From a Credit Card Collector article in December 1990
An American Express Violet credit card has set a record for the highest price known to be paid for any plastic credit card by selling for a mind-boggling $400,00!
Details of the private transaction are very hazy, but a few facts are available:
- The expiration date for the record setting card is not known
- The manufacturing code date is believed to be 5-59.
- The prized Violet Card is the first type of plastic card American Express issued after the expiration of its short-lived paperboard credit card.
The record-breaking card has sat in a filing cabinet for the past 30 years. The card is believed to have no wear, but was signed when the cardholder received it in 1959.
What was the previous high price?
The previous highest price paid for an American Express Violet credit card was $125.00. That card was issued in the late 1960s.
The previous highest known price paid for any collectible plastic credit card was for an American Express Platinum Card in its original mailing envelope with all the enclosures. That Mint card and its envelope sold for $300.00.
The highest price paid for a credit card was in March of 1989 when a Diners’ Club booklet credit card sold for a record $525.00. That record is now insignificant since the highest known offer for a paperboard American Express credit card, in Very Nice, is $825.00. It appears that it’s just a matter of time for other record prices to be set.
Copyright 1990 by Greg Tunks
