Public Issues
There are now over 7000 NTT public issue phonecards, many with thematic and other interesting designs. They can be distinguished from private issues by the NTT logo on the front, and the code on the back, which is 3-figs, hyphen, 3-figs. I have a stock of these cards used- not complete (no-one has a complete collection used)- but probably the best in the World. A catalogue is in preparation, but in the meantime I would be glad to help both specialist and thematic collectors. Prices average at a little under $1.
Private Issues
There are three main sub-types of private issues:
a) "Model cards"- These have a standard background on which you can have your message printed. There are now over 500 different. Codes on the back are preceded by "model" in Japanese. I have a stock for Japanese collectors, and welcome collectors from abroad.
b) "Free cards"- these are private cards printed by NTT's subsidiary, Teleca, and are individually numbered on the back (the code number is preceded by "Free" in Japanese). There are now over 400.000 different cards, and in Japan there are a few collectors with more money and time than sense who try to collect them all. For foreign collectors such a strategy is not viable, but the range of designs provides a great variety for the thematic collector.
c) "White cards"- these are sold blank by NTT to private printers, and codes on the back are 110-008 to -016. How many different cards there are is not known, but there are certainly over a million.
For the foreign collector there is little difference between "free" and "white" cards, both types containing a huge variety of thematic cards. Issue figures are much lower than for public issues- the average number issued of each private card is less than 1000, and very few have tirages of over 10,000. Their rarity makes "free" and "white" cards more desireable and therefore more expensive than their public equivalents.
I have a stock of used private issues divided into over one hundred themes, ranging from ever-popular Coke, Disney, and Movies, to smaller themes such as windmills, cameras, and watches. Prices depend on the theme and individual card, but my prices are very competitive compared to dealers abroad. Please let me know themes you are interested in.
I also stock Movies and Disney new issues mint- again at very reasonable prices.
Other Prepaid (Stored-value) Cards
Phonecards are just one type of prepaid card in Japan. Whilst Visa cash cards have only just taken off abroad, magnetic stored-value cards similar to Japanese phonecards have been used here for many years. Here they are as popular a collectors' item as phonecards- most people have a variety of types in their collection.
The main types are: train cards, used to buy train tickets from machines; bus cards; highway cards for payment of highway tolls; Fumi cards for stamps; Tosho and Tomo cards for books; 7-11 cards used for purchases at the convenience store; and U-cards for use in stores in the U-card system (including McDonald's until 1997).
I have good stocks of all types and welcome foreign collectors interested in making a representative or specialist collection.