€18-€40 |
Please note that prices listed here are guidelines. The callcard market is very changeable, and values of cards to go up and down.
You can also refer to the Card List to see how many of a particular callcard were made. If you want to contact me for help please click here or send an email to nick@irishcallcards.net. I will do my best to value your collection.
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Leave a comment...
Andy Posted - 7 years ago
Hey, I have maybe 200 cards that I am looking to sell. I am sure alot of them are used how can i value and sell them?
Nick Rankin (Administrator) Posted - 7 years ago
Quoting ANNE AINE
HAVE A REPUBLIC OF IRELAND 1994 WORLD CUP USED 10 UNIT CARD IS IT WORTH ANYTHING :-?
Hi Anne,
Unfortunately both the World Cup '94 and the Goldeneye Callcards are worth nothing used in todays climate used.
Both were gen. released cards with hundreds of thousands produced.
The same goes for the Zig & Zag, Deirdre, Trinity and Tina Turner cards.
Thanks for the comment!
Nick
ANNE AINE Posted - 7 years ago
HAVE A REPUBLIC OF IRELAND 1994 WORLD CUP USED 10 UNIT CARD IS IT WORTH ANYTHING :-?
ANNE AINE Posted - 7 years ago
IS A USED GOLDENEYE 10 UNITS CALLCARD WORTH ANYTHING OR PODGE AND RODGE 10 UNIT ONE USED ALSO TINA TURNER 20 UNITS USED A 50 UNIT TRINITY 400 ALSO A 50 UNIT USED DEIRDRE OF SORROWS
Nick Rankin (Administrator) Posted - 8 years ago
Quoting Ulla Harris
Hi there ..
I have Irish Phone Cards Fair " Entrance Ph. Cards " .... also quite a few " Jeremy Farrell " cards . some with signed art work aka .. Fitzpatrick , Robert Ballagh .... was wondering if there would be interest in them ...
Thanks
Ulla
Hi Ulla,
If you would like a valuation feel free to send on some photos of the callcards to my email address: nick@irishcallcards.net and I'd be happy to help value them
Regards
Nick
Ulla Harris Posted - 8 years ago
Hi there ..
I have Irish Phone Cards Fair " Entrance Ph. Cards " .... also quite a few " Jeremy Farrell " cards . some with signed art work aka .. Fitzpatrick , Robert Ballagh .... was wondering if there would be interest in them ...
Thanks
Ulla
Nick Rankin (Administrator) Posted - 8 years ago
Quoting Callcards
Hi.
I've maybe 400 callcards some used some not even ope as I collected them as a kid. Now I'm looking to get rid of them for some cash. Where would I go to do this?? Some are from the very beginning still in plastic never open or uses and some have been used but in excellent condition.
The best places to sell Callcards include Adverts.ie, Ebay.ie and of course the Irish Callcards.net marketplace here :) . Feel free to drop me a mail nick@irishcallcards.net if you would like a valuation
Regards
Nick
Callcards Posted - 8 years ago
Hi.
I've maybe 400 callcards some used some not even ope as I collected them as a kid. Now I'm looking to get rid of them for some cash. Where would I go to do this?? Some are from the very beginning still in plastic never open or uses and some have been used but in excellent condition.
Nick Rankin (Administrator) Posted - 8 years ago
Quoting Stephen Devine
Can u give me the bad news on the fca lol special edition card. Perfect form and not being used. In plastic. Mint
Hi Stephen,
Is this the 50 Unit An F.C.A card? If it is and you have it mint wrapped current day value would be in the region of €5.50-9~
Nick
Stephen Devine Posted - 8 years ago
Can u give me the bad news on the fca lol special edition card. Perfect form and not being used. In plastic. Mint
Nick Rankin (Administrator) Posted - 8 years ago
Quoting luke clarke
hi Nick i have over 200 callcards still in their wrappers would love to know what they are worth just an example of what i have la le padraic with a shamrock in front 4 tarzan ones irish dancers dancing to 3 guys on fiddles etc loads of santa onesgarth brooks tina turner michael george boyzone bon jovi michael davitt liam neeson as michael collinsloads of disney onesloads of plain telecom eireann chocolate ones drinks special limited editions in call card packs irish brain research foundation la le padraic herding sheep i could go on and on
hope to hear from you luke clarke
Hi Luke,
Do feel free to drop me an email to nick@irishcallcards.net and I would be happy to assist you in valuing your Callcard collection
Nick
luke clarke Posted - 8 years ago
hi Nick i have over 200 callcards still in their wrappers would love to know what they are worth just an example of what i have la le padraic with a shamrock in front 4 tarzan ones irish dancers dancing to 3 guys on fiddles etc loads of santa onesgarth brooks tina turner michael george boyzone bon jovi michael davitt liam neeson as michael collinsloads of disney onesloads of plain telecom eireann chocolate ones drinks special limited editions in call card packs irish brain research foundation la le padraic herding sheep i could go on and on
hope to hear from you luke clarke
Nick Rankin (Administrator) Posted - 8 years ago
Quoting Joe West
Hi Nick
I have a number of Irish call card mint and used and I was wondering if they were worth anything I have 2 telecom eireannn they look mint no scratches like if you put them in a phone one is 50 units and the other is 10 units.I also have telecom eireann charge card and telecom eireann £5 Ireland Direct prepaid calling card and 7, 5unit mint Irish and a large number of 10,20,50,and 100,unit mint Irish call cards in rappers I also have a large number of 10,20,50,and100,unit used call cards. And I have a few old BT Telecom cards one is for use in HM prisons only. I hope you might me.
Regards
Joe West
Hi Joe,
Feel free to drop me an email nick@irishcallcards.net I'd be happy to help you value your collection :) . I'll also let you know what is rare and what isnt,
Regards,
nick
Joe West Posted - 8 years ago
Hi Nick
I have a number of Irish call card mint and used and I was wondering if they were worth anything I have 2 telecom eireannn they look mint no scratches like if you put them in a phone one is 50 units and the other is 10 units.I also have telecom eireann charge card and telecom eireann £5 Ireland Direct prepaid calling card and 7, 5unit mint Irish and a large number of 10,20,50,and 100,unit mint Irish call cards in rappers I also have a large number of 10,20,50,and100,unit used call cards. And I have a few old BT Telecom cards one is for use in HM prisons only. I hope you might me.
Regards
Joe West
Nick Rankin (Administrator) Posted - 7 years ago
Hi Andy,
Feel free to drop me a mail with photos of your Callcard collection and I could advise you further: nick@irishcallcards.net. :-)
All the best,
Nick