Moneycard Album

61 Pages·2010·42.85 MB·English

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CONTENTS
MISSION STATEMENT
mOnE'fCRRD COLLECTOR
isdedicatedto developin~ BabyBellNotes 10
andsupportin~ the ArtBeckercontinues hislookatthe
performanceofcollectibleRBOCs cardswith an
collectormarketfor examination ofNYNEX,includingtheBaby
Bell'sLandis&Gyroptical stored memorycards,
telephoneandothertypes
magneticcardsand remote memorycards.
6Politically
ofprepaidcardsby
Correct
providin~ entertainment. America's MostWanted 48
The 1992
Cartoon images playastrongpartin this
newsandinformation DemocraticNational
month'sfavorites, with USACard'sPinkPanther
Convention telecards
for collectors.dealers. atthe Olympics hurdlingto thetopofthe heap.
are alreadyfamous
Reasonable per-minuterates and clearinfor
issuers.manufacturers and issuerssuchas mation oncard mintagesseemto beattracting
PacificBell,AT&T
collectors, with corporateorpromotionalcards
andusers. andAmeritech have
on therise, too.
hitthe campaign trail
thisyear,Jim
Chudnownotes. GermanPaycard Test 53
DeutscheTelekom andthe German tmnsit
MURRAYCHURCH
authorities held aprepaid moneycard trial
Publisher 12 Outofthis
Dlurrayc@amospl'ess.com duringthesummer.Thecardscould be used to
World maketelephonecalls fromTelekom's public
TOMWILLIAMS They'reamongus! UFO payphonesas wellas to purchaseticketsfor
Editor trainsand buses, UlfHelmke writes.
themed cards, both realisticand
[email protected]
fantastic, in sets byPATCOand
TERESAWENRICK UFONeards, respectively,make ATale ofTwoCards 58
ArtDirector interestingcollectibles. Itwasn'tthe officialshowcardfortheAmerican
tel'[email protected]
NumismaticAssociation'sannualconvention
TERRISMITH thatone, by USACard, was wellreceived by
CirculationManager collectorsand vi itors- butacoupleofspelling
terris@amospl'ess.com errors made the GTSRoyal Canadian Mintcard
muchsoughtalter. Whereis"Colardo,"anyhow?
TIMYEDINAK
AdvertisingManager
[email protected] DEPARTMENTS
VICTORIASTONE
?Jltll~~()(J~y' 4
Cataloger!Wr;ter .
toris@amo preS.com 50 Venerable Letters 5
VISA
MEGSCHULTZ BabyBell otes 10
Sr.ProductionArtist Beforethe hooplaand
[email protected] excitementgenerated by VISA ~()rp'()~.at~.~l:Ir.Jl~r 14
Cash,VISAtried outits PriceGuide 15
MARYHOLTHAUS predecessorsatvarious
AdministrativeAssistant conferences intheU.S.and ~~~l~~J:)i~~~~()~'y' 41
[email protected]
LatinAmerica. RobertMerkert ClassifiedAds 43
ARTBECKER "Sgr.rarnepdodratdsdoynVthISeAse"cards. CalendarofEvents 46
SeniorContributingWriter
QuikTakes 47
JIMCHUDNOW
ON1-' W'oR l.(,)
America's MostWanted 48
STEVEEYER ONE CUf(REN("
D.DOUGLASGRAHAM VISA International Issues 53
BRUCEHARMON NewU.S. Issues 54
ULFHELMKE New SportsIssues 57
ROBERTMERKERTSR.
ContributingWriters
EDITORIALOFFICES:911VandemarkRoad,Sidney,Ohio ANNUALSUBSCRIPTIONRATE: $19.95(12issues);$32.95(24issues);foreignadd$20pcr
yeaI'; Phone:[phone](menuoption3) MAILINGADDRESS: P.O.Box783,Sidney,01145365-0783 REPRINTREQUESTS [phone],ext.
387 £lI!2NE:[phone] EAX;,[phone] INTERNETSITES:<http://hmt.com/mone)card/index.hlml> <http://-nnv.csmonline.com/mone)card>
OTHERE-MAILADDRESSES CompuServe:75757,3435 AOL:MUI'rayC466 HQJl.!lS..:. Mon.-Fri.8AM-5PM,EST.
MoneyclmlCollector·ispublishedmonlhlybyAmosPress,Inc.,911Vllnc!ClllarkRd.,Sidn{'y,Ohio45365.(CSTRI2622S960) PublishersofCars&:PariS,TheSilbwyDailyi"('It's,Lillll'sStamp\ewi:,
CoinWorld,SooaPostageStampCMalog,and8mllStampJtofl,hly.Entirecontentsl'op)righl 1996b) \m05Pn'ss,"1('.,Sidney,Ohio4536.~.POeILllu~tl'r:\ddrt,SS(changesLO.\!ofle.yccmJCUllf'Clor.
P.O.Box59539,Boulder.CO80322-9539.Periodicall}OstugepaidatSidnc)OHandadditionalmnilingorlin·s.PItI\TEI)1\THE(-~\.
3
\10~EyeAIII) COLI.ECTOil
ON THE MONEY
Recentepisodeshaveshown that the prepaid phonecardindustry, as newandbooming
as itis,isstillworkingon developinggood habits.
One ofthe areas that need improvementis the practice ofsending"sample" cards
printedwith PI numbers. We received phonecardsfrom twoseparate companies.
In one case,the card setwas stuckto asheetofordinarypaper. Printedatthe bottom
ofthe sheetinsmalltype was the advisory"Thesesample cardshave notbeen activated."
The dangers ofproducingphonecards thatlooklive butare notactive are obvious. No matter
how tightlycontrolled,havingan inactive cardthatcan be separatedfrom the documentation that
marks itas such is playingwithfire.
In the othercase,there was no warningatall. Wehadtestedthe cardandreceiveda
recordedmessage thatithadnotbeenactivated. Whenwequestionedtheissuer, wegot
the response. "Oh,those cardswesentyouwerejustfor the magazine." Heexplained
thatthe cardhadbeensentatthe requestofthe customer,and normallythatcustomer
didn'twantcardsreleased. Nowhere onthe cardwasawarningthatitwasasample.
Soundfamiliar? HTTechnologiesInc. - notinvolvedin the instances citedabove
in theirSeptemberletterresponse to the Julystory"UncertainUtility" claimedthata
card testedfrom Moneycard Collector's inventory was sent"asasample only,for press
release purposes and was notintendedto have an active PIN."
Suchsloppy practicesoverlookthefact thatphonecardshave highlydesirable
images,and collectorswillfind ways to getthem. Ifacollectorfinds thatthe cardisinac
tive,then everybodylooksbad. The collectorfeels like he's beenplayedfor thefool; the
dealerappearsas he issellingshoddygoods;and theissuerlookslike he's tryingto pullafast one.
Inneithercasementioneddidwedetectanyattemptto deceive. Butbeinginnocentand being
perceivedasinnocentbotharecrucialtotheindustry. Thestepstoprotectanissuer'sintegrityandthe
collector'sperceptionaresimple: Substitutethewording"sample"or"specimen"forthePIN,and
printitonthe card. Ifthat's impossible,fasten astickynon-removablelabelthatproclaims"Thisisa
sample" to thebackofthe card. Simplesteps,yes,butonesthatcanavoidalotofmisunderstanding.
Moneycard Collectorhas taken anotherstepforward, one thatmany readers wouldn'tnormally
hearabout, butone thattheyshould notice: The magazine has been approvedfor aperiodicals
mailingrate,formerly called asecond-classrate. Moneycard Collectorhadbeenmailingoutcopies
third class,which has no requiredstandarddelivery time. The newstatus, accordingto Circulation
ManagerTerri Smith,shouldgreatlyimprove deliverytime andpossiblyimprovethe as-delivered
conditionofcopies. We're thrilledabout the change, because it helps us getthe hobby'smost
excitingnews to you in amore timelyfashion. Kudos to Smithfor her hard work.
To find
Moneycard TomWilliams,Editor
Collectorata CATALOGUPDATE
bookstore I n the Septemberissue, we emitted high-frequency criesfor help: Tellus whatyou wantin
the upcomingMoneycard CollectorCatalogofCollectible U.S. & CanadianPrepaidPhone,
ornewsstand
Cash& Transit Cards!
nearyou, Boy, didyou everletus know. Color, Color, Color! We hear you loudand clear; we
intendto printourcatalogingloriousfour-color, andtry ourbestto listeverycard pro
please call
duced in the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, you told us thataprice in the neighborhood of$35
1-800-221-3148. isn'ttoo much to payfor the kind ofhigh-qualityproductwe'llbringto you: comprehensive, accu
rate listings; astraightforwardnumberingsystembased on chronologyand a cross-referenced
index to guide you quickly to cards. Readers who responded to the surveyreceived a $5 credit
toward the purchase ofourcatalog, which willbe available early 1997.
As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions. With your help, theMoneycard
CollectorCatalogwillbe the kind ofreference andpriceguide thathobbies are builtupon.
Tori Stone, Cataloguer
4
\10~~YCAIlIl COLL~CTOIl
READERS ALWAYS WRITE
HTrevisited
Olympic experience mixed
Thankyouforprintingourlettertothe editorinresponse to Beingfamiliar withstored-valuecards
yourarticleabout"UncertainUtility" (July 1996). by using themattheJacksonville
Regardingyourlittlenotationatthe bottomoftheletter, Jaguars games,I decided to purchase the
yourinformation regardingthe criminalinvestigationisincor FirstUnion-Texacosetand try theVISA
rect. Theinvestigationwastemporarilystalled,then afew days Cash cards outat the OlympicGames.
laterthedistrictattorneyhandlingthecasewasterminated. Oneofthe decidingfactors was thatthe FirstUnionCorp.;
TheChiefDAofthe CriminalDivisionhasassignedanewpros cards could be used atall Olympic Texacogymnast;
ecutorandthe caseisstillbeinginvestigated. Asforthe num $50denomin.ation;
venuesfor food and souvenirs. With the 25,000issued;
berofLDDScardsinbatches,itisusually100cards.
inflated prices,IthoughtIwouldeasily April1996.
Whydid youspeculatethatthe numberofcardsin the
spend the$180on the cards.
stolenbatchwas"likelyto befar greater"? The venuesIvisited turned outtobeadisappointment.
In FultonCounty Stadium,roughlysixfood vendors took
the cards,requiringlong walks to the concessions. Noneof
DanTudor,PresidentandCEO,HTTechnolo~es Inc.
thesouvenirvendors took the card. Atthemountainbiking
WhenreportedinourSeptemberissue,thecriminolcasementionedby venue,itwasacash-onlyaffair. Ivi ited thePeachtree
Mr. Tudorha.dbeenclosed. Sincethattime,therehavebeencivicelec Center,whichwasadvertisedin the VISACashbrochure
tionswhichbroughtaboutmajorpersonnelchangesintheDA'soffice
andfound threefood vendors acceptingthe card. At
andanotherappealbyMr. Tudorthatthecasebereopened. That appeal
wasgrantedandtheoutcomeispending. UndergroundAtlanta,which wasnotadvertised,several cart
Instatingtha.tthenumberofcardsinvolvedislikelytobeforgreater, vendorsdid take the card.
weareemplwsizingthatbatchesofcards- which can number100,as The bestlocationswerethefast-food partnerssuchas
Mr. Tudorstates- notsinglecards,arelikelyinvolved.
BurgerKing and Chick-Fil-A.BurgerKing evenhad their
ownco-brandedcards. Surprisingly,the worstplacewas the
Seeking answers
Texaco StarMartwhereIboughtthe cards. Iwentbackto
Doyouhaveaquestion-and-answercolumninyourmag
itlaterin the day and the card readerhad notbeenworking
azine? Ifnot,youneedone!
all day. Theclerkdid notfeel it was importantenoughto
Itwould beagreataddition to youralreadysuperior
call anyone. Theproblem wascorrected the nextday.
magazine.
Iwas surprised bythe coveragerange. I could use the
Beingnewatcollecting,Ioftenhaveseveralquestions
cards up to 30miles outsideAtlanta. Iexperiencedonecard
and veryfew answers. Dealers oftendon'thave time to
failure duringthe week. Thecardsdo liveup to their"easi
answer questions unlessyou are placingan order.
erthan cash"claimas longas the clerks are trained touse
IfyouarenotplanningaQ&Acolumninyour magazine
them,butI feel thatitisgoing tobeup to merchants to
anytime soon,do you haveanysuggestions as to where I
embracethe card beforethe technologytakes off.
may turn to fmd someanswers to myquestions?
StephenStrader.PalmCoast.FL.
CarolynEbbinghaus,North\ille,MI
It'snotonlybeginnersthathavequestionsaboutthisexcitingnewhobby,
andwetrytokeepthatinmindwithsucharticlesas "TipsforBeginning FirstUnionCorp.;BurgerKing;
$20/$50denomination;10,000
Collectors,"(Page17,Septemberissue). OtherplacestogetalISwers
eachissued;July1996.
includethe"frequentlyaskedquestions"section ofourMoneycard
CollectorhomepagesontheInternet (seebottomofContentspagefor
addresses)orbyobtain.ingacopyofthe ''MoneycardCollectingMade
Easy"handbook,availablefor$3.95bycalling(800) 645-7456.
B&Bworking hard
Thisis areply to Mr. Daniel'sletteraboutthe 17thNational Sports Collectors Convention (Page 5,October).
Pleasebe aware thatwe sympathize with the problems ofour customersin redeemingtheir prizes. Those problems
were notofourmaking. We wereunable to redeem LevelVprizes because we did not receive the prizesfrom the
manufacturer. We are currentlyredeeming themfrom ourowninventory. .
We ceased distributingLevelIIIprizes whenwe learned that the 800 number printed on the cards was notworking
properly. We are continuingto request thatthe manufacturerreplace those defective cards.
B&Bnever represented that redemption cardswouldbe scanned; we do not know how or where thatrumor was.
started. We carriedoutthe prize selectioninprivacyto assure randomselection, and fairness to all who were redeemmg
cards. We havesufferedfinancially from the problems atthe ational, and are working hard to remedy the situation.
We hope thatourcustomersunderstandthat with the 17th National Coke productwe also were the customer.
Itremains ourintentionto meetallourcommitments, and to continue to marketaqualityproductto ourcustomers.
BuzandBettyHoughtaling,B&BFoneCardsandPromotions.AltaLoma.CA.
5
110~EYCARD COLLECTOH
ecards with election the (e..Cll1Il-paign trail
ByJim Chudnow
A tone time, there was denly came into the market, quite
HtwVOrk1Ilepl\OllI
one politics-related ChangeCanI'" possibly from foreign sources that
phonecard that was so ~------~---~--.-t had acquired the cards long ago,
important, it was used and the prices began falling. The
as a benchmark to help $1 card now retails for about $525,
determine the state of the industry and the $5.25 goesfor about$150.
in the U.S. - the NY EX $1 card The cards have remained basi
produced for the 1992 Democratic cally popular, with the potential for
JationalConventionin New York. NYNEX;1992DemocraticConvention increased demand because of the
Shortly before the convention NYCskyline;$1 denomination;20,000 1996 presidential campaign, but
issued;July1992.
started Y EX conducted trials wariness over the possibility of
with Landis &Gyr magnetic-striped other large hoards has reduced
"change cards" to be used in spe their use as a reliable benchmark
cial phones. When they were for the industry.
asked to provide services for the AT&T also issued cards for the
Convention, they decided to create Democratic National Convention in
two special mag-stripe phonecards: 1992with the"Teleticket"heading.
20,000 were done of a $1 card to The familiar Statue of Liberty
be given away to people involved image with an updated Democratic
AT&T;1992DemocraticNational
with the convention; it featured a Convention message on the reverse
ConventionTeleticket; 10-,25-and50
view of the NYC skyline. The units;500each;July1992. was issued in 10-, 25- and 50-unit
other "Coin Replacement Card" denominations; 500 of each were
was printed in a quantity of 12,000, and pictured the produced. Also issued were cards bearingthe slightly
head of the Statue of Liberty. Although it says stylized name of the event on the front. There were
"$ 5.25," it sold in vending machines for $5, with the approximately 1,200 done ofthe lO-unit version, plus
additional 25 cents a free gift from NYNEX to try to around 500 25-unitversionsand 250 50-unitversions.
encourage people to buy the card. But this is a new presidential election year and
At that time, the majority of U.S. residents was so new cards are being released, each with stories
unfamiliar with prepaid phonecards. Thus, many of behindthem.
the cards, especially the $1 version, were thrown away
or destroyed. The resultant rarity ofthe cards led to a Hop on GOP
massive increase in value for the remaining examples:
around March 1994, the $1 card had shot up to The Republican Party held its tightly scripted
around $1,700 and the Liberty Head card rose to "Inclusion-Fest" in San Diego from Aug. 12-15. For
about $320. About a year ago, stashes of cards sud- that event, Pacific Bell released a series ofthree cards
6
110'EYCAHJ) COLLECTOH
picturing four PACIFIC*BELL. S20 pmAIO [A~O THINGSARE ACmaredr/iCcaomCTaellling
LOOKINGUPIN961
sights of the It Debit
1I1U11ICAII Technologies;
HATIONAL
area, with the Republican
party's ele Nationnl
Convention,$10
phant symbol
denominntion;
and the year in 1,000issued;
the center. ..........."..". August1996.
They printed 1> J J !J
25,000 each of PacificBell;1996RepublicanNational
the $10 and Convention;$10(25,000issued);$20(25,000
issued);and$50denominations(15,000
$25 version,
issued);plus100$5versions;May1996.
and 15,000 of
the $50 version. There is a $5 version, given to con
vention, city, host committee and Pacific Bell employ
ees. There reportedly were only300 $5 cards issued.
Pacific Bell Mobile Services also issued a smart AT&T;1996RepublicanNational
card for the convention, trumpeting the roll-out of Convention; 10-and25-units;
PhoneCardsUSA;1997Dole
quantityunavailable;August1996.
their PCS ("Personal Communication Services") sys Residence1997;$10denominntion;
tem. The cards were for use in 500 handsets provided 1,000issued;August1996.
to campaign and convention officials. Pac Bell is call
ing the PCS system the "next generation of wireless Democratic process
technology." The chip-based cards were for use in
handsets provided by Nokia and Motorola, both sport For the official activities of the 1996 Democratic
ing stars-and-stripes designs, and an Ericsson handset Convention in Chicago, local RBOC Ameritech
bearingthe image ofatrumpetingGOP elephant. installed equipment for what it considered to be "the
AT&T also issued 10- and 25-unit PrePaid Calls most technology-intensive convention in history."
cards for the GOP convention. The 25-unit cards There were eight varieties of prepaid telephone cards
included the wording"limited edition" on the obverse. in Ameritech's stylized "Stars-from-the-American
Charles Cudlip of Hannibal Communications, who Flag"design.
attended the convention, said that is first time he can For"land"lines,Ameritech issuedatotal of43,000
recallsuchalabel onanAT&Tissue. cards: 22,000 five-unit versions as giveaways in wel
A direct-mail letter was sent by the mayor of San come bags presented to delegates and special guests,
Diego to a GOP-supplied list of various delegates and and 10,500 each of $10 and $20 denominations that
affiliated people. Captioned "So, What Kind Of Card were available at about 35 venues, including a vending
Carrying Republican Are You?" the flier, with the Pac machine at an Ameritech office, in kiosks at some
Bell logo mentions that a portion ofthe proceeds from major hotels and at the United
the sale of the cards would help defray some of the Center convention hall.
costs ofthe Convention. AT&T, which issued two pre
Cards also were available for sale by calling Pac paid cards for the convention,
Bell and via a vending machine at their convention held the contract for long-dis
booth. The cards were not given away as "gifts" to tancecalls.
conventioneers. The flyer mentions that the cards In conjunction with Brite
"may notfunction from someforeign countries." Voice Systems, Ameritech
On the unofficial side, America Calling issued 25,450 prepaid cards
Card/ComTel Debit Technologies issued a card with a you could only get as part ofa
lighter touch for the GOP convention. The $10 rental ofcellular phone equip
denomination card features a flag-waving elephant ment. Ameritech planned for
squashing a donkey. Of the 1,000 issued, 250 were the possibility of up to 100
given away to visiting politicians, delegates and the percent cellular usage at the
media with the balancefor sale to the public. '96 Democratic National
Also weighingin just in time for the GOP conven Convention, up from an esti Ameritech;1996Democratic
tion was PhoneCardsUSA's $10 phonecard. The card mated 25-30 percent at the '92 NationalConvention; inChicago,
eightvarietiesstartingat5units,
features a photo of the White House with the opti conventions. Cards were re
$10and$20denominations,
mistic label "1997 Dole Residence." The San Diego leased in four denominations 43,000issued;plus1,500$5jumbo
based company issued 1,000 numbered cards Aug. 1, for advance payment of cellu cards,partofalbum;nnd$30,
$60,$90and$120denominntiolls
and they reportedly were a hit with delegates and lar phone service (quantities in
forcellularphon.es,25,450issued;
Republicansupporters. parentheses) - $30 (16,600), August1996.
7
~IO:"lEYCAIlO COLLECTOIl
logos. The 25-unitcard, sellingat $10 had those logos,
plus the Democratic National Convention logo and a
viewofthe downtown Chicago skyline.
Carol Wydra, manager of local AT&T events, said
that, while no quantity was available, more than 1,000
phonecards were sold one day atanAT&T booth, most
ofthem the 25-unit"skyline" card. She was surprised
atthe number ofpeople who commentedthat theyfelt
the cardswould quickly rise in value as collectibles.
Convention delegate Paul E. Krizek - a rare bird
to track down, since there were about 5,000 delegates
and 15,000 media representatives - proclaimed "I
love phonecards." Krizek, a legislative assistant to a
$60 (5,300), $90 (1,850) and
Virginia congressman, said he was exposed to
$120 (1,800). Those versions
phonecards in England years ago when visiting his
had the word "cellular" added
parents. He said he has kept his 1992 Democratic
in red near the center of the
Convention NYNEXcardinmintcondition.
design.
Also in the welcome bags given to delegates and
After the initial setup of
the media, there was another telecard. Miller Lite
an assigned code, there was
provided an interactive card which allowed callers to
no need to enter passwords or
reach their"partyheadquarters" plus relayed informa
codes for each call, since the
tion about restaurants, bars, entertainment and events
Brite system could then
in the area.
"read" which rented phone
Ameritech distributors Powell Associates and
was being used for calls. A
USA Card said they expected to receive some of the
"regular" (non-D IC) $120
DNC cards. Interested collectors should contact
STS;Democraticcampaigll;10 card also was available for those companies.
units; Will ill '96,1,000eachof prepaid cellularuse.
Strategic Telecom Systems Inc. produced four
threeversiolls,Clillton·Core;
Ameritech also offered a
1,000issued;August1996. cards for 1996 Democratic ational Committee. One
special DNC Prepaid Card
of the 10-unit cards features Clinton and Gore, the
Collection Album. There were 1,500 produced, and,
otherthree bore the words "Win in '96" withblue,red
after being offered first to Ameritech employees with
and blue, and flag backgrounds. There were 1,000 of
300 for sale at the convention, the balance was dis
eachissued.
tributed at cellular phone stores. The album had spe
cial slots for the six highest-denomination cards plus Race for the presidency
an exclusive $5jumbo. When the cards andjumbo are
put in the album, they form a puzzle set of the "flying The convention cards are just the end ofthe trail:
stars" flag design. The 5-unit card had its own special In February 1996, a "Race for the Presidency" series
folder. of cards was pro
At a face value of $337, the issue certainly is one duced by
of the most expensive sets of U.S. cards ever initially East/West
sold as a single set. Unlike the Telecom. To
Republican Convention cards,none of encourage inter
lfm~ the DNC card proceeds go directly to est by young peo
the DemocraticParty. ple in the elec
Employees at Ameritech's con tion process, a
vention booths said they had been postercontestwas
PAR2'Y instructed to make no statements initiated for kids East/West;RaceForThePresidency;10
units(1,000issued),100units(100)
about how many phonecards had in the Boston
LIFE IS GOOD issued;February1996.
beensold. area, promoted by
lihen You Vote,
-r.-.;.' AT&T called their pair of cards AT&T, card dealer Telenova, and various institutions
~_ t'1 Tk0,..' t)f'l;11~)"1~~ ;"'.J"'1'"<~'~ "commemorative, discounted prepaid and publications. The winning poster design, called
OFFICIAL
cards." Both were attached to carri "Communication;" was printed by Jericho, with time
MEMBER ers saying "Welcome to the 1996 provided by AT&T: 250 serially numbered cards with
Democratic National Convention." 5 minutes of time, plus 50 numbered cards reading
The 5-unit card, selling for $3, pic "test"and30blank-backproofs.
MillerLite;interactiveparty tured the American flag and the East/West also issued a specific "Race For The
card;quantityunknown;
August1996. AT&T and Lucent Technologies Presidency" card, in 10- and 100-unit versions: the
8
IIONEYCAIlO COLLECTOIl
Victory" pose as he
eagerly begins his
campaign of "Gar
field in '96 For
President." As his
motto at the top of
the card points out
with frightening
accuracy "You've
DoneWorse."
GTS;Post
Also on the ACMI;GarfieldforPresident;$6denomination;
Cerealskids'
1,000issued; August1996.
vote;15million lighter side, in
issuedineight
September 1994, ACMI issued one of their
varieties;
July1996. "Endangered Species" cards with a caricature of
President Bill Clinton. It shows his birthday ("Issued
front was the same for both, showing the name of the 8/19/46"). Two versions were done, using the same
card with the "E Pluribus Unum" eagle design and a image but with a different quantity shown - the $3
logo saying "Supported by AT&T." The interactive, one reads"1992," and the $7 one shows"1996."
100-unit cards allowed callers direct connection to the Exposure to the political process causes the imagi
offices of the Massachusetts governor, that state's U.S. nation to yearn for appropriate phonecards: One that
senators and a congressman, and the White House. pops to mind would commemorate politicians who
The total printingfor the 100-unitcards was 30 blank take a stand one week, and then change position the
back "proofs," 50 cards numbered and labeled "test" next. A flip-flopping chameleon in fTont of the U.S.
and 100 regular versions. The 10-unit versions, flag might be a fitting - though perhaps not politically
m
designed more for the collector's market, had 50 correct- phonecardimage.
imprinted "Test," plus 1,000 standard versions, all
serially numbered.
For the New Hampshire presidential primary in
February, SmarTel distributed 1,000 interactive "flag"
cards with 10 minutes of long-distance calling time.
The cards only could be activated only by beating a
Feb. 19 deadline for answering various questions
age, sex, income bracket, political affiliation, and who
you'd vote for in the Republican primary. Nearly a
third of the recipients answered the questions within
24 hours afterobtainingthe card.
Starting them young
Beginninginlate July, PostCereals,in conjunction
with GTS, gave America's youth something huge to
chew on: the release ofmore than 15 million interac
tive "voting cards" in boxes ofAlpha Bits, Flintstones,
Honeycomb and Golden Crisp cereal brands. The
eightcards - two perbrand ofcereal - allow people to
use the phone to call in and vote for their choice for
president- after which they'd heararecorded "Thank
you" from their choice. One goal ofthe program was
to getkids more interested in the politicalprocess.
Some White House aspirants can't be taken seri
ously. An example is seen in a series oftwo $6 cards
issued by ACMI this year. Both feature America's
favorite cartoon cat, Garfield.
The first, issued in April with a quantity of2,000,
featured Garfield holding onto a "USA" logo atop a
field of a flag-colored map of the country. That was a
subtle sign ofwhat was to come. At the end ofAugust,
he could seen in a Nixon-esque "double-V-for-
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MO.~EYCAHD COLLECTOH