In Wingkut Street, a crowded alley in Hong Kong's Western district where stamp dealers are concentrated, a market place for phonecards is quietly taking roots. Following a worldwide trend, an increasing number of stamp dealers are branching into phonecards with great anticipation.
People who have not collected stamps in their lives have been affected by the stamp craze and it won't be long before they realise that stamps and phonecards have much in common.
"Hong Kong people are always hungry for new objects of speculation and the eventual levelling-off of the stamp market may provide an opportunity for phonecrds to be seen as a viable alternative to stamps in beating inflation. Phonecards are certainly the wave of the future and Hong Kong always attuned to trends, is sure to react sooner not later," says Y.C.Chan, a Wingkut Street dealer who has branched into phonecards.
Hong Kong still lags behind in phonecard collecting. The current stamp mania may have eclipsed the emergence of phonecards as collectables.
In Australia and New Zealand, where phonecards were introduced much later, phonecards appear to be surpassing stamps. The fledgling hobby of cartelergy is getting a lot of multi-media coverage.
Phonecard collecting is avidly pursued not only by school children but also by adults who see phonecards as the symbol
of the 21st century communication and as natural progression from collecting stamps.
The surge in popularity of phonecards is reflected in the current values of earlier issues. For example, the set of six phonecards called "Geelong Trial Issue" released in Australia in 1990 with a face value of A$21 is now traded at A$85.
A more phenomenal appreciation is the first phonecard issued
by New Zealand Telecom in 1989. A set of five mint cards with a total face value of NZ$87 is now worth NZ$2200.
"One of the most pleasing aspects of the phonecard 'boom' is the way the hobby has captured the attention of youngsters in Australia. From one Sydney stamp shop - which is becoming, like many others, more of a phonecard shop - there are sightings of students who descend daily in eager hordes to swap and sell phonecards." reports the Stamp Collector, Asia Pacific's monthly magazine for stamps and phonecard collectors.
Valuation of phonecards is similar to stamps. Condition is paramount. Phonecards should have no scratches and must not be bent. Mint cards are generally preferred, particularly by the Japanese collectors who shun anything used, as they naturally trade for more. Sets are priced more than individual cards and completeness of a collection affects the over-all value. Errors or misprint are given higher premiums.
"We have many overseas customer looking for used Hong Kong phonecards, unfortunately, the supply is not steady. Particularly hard to come by in commercial quantities are the HK$250 cards. Without systematic retrieval from users, we can only stock mint cards which comes directly from HK Telecom
and which are tightly controlled by them," says Chan.
HK Telecom is soon to address this issue. According to Ms. Anita Fung, the Phonecard Colector Club's coordinator, exhibitions and seminars are being planned this year.
"One reason phonecards have been overlooked is because it has yet to come out in the open. With a phonecard exhibition, we hope to catch enough attention by the public," says Ms. Fung.
Could phonecards be just a passing fancy? As investment vehicles, time can only tell. But as a hobby, it seems certain to stay.
"How many kids do you know who write letters? On the other hand, they are always using the telephone. Even adults rarely write personal letters anymore preferring quicker communications. So the use of phonecards is a logical extension to this which leads to a collecting hobby," argues a recent article in the Stamp Collector.
Did You Know?
When this article was written, Cartelergy was one of the terms considered for this new hobby. Since then, the International Telephone Card Magazine, the leading journal published by the "father" of the hobby, Dr. Steve Hiscocks, has officially adopted Telegery as the more appropriate English term for phonecard collecting .
The most expensive phonecard sold todate is the NZ$100, 1994 New Zealand Telecom Art Cards (Serial No.001) which was auctioned in 13 June 1994 for NZ$26,000. The Art cards, which feature a colorful nature scene, were printed in Melbourne on behalf of NZ Telecom by Pacific Phonecards. NZ Telecom produced 102 of the Art cards, of which 100 were put up at the auction and two were retained for NZ Telecom archives.
***As reported by Phonecard Collector Magazine
June/July 1994
Over the last couple of years, New Zealand phonecards have enjoyed a phenomenal growth rate in terms of their investment potential and value. Indeed, many cards have been trading for dollar amounts substantially in advance of their face value.
For example, the Year of the Cock collector pack issued in 1993 at NZ$95 now trades at around NZ$2,000-2,500. The
Fernleaf pack issued at NZ$90 now sells at around NZ$1,000
and the AdCards Volume One isued at NZ$55 is now valued at around NZ$600.
***As reported by New Zealand Interternational Phonecard Collector Aug/Sept 1995.
In Wingkut Street, a crowded alley in Hong Kong's Western district where stamp dealers are concentrated, a market place for phonecards is quietly taking roots. Following a worldwide trend, an increasing number of stamp dealers are branching into phonecards with great anticipation.
