Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How many different Callcards were produced?

A: That depends on who you ask! If you include all the Telecom Eireann trial cards, public/private Telecom Eireann / Eircom (Eir) cards and Directors business cards, our calculated total is 334. This number does not include engineer test cards or variations that may have occured during printing process.

Q: What was the last Callcard produced and when did they stop making Callcards?

A: The last Callcard produced is known as Eircom Callcard (€15 + €10 free). It's difficult to know when this Callcard was produced. But we have seen a box of these Callcards labelled as Gemalto (previously Gemplus, a manufacturer of some Callcards) which only existed after a merger in the second half of 2006. So this would suggest that Callcards were printed up to this date.

Q: What’s the most expensive Callcard ever?

A: This is a question often asked and can be difficult to answer. Many collectors enjoy gathering variations of a particular card, sometimes caused by manufacturing errors or misprints, which can be incredibly rare. However, in terms of general production Callcards, the rarest (and therefore most valuable) is the Trial Card IMI Conference 1989 50 Unit (1020). This Callcard is one of the rarest because it is believed that most of them were destroyed.following the IMI Conference that year.

Q: Do Callcards still work?

A: We reached our to some of our Eir contacts recently (2024) and they informed us that, as of recently, they no longer work.

Q: What’s the most common Callcard ever?

A: Over 4 million Irish Horse Racing (1033) Callcards were produced, making it the most common. Following that, over 2 million Cottage (1024) Callcards were produced. In third place is the Niamh from Tir na Nog (1068) Callcard, with over 1.5 million produced.

Q: The previous "Design a Callcard" winners... where are they now?

A: Those very talented men and women are still out there. Check out some of our previous blog entries to read interviews with many of them.

Q: How can I easily manage my collection?

A: Easy! We have created a simple-to-use spreadsheet for you to download here (current version: v5b 20240828).

Q: How much are my Callcards worth?

A: During the late 90s, the value of Callcards peaked. For example, one of our blog writers spent a thousand Irish Pounds on two IMI 1989 Callcards. However, like most things during the recession, the value of Callcards has declined. We hope this site continues to promote this great hobby and preserve the memories of using and collecting Callcards for generations to come.

Q: Can I buy Callcards from this site?

A: If there is a particular Callcard or related memorabilia you are looking for, we would be happy to help you track it down via the Contact form or via our Facebook/Twitter(X) pages.

Q: Can I sell my own Callcards on this site?

A: You can use our Forum if you wish. We find that many Irish collectors like to use adverts.ie to sell their Callcards.

Q: Whatever happened to the Callcard Collectors Club?

A: Check out our previous blog for more info.

Q: Why are there no Callcards for sale in shops anymore or functioning Callcard cardphones?

A: With the advent of mobile phones and the decline in payphones, Callcards are no longer available. The last Callcard was produced around 2003-2006 (1322), and following that, many Cardphone booths were decommissioned throughout Ireland due to the increasing popularity of mobile phones. Many Cardphone booths in latter years functioned also as Eir Wi-Fi hotspots.In 2021 & 2022 and onwards, the remaining Eir payphones/phoneboxes were replaced by 'digital kiosks' which also act as Digital Signage (advertising) and wayfinding. You can read official press release from Eir here (2024), outlining the decomissioning of phoneboxes.At their peak, there were around 3,300 payphone boxes across Ireland.

Q: Does callcards.ie have a Facebook or Twitter (X) site?

A: Yes, we do! You can access our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/callcards and our Twitter page at www.twitter.com/callcards. The easiest way to find them is via the Facebook and Twitter (X) links at the footer of each page.

Q: How can I help out this website (callcards.ie)?

A: Without the help and support of Callcard collectors and enthusiasts, this site would not exist. We always appreciate any information we haven’t come across yet. We encourage anyone with additional information to contact us and share it with the community. We also accept donations in the form of Callcards and our "Buy me a coffee" link (below). We are a not-for-profit site, so all funds go towards covering the website hosting costs.

Q: How many Disney Callcards were there?

A: There were six different Disney Callcards commissioned. You can view them all here.

Q: Are there still many Callcard collectors out there?

A: There are many Callcard collectors still out there that continue to enage and chat via our website and social media. You can still find Callcard collectors and enthusiasts on boards.ie .You will also find Callcards for sale on adverts.ie and eBay.ie.

Got any more Questions you would like us to add to the list? Please let us know!