Future Collectable Or Junk? Vintage Credit & Debit Cards

On another forum I frequent there has been some discussion on whether vintage credit and debit cards will one day be a hot collectable market with collectors seeking out rare card issuers and card styles. I don't personally view them as a future collectable (with a few exceptions) but there seems to be plenty of folks out there with a contrary opinion. I could see the vintage credit cards of notable persons and celebrities possibly being worth some money, kind of like the market for vintage checks which isn't very large but does have a small and devoted following, maybe a niche market that only exists on eBay.

Your thoughts?.

 

Given the current atmosphere of identity theft, anyone who doesn't shred their no longer needed cards (Acct closed, expired card, death of cardholder) is an idiot. Even cutting them up and putting the pieces in the trash (as was always previously suggested by card issuers when they sent the new card) isn't enough any more.

I can't imagine why anyone would still have a bunch of old expired cards hanging around the house or how anyone who wanted to "collect" them would find them.

 

its possible. it could be the same as how people collect license plates today.

 

I have every card I ever had in the back of a drawer in case I live long enough to see this. It's what I thought 28 years ago, it's the stuff everyone throws away that becomes sought after.

 

I mean the cards are obviously not in use and haven't been used for years ..don't get rid of them

 

I use to cut my old cards....then one day I started keeping them..
If I want to destroy one...........I MELT IT !

 

I guess if you came across a famous name on an old card....with a siggy on the back.....that might be a sort of collectible !

I mean.....I could see a Steve McQueen visa card going for big money !!

 

Cards may not become valuable for the simple reason that with very little effort anyone could get one with say Elvis Presley on it and a date during his lifetime. How to authenticate? It is a little harder to do a credible (when read by a card reader mechanism) magnetic strip, but looking at what hackers do now, you'd just hire one and tell him/her what you wanted on it. I could see making some money by making up cards with famous celeb names where spending was part of the joke, and fine print on it tells everyone it isn't a real card. Signatures on backs of cards seldom last very long, just copy celeb known sig and "age" it artificially until it is too smeared and faint to authenticate

 

There are over 500 sold listings for credit card under ebay>collectibles>credit, charge cards. Some brought very good money!

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Credit-Char..._Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&_nkw=credit+card&_sop=3

 

Who knew?

Not me but in theory it had to happen.

 

Do you have a green plastic soldier hold it to do this?

 

No, but I do have a green plastic indian !!

 

I've been saving all of our credit cards since the late 80's in a 2 1/2 gal jug and after seeing some of the prices realized in verybrads link I'm floored! I wonder if they could be used by ID thief's or for some other nefarious purpose.

 

Unless the account is still in use I'd doubt it.
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What I find odd about all this...and maybe something will come of it should they decide to act...is that the card belongs to the issuer...not you or anyone else.