Phonecards
Neat niche collectibles which run a gamut of subjects and themes from the incredible to the mundane. Although once touted as the next "big" collectible (think POGs or Beanie Babies here) - phonecards never really took off as predicted. Today, they're generally collected by theme (collecting all Elvis Presley related items for example) rather than as a subject in its own category.

In Frank's case there have been sporatic productions over the years, with two companies making the biggest impact. The first is Ameritech, a division of SBC Communications; the other is notorious card manufacturer Score Board (formerly the Classic Company). The phonecard seen above is one of the more interesting products I've come across. As you can see the phonecard is attached to a matching paper holder with the exact same image. Some care was taken to assemble the two parts so that one seemless image of Frank is produced. And no, I'm not going to pull the card off just to see the image underneath. <g>

And here is an unusual example of a phonecard issued under the brand name "Telemint", a product line of the defunct Highland Mint Co. The production of the phonecard itself was done by Score Board. This retail product offered both a phonecard and bronze coin in one package. Not sure what the marketing strategy was (I can't even begin to imagine, besides unadulterated greed) but it's noteworthy for its unique, if bizzare, cross-branding of product lines.

Below is the checklist of known Frank phonecards.

Collector's Note: Several of the "specimen" cards listed below have questions surrounding their production. But because there are strong arguments on both sides of the debate - I've decided to include them on this checklist with the provision that they carry an asterisk.

Phonecards Checklist

*Questions surround the authenticity of these items.
Good arguments can be made on both sides regarding their validity or lack thereof. I leave it for you to decide.

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