Description:

This set features collectible phone cards from the Czech Republic, specifically designed as stored-value chip cards known as City Cards. The front of each card prominently displays a vivid image of a bright red Coca-Cola vending machine, with the iconic white Coke logo on the top flap and the side. The vending machine depicted offers popular beverages such as Fanta, Sprite, and Coca-Cola, all branded “Siemens.” The design stands out against a neutral gray background, emphasizing the striking red and white Coca-Cola branding. Each card's embedded chip is located on the right side, accompanied by the “City Card” logo, identifying these as smart cards intended for semi-cashless or stored-value transactions via a contact system. Below the vending machine image, the "CAFEBAR" logo and an address in Prague (Anglická 19, 120 00 Praha 2) are printed, anchoring the card to a specific locality.

The reverse side of each card provides important user and service information in Czech. The text introduces the new payment system, highlighting that the “City Card” enables cashless transactions for a variety of services beyond phone calls. These include quick refreshments, parking, and access to clubs, galleries, and museums. The card’s value is listed as “75,- Kč” (75 Czech Koruna). It also reassures users that the card can be used 365 days a year, 24/7, emphasizing the convenience and utility these cards brought to daily urban life in the Czech Republic. Clear instructions for filing complaints and customer service contact numbers are included, underscoring the card’s official and practical nature at the time of issuance. Details about the card’s production point to New Tele Line s.r.o., with manufacturing by C.C. Cards s.r.o., both based in Prague.

These cards combine a high level of functionality with collectible appeal. They serve as practical tools—being accepted in vending machines and automated services—while also holding nostalgic value due to the Coca-Cola branding, which is globally recognized. The choice of a vending machine image rather than a generic logo adds a nostalgic touch, capturing a specific technological moment and urban experience from 1990s Czech Republic. Likely circulated widely as payment methods in public spaces before the advent of mobile and electronic payments, these smart cards provided a convenient stored-value option for various city services beyond just phone calls.

Overall, these City Cards offer a glimpse into a transitional period for vending and urban transactions in the Czech Republic, blending modern chip technology with everyday utility and corporate branding. They symbolize a time when smart cards were beginning to integrate into daily life, facilitating microtransactions at vending machines, cafés, parking lots, and cultural venues. Combining practicality, Coca-Cola’s iconic branding, and innovative payment technology, this set stands as both a fascinating collectible and a functional piece of Czech commercial history.

Since we have the world's largest inventory of USA phonecards for collectors, you will not necessarily receive the identical serial/batch/PIN number that we have scanned/pictured.