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'True Brit' BT Phonecard
- The first phonecards appeared in Italy in 1976, in the UK in 1981 and in the USA as late as 1991.
- Phonecards are now available in more than 200 countries worldwide
- Unused phonecards tend to be the most valuable. However, one phonecard, found discarded in a Scottish payphone, was sold for £850.
- The most collectable phonecards are those which, like collectable stamps, feature interesting visuals. Commemorative phonecards are particularly popular.
- Phonecard collecting has been christened 'fusilately', from the nearest Latin word for plastic. In the US it's called Telegery.
- Last year BT sold 30 million phonecards.
- Around 1,800 different BT Phonecards have been produced.
- There are more than four million collectors worldwide. In Japan there are now more people collecting phonecards than stamps.
- The UK has an estimated 100,000 collectors.
- A 1983 standard issue Taiwanese edition is the world's most expensive phonecard. It recently sold in Japan for £28,000.
- Printing mistakes escalate the price of a card. One copy of an edition depicting a David Shepherd painting appeared without its border and signature. It has never been put up for sale and dealers say it is worth thousands of pounds.
- BT's first 10 unit Phonecards sold for £1 in 1981. Today an unused one sells for £150.
Date of Manufacture: 1981
Quantity Available: 52
Physical Condition: Good
Original Box: No
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