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.
Has this guide helped you? I hope it did! If you would like to show your appreciation please click here for options.
Leave a comment...
luke clarke Posted - 9 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 - 9 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 - 9 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 - 9 years ago
Quoting Joanne Devereux
Hi,
I have a small callcard collection from when I was a kid. Most are irish ones I have used and still in the wrapper ones and some foregin ones too. Do you know where I could sell them and how much I could get for them?
Thanks
Joanne Devereux
Hi Joanne,
Ebay, Adverts.ie and Delcampe.net would be the most common places Irish Callcards are sold these days.
Do feel free to email me nick@irishcallcards.net if you would like me to provide a valuation for your Callcards :-) ,
Regards,
Nick
Joanne Devereux Posted - 9 years ago
Hi,
I have a small callcard collection from when I was a kid. Most are irish ones I have used and still in the wrapper ones and some foregin ones too. Do you know where I could sell them and how much I could get for them?
Thanks
Joanne Devereux
Nick Rankin (Administrator) Posted - 10 years ago
Quoting Kev
Hey NIck,
I was wondering if you know of any shops in Dublin that trade callcards? I have a small collection that I'd like to see if any of them are worth anything. I doubt they are mint as they were mainly swiped from the phonebox around from my nannies!! I have a bundle of foreign callcards too so not sure if they can be checked online for value.
Appreciate any help.
Thanks.
Kev
Hi Kev,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you! I'm not aware of any dealers still in Dublin (or anywhere for that matter!) who would take a used collection of Callcards. If you want to send me an email with photos of your Irish cards I will be able to help identify any you may have that hold any value. I couldn't help regarding your foreign cards unfortunately.
My email is nick@irishcallcards.net :)
Nick
Kev Posted - 10 years ago
Hey NIck,
I was wondering if you know of any shops in Dublin that trade callcards? I have a small collection that I'd like to see if any of them are worth anything. I doubt they are mint as they were mainly swiped from the phonebox around from my nannies!! I have a bundle of foreign callcards too so not sure if they can be checked online for value.
Appreciate any help.
Thanks.
Kev
Nick Rankin (Administrator) Posted - 10 years ago
Quoting Tony
Hi. I have two old (plain?) TE callcards, one for 10 units with the Niamh Tir na nOg front and the other 20 units with a Cadbury's ad on front. I doubt any units are used. Are they worth anything? can these even be used in phones any longer? Thanks for the advice.
Hi Tony,
Are both the cards still in the plastic wrapper? If so then they are mint. They could also have units if they are out of the wrapper, but their value would be lower.
Callcards should work in phoneboxes still, however the units value will be shown as currency. For example a 10 unit card would be the same as a €4 card, while a 20 unit card is a €7 (+ €3 free) one. I am not aware of Callcards expiring however this is a possibility.
Value for these cards would be non-existant used, but mint wrapped the Cadburys could fetch 6-10€ and mint Niamh €2-3.
Hope this helps!
Nick
Tony Posted - 10 years ago
Hi. I have two old (plain?) TE callcards, one for 10 units with the Niamh Tir na nOg front and the other 20 units with a Cadbury's ad on front. I doubt any units are used. Are they worth anything? can these even be used in phones any longer? Thanks for the advice.
Nick Rankin (Administrator) Posted - 10 years ago
Quoting JP Pilibin
Hi ~ Just wondering if there is any value in Dublin Bus Yearly cards ~ I have three with pictures but for the last couple of years they are generic ~ Art in Dublin Bus went Yellow like their service ~ Thanks
Hi JP,
I couldn't tell you if theres a market for them being honest. I used to collect the 2 Easy etc. bus cards back in the day as well, but don't think theres any interest in them nowadays.
As your Dublin Bus tickets have special designs they may be worth something, but being honest I wouldn't think so.. Theres a few on ebay here, may be no harm keeping a watch on them..
Hope this helps
Nick
JP Pilibin Posted - 10 years ago
Hi ~ Just wondering if there is any value in Dublin Bus Yearly cards ~ I have three with pictures but for the last couple of years they are generic ~ Art in Dublin Bus went Yellow like their service ~ Thanks
Nick Rankin (Administrator) Posted - 10 years ago
Quoting Knopek
I joined adverts.ie last night after finding my collection after 15 years. I listed some cards and got an offer of 2 euro for the plus E1 free card. I have 1,000 cards and this is the only one of these and its used. How do I know if its the right price. Name on adverts is yvonnebb I have manx tt 90th annbiversary ones in a special folder form 1997 and also 98 ones in folder. I have to start somewhere, Great to find this site, Limeridk/clare area. List of cards on adverts.ie
Hi Yvonne,
Glad you found this site :) . The simply Talk Callcards are interesting as there are not as many out there due to many giving up collecting before they were released. Certainly I wouldn't sell Callcards for €2 only (if thats too include P&P). You need to remember you'll be footing the P&P bill €.60c alone for stamp, maybe €0.10 for envelope then the Payment processor you use (such as Paypal) will likely include a charge, in Paypals case I think its 3% of the transaction. For the Simply Talk if it is in good condition with minor scratching I'd be looking for 7/8€ at least, maybe round it off to €10 and see where you go. It's not a rare card, but the simply Talks do not come up for sale that often either!
Unless you really want rid I wouldn't let it go for €2, unless the buyer also buys maybe 3 or 4 other general release used cards from you and pays €10 or something similar. You can find rough guideline prices for Callcards in the Callcards Gallery on here.
Interesting used cards you have are: feis ceoil, Bloomsday. In good condition these 100u cards could fetch a few euro, €6/7 if unscratched/damaged. Sometimes less, however. Your mint cards you should refer to the guideline prices included in the article above, remember these prices are for the card itself, excl. P&P/Paypal etc. charges. I would say Design a CC 94-€4~ and Pot Mash: €6~ mint.
I honestly cannot help you value the Manx TT cards, but if you email me a few pictures (nick[@]irishcallcards.net - remove [] around @) I may be able to help. If you have other photos of Irish Callcards not displayed on adverts.ie please also feel free to send them on :) . I cannot help you with your foreign Callcards unfortunately!
Hope this helps
Nick
Knopek Posted - 10 years ago
I joined adverts.ie last night after finding my collection after 15 years. I listed some cards and got an offer of 2 euro for the plus E1 free card. I have 1,000 cards and this is the only one of these and its used. How do I know if its the right price. Name on adverts is yvonnebb I have manx tt 90th annbiversary ones in a special folder form 1997 and also 98 ones in folder. I have to start somewhere, Great to find this site, Limeridk/clare area. List of cards on adverts.ie
Knopek Posted - 10 years ago
I have a thousand call cards from Ireland. Uk, isle of man, jersey, europe, middle east, carrivean japan etc. I put pics on adverts.ie yvonnebb is the name there. I got one offer of 2 euro for a plus one euro free eircom call card with a price of 7 euro on it. its used. In the thousand cards its the only one of these I have, How do I know if it is the correct price, I also have a nice collection of Manx tt racing 97 for the 90th anniversary in a special folder, Perfect but used. also manx tt 98 ones in folder, I only took these out last night after 15 years. So this is my first day, Great to find the site.
Nick Rankin (Administrator) Posted - 9 years ago
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