18,888 Collectors Collect and Connect with Colnect

The New Year has welcomed us with the exciting news that the Colnect community is continuing to grow rapidly.  Just over a month and a half ago we announced that we have 17,171 collectors on Colnect.  The holidays and festive season ensured a surge in new collectors visiting Colnect and today we are proud to announce that we now have 18,888 Collectors who are Collecting and Connecting on COLNECT.  That is a remarkable addition of 1,717 new collectors in just over a month!

18,888 COLLECTORS COLLECT AND CONNECT WITH COLNECT!
By reaching this milestone it is evident that more and more people are being hit by the “collector bug” and they are all joining in on the fun at Colnect.  We welcome our new additions to the Colnect family and we wish you all an enjoyable journey collecting and connecting with our global community on Colnect.

With a continuously growing membership base it is guaranteed that there are a larger number of collectibles available for trade and just as our numbers of collectors is increasing, so are our catalogs of collectibles growing in size.  No doubt that there’s something for everyone!

It is with our deepest gratitude that we acknowledge each and every one of you who has supported and contributed to our community in any way and who continues to ensure that we are able to offer the best service available to everyone.

If you have not yet joined in on the fun and become a member, don’t delay any further – joining Colnect is free.  Click here to sign-up today!

We also challenge and urge all our collectors to invite and recruit more collector friends to join Colnect. It’s all about sharing the experience and expanding the Colnect community.

May your collection grow during 2011 and may you meet many new collector friends while having fun on Colnect. . .

Happy collecting :)

Happy New Premium Year!!!

For the first time in the history of Colnect, premium services will be open to ALL MEMBERS during the next 7 days!

You can now enjoy Quick Mark and Custom Personal Lists throughout the week.

SPECIAL FOR PAYING PREMIUM MEMBERS:

During this week you can choose another Colnect member who will receive free premium membership for the month of January 2011.
Write to us now on this post and let us know who is your lucky selected member with whom you wish to share this service.

Enjoy the Premium Services!!!

May your collection grow during 2011 and may you meet many new collector friends. . .

Happy collecting :)

17 December - THE WRIGHT BROTHERS FLEW THE FIRST PLANE - Today in History Through Collectibles

Many of the items that collectors on Colnect collect are in fact associated with certain historical events that have taken place over time. This applies especially to Stamps, Phone Cards, Coins and Banknotes. To commemorate these special historical events, countries release special issues of these items that depict images and information relevant to these events.

Through our “Today in History Through Collectibles” Blog we will highlight special events in history by featuring Collectible items from our Colnect Catalogs that are associated with historical events that took place on specific days in history.

17 DECEMBER 1903: THE WRIGHT BROTHERS FLEW THE FIRST PLANE
The Wright brothers, Orville (b. 19.8.1871 - 31.1.1948) and Wilbur (16.4.1867 – 30.5.1912), were two Americans who invented and built the world’s first successful self-propelled, heavier-than-air aircraft and they made the first flight with it on 17th December 1903.

The petrol-powered, propeller driven biplane stayed airborne for 12 seconds and covered 120 feet on its inaugural flight and it was piloted by Orville.

Orville and Wilbur Wright gained their mechanical skills required for their success by working in their shop with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and other machinery. From 1900 until their first powered flights in late 1903, they conducted extensive glider tests that also developed their skills as pilots.
The Wright brothers were also the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible. Their invention of three-axis control, which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and to maintain its equilibrium was a fundamental breakthrough in flight. This method became standard and remains standard on fixed-wing aircrafts of all kinds.

From the beginning of their aeronautical work, the Wright brothers focused on unlocking the secrets of control to conquer "the flying problem", rather than developing more powerful engines as some other experimenters did. Their careful wind tunnel tests produced better aeronautical data than any before, enabling them to design and build wings and propellers more effective than had ever been done.
In 1909, the U.S. Army's Signal Corps purchased a specially constructed plane, and the brothers founded the Wright Company to build and market their aircraft.

Wilbur Wright died in 1912 of typhoid fever while Orville lived until 1948.
The historic Wright brothers' aircraft of 1903 is on permanent display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

Collectibles on Colnect that Commemmorate This Day in History:

➢ PHONECARDS:
These are a few of the phonecards issued by different countries to commemorate the historic first flight by the Wright brothers:

          

➢ STAMPS:
Several countries released stamps to commemorate and celebrate the Wright brothers' great achievement:

                

HAPPY COLLECTING!!! :)

Free Banknote Catalog to Top 20,202 Banknotes

Good news Colnectors! Our banknote catalog now displays more than 20,202 banknotes. Over 2,000 new banknotes were added to the banknote catalog since we last announced 18,181 banknotes last September. Again, we would like to cite and recognize the work rendered by our banknote catalog coordinator, Vidami Istvan [mozistv].



20,002 BANKNOTES TO CHOOSE FROM!

Looking for the banknotes you're wanting to have? Check the newest banknotes in the banknote catalog. Another set of new banknotes have been added since September; hence, this means that a lot of collectibles were added to the selection. See for yourself what you missed. Let your friends know about this wonderful news.

With our easy sign-up process, you can invite your friends to join Colnect. Share your experience on Colnect and impart to them the benefits of joining our community. If you are a banknote collector and haven't joined Colnect, then give it a try. Swapping is fun and watching your banknote collection grow is priceless.

Happy collecting! :)

15 December - THE LEANING TOWER OF PISA REOPENED - Today In History Through Collectibles

Many of the items that collectors on Colnect collect are in fact associated with certain historical events that have taken place over time. This applies especially to Stamps, Phone Cards, Coins and Banknotes. To commemorate these special historical events, countries release special issues of these items that depict images and information relevant to these events.

Through our “Today in History Through Collectibles” Blog we will highlight special events in history by featuring Collectible items from our Colnect Catalogs that are associated with historical events that took place on specific days in history.

15 DECEMBER 2001 : THE LEANING TOWER OF PISA REOPENED

On this day in 2001, one of Italy's most famous tourist attractions,  the Leaning Tower of Pisa reopened after undergoing 11 years of stabilization work that cost $27 million to strengthen the tower that was facing possible collapse.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is also known as "leaning down of southern halt" (Italian: Torre pendente di Pisa) or simply the Tower of Pisa (La Torre di Pisa).

The tower was closed to the public on January 7, 1990 to commence the stabilization operation. Cables that were cinched around the tower were used to anchor it while the bells were removed to relieve some weight. Apartments and houses in proximity to the tower were also vacated for safety.  The tower was then straightened slightly to a safer angle in order to prevent the collapse of the tower.

An initial attempt in 1994 almost toppled the tower, but engineers were eventually able to reduce the lean by 18 inches by removing earth from underneath the foundation. This was achieved by removing 38 cubic metres (50 cu yd) of earth from underneath the raised end. After a decade of corrective reconstruction and stabilization efforts, the tower was reopened to the public on December 15, 2001, and was declared stable for at least another 300 years.

Entrance to the tower is now limited to guided tours, but this has not stopped tourists from flocking to the famous tower to pose next to it for photos while pretending to hold it up!

Collectibles on Colnect that Commemmorate This Day in History:

➢ COINS:

Italy produced this 500 Lire Coin in 1993 which depicts the Leaning Tower of Pisa:

➢ PHONECARDS:

Several countries have issued phonecards related to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. These are a few of them:

➢ STAMPS:

Italy released this stamp of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in 1973:

HAPPY COLLECTING . . .  :)

Collector Profile Improvments

It's high time we fixed our confusing profile page design. The previous concept was that a collector's own profile page is the same as others see it. So when you viewed it your own collector profile on Colnect, it looked the same as when other collectors viewed it. The biggest problem with that concept was that it's not what most people are used to on social networks today. So to make the long story short here are the important changes done to a person's own profile page.

• Private custom lists will be displayed when you view your own collector profile page.
• Clicking your profile picture or "Personal Page" header goes to "My Account" page where these can be changed.
• Added "My Lists" header which will go to "My Lists" page.
• Added "My Watchlist" to actions available under your picture. The "Send Private Message" is removed as you probably won't be sending messages to yourself ;)

Mind that others will see your collector profile page the same way they did before.

Future plans? Yes, many. Trying to put on more features and making Colnect easier to use for all your collecting needs. Your suggestions are welcome on our suggestions forum.

Happy collecting :)

World’s Biggest Hotel Key Card Catalog for Collectors Displays 10,101+ Key Cards

Colnect is proud to announce that the Hotel Key Card Catalog has now reached the 10,101 mark! The catalog currently boasts over 10,101 Hotel Key Cards from 117 Countries featuring over 1441 Hotel Chains and the list continues to grow rapidly.

The Hotel Key Card Catalog has had an addition of over 2,000 Hotel Key Cards since we announced the 8,008 mark in September. This means that an average of over 20 new Hotel Key Cards have being added on a daily basis over the past 90 days! This is a great achievement for which we need to acknowledge and thank Ignacio F López Vico [iflvico] from Spain, who co-ordinates the Hotel Key Card Catalog. In addition, we would like to recognize all the contributors who have ensured the continued growth and success of this catalog.

You too can leave your mark on Colnect by sharing and adding items from your personal collection to showcase countries and hotels that you have visited around the globe!

So, this holiday, when you are travelling on vacation or you’re simply away on a business trip, don’t forget to keep your Hotel Key Cards as a memento of your travels and add it to your collection. Alternatively you can use it to exchange with a Hotel Key Card collector.

It doesn't matter whether you were staying at the Sheraton, Holiday Inn, Intercontinental or Taj Hotel or simply at the local Motel - all Hotel Key Cards are sought after and valuable to Hotel Key Card collectors.

Colnect's Servers Upgrade - Collectors Can Now Collect and Connect FASTER

We're very happy to announce that we've finished upgrading Colnect's servers and you will now be able to enjoy a MUCH FASTER Colnect.




For too long Colnect has been providing a rather slow service, especially when doing resource-consuming actions such as matching their personal lists with those of other collectors using our unique auto-matching feature. When many collectors were doing such actions, our former servers were getting too overloaded and the entire site started responding slowly. Hopefully, with the new servers, these days are gone.

Happy collecting :)

Over 100,001 Collectors Visited Colnect Last Month

Colnect's getting a bit of site traffic as over 100,001 collectors paid our website a visit last month. November is definitely a busy month for our website, isn't it? This is about almost around 30% increase in web traffic since we last announced 80,000 visitors last August. We are glad about this and we're only hoping for even more in the coming months. We will be upgrading our servers in the next days to better support that last growth.

We would like to commend everyone's efforts for spreading the news and letting their friends know about Colnect. This could never be possible without your contributions. As they say, little efforts when combined can contribute a lot to a big success. With our site's easy interface, connecting to collectors is just a click away.

While you're here, let us tell you what's in store for you. There are growing amounts of collectibles in each of our free catalogs. Choose among a variety of stamps, bank notes, coins, transportation tickets, hotel key cards, bottle caps, phone cards, tea bags, and bank cards. If you made your way to our website, then you are welcomed to join our community. Joining is easy by our site integration with Facebook. Visit our main website for this easy sign-up process.

17,171 Collectors Collect and Connect on Colnect

It wasn't that long since we announced 15,151 collectors on Colnect. As time passes by, more and more people flock on Colnect to join the community. It is such an achievement as more members join each month. Today we're so glad to announce that there are 17,171 collectors on Colnect. With this population increase in members, there is a plenty of room to grow on Colnect. We believe that more members on site, more collectibles in store for swapping or trading. There's really a reason to be merry. :)



Joining Colnect is free. With improvements each month and the integration of Facebook with Colnect, it's so much easier to register. You do not have to fill out lengthy registration forms which will require you around a couple of minutes to complete. In just a number of clicks, you can be an official member of the growing collectors community.

Invite more collectors to join. If you have friends on Facebook who love collecting, why don't you tell them about Colnect? Growing people could only mean growing items in our free catalogs. There's more! Connecting to people who are not native English speakers isn't a hassle on Colnect. With 53 languages to choose from, it's always a convenient way of connecting and collecting.

Let us all look forward to a bigger community for the months to come. Happy collecting :)

Free Stamp Catalog Presenting 135,531+ Stamps for Collectors

It is stamp fever yet again! Today, we take pride announcing that our free stamp catalog is displaying over 135,531 stamps for our collectors. During the month of September, we just announced 121,121 stamps displayed on our catalog. In just a little span of time, we reached another milestone. This is one of the reasons that motivate us to continue giving you the best service possible.



Feel free to choose among the stamps that are listed in our catalog. Check your list and look for what you missed. With the availability of 53 languages in Colnect, you can simply and easily communicate and swap without a hassle. Take your pick among the beautiful stamps from different country origins.

Also, we would like to acknowledge everyone's work. Your contributions really count a lot. Special mention goes to our stamp coordinator Klaus Jochimsen [Lola22] who spends hours to bring about a remarkable success in the growth of stamp collectibles. Do you have friends who love collecting stamps? Spread the good news and let them know about the big collections in our stamp catalog that await them.

Coin Catalog Displays 22,222+ Coins for Coin Collectors

Good news coin collectors!

Our coin catalog currently displays over 22,222 coins for our coin collectors. This growth in coin collectibles could only mean more possibilities just for you. Our coin collectors can now enjoy larger variations at a bigger scale. Let us all hope for a fast growth for the months to come. With more collectors flocking on Colnect, more milestones wouldn't be far from reach.



GRAB THE LATEST ONES NOW!

Stuff your coin collections with more coin collectibles. Always check whatever you have and whatever you don't have. You can also try searching for the newly added coins. Make sure to get everything in your wishlist.

We would like to grab this opportunity to thank Angelo Parla [angelo13] for his endless efforts and remarkable contributions in managing our coin catalog. Our gratitude also goes to every coin collector who has contributed over time. You are always a part of every milestone that we achieve. :)

Transportation Ticket Catalog Has More Than 2,022 Tickets

Collections on Colnect are growing fast. As people join our community, the collectibles in every catalog continues to grow. Now we are all proud to announce transportation tickets hitting 2,002 mark. All these achievements are due to the never-ending efforts given by our coordinators and of course, the support and active participation we get from our members.



The selection of transportation tickets are now boasting a decent amount on the transportation ticket catalog. With 2,022 tickets and counting, Colnect shows progressive growth on all of the catalogs. There is so much to choose from and there's a bigger opportunity of getting your most sought-after tickets on your watch list. Check the transportation ticket catalog to see the newest additions. Make sure to tell your friends about this.

This milestone will not be achieved without our transportation ticket catalog database coordinator, Gary Hoff [gazzaoz]. Upon his endless efforts, we are able to reach new heights and bigger amount of tickets. From a small start of hundreds, we are able to come up with thousands. Each transportation ticket comes with interesting unique design and origin.

If you haven't joined Colnect, then it's time for you to try and experience how Colnect can aid you with your collections management. If you are already a member, help your collector pals know about Colnect.

fb_xd_fragment Bug Workaround

This post isn't meant for collectors on Colnect but is rather a technical post regarding Facebook integrations with a website.

Facebook "Like" button gets broken on IE when using the new Facebook API?
Your server gets weird requests with fb_xd_fragment in the URL?

This is a Facebook bug with the following quick solution:

1/ Change your FB.init to the following

FB.init({appId: appId, status: true, cookie: true, xfbml: true, channelUrl: 'http://example.com/channel.html'});
// ^ channel URL above used to workaround fb_xd_fragment bug

2/ Create the static file for http://example.com/channel.html with the following content:

<script src="http://connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js"></script>

IMPORTANT NOTE: ensure channel.html has proper expiry headers sent, otherwise it might slow down user experience and overload your server.

4,444 Gift Cards on Free Catalog for Collectors by Collectors

Time flies fast and so our collectibles in our catalogs. We're proud to announce that we now have passed 4,444 gift cards on our gift card catalog. This is more than a hundred percent estimated increase in gift cards this month since we last announced it in July boasting 2,222. We would like to thank the commendable work of our gift card catalog coordinator Claude Martin [Claude] who has exerted extensive efforts of managing the catalog over the past few months.



As you may have noticed, the collectibles in store for you are growing. Grab your wish list and have your pick among the gift cards and get those that you wish to have on our free catalog. Check the new ones being added on the gift card catalog. You never know what you are missing unless you check the latest additions.

Tell everyone about this. Share this good news to your friends and let them know the wonderful experience you have with Colnect, your first stop for collecting needs. :)

In Loving Memory of Avi Wald 2/Apr/1949 - 27/Sep/2010

Avi Wald has passed away on September 27, 2010 following over two and a half years of battling Glioblastoma Multiform IV (GBM), the most common and violent form of brain cancer. Without him, Colnect would never have existed. While there is a lot that can be written about Avi and his life, this post will focus solely on his connection to Colnect and the world of collecting.

Avi started collecting after fourth and youngest son, Uri, asked him to help his phone card collection. At first he just helped Uri by looking for used phone cards left on public phones but he soon became interested in the phone cards themselves and started collecting together with Uri.

As Avi's collection kept growing and he became a serious collector his second son, Ofer, created Islands Phonecards Database for phone card collectors. Ofer wanted his father to use the Internet more and has thus created a site to allow Avi to manage his phone card collection and easily swap phone cards with collectors the world over. Islands Phonecards Database gained popularity with phone card collectors as it offered them free online catalog of phone cards and means to communicate with each other.

Avi's third son, Amir, later took control over Islands Phonecards Database from Ofer and transformed it into Colnect. The phone card catalog started growing quickly with the help of Colnect's community and Avi spent hours a day in front of Colnect updating his personal collection (with over 25,000 different phone cards from 171 countries marked on Colnect!) and interacting with fellow collectors. He was always honest and generous in dealing with other collectors. Some of them became Avi's friends. Even as Colnect progressed to include more collectible categories, Amir had frequently consulted Avi.





Avi's phone card collection is presented in several videos about Colnect


At the end of February 2008, the whole family was shocked when Avi was diagnosed with GBM. The grim prognosis of GBM meant that half the patients in Avi's condition died within 11.2 months of initial diagnosis. Despite this and other medical issues which soon surfaced, Avi always tried to keep his and his family's spirits up high. He never gave up on his phone card collection and kept in touch with other collectors. Even as his condition worsened, he still tried to attend collector meetings.


Avi died at the age of 61, leaving behind his wife Aliza, his sons Dror, Ofer, Amir and Uri and his grandchildren Raz, Yuval, Almog, Inbar and Zohar. May he rest in peace and may his fantastic character always inspire us.

15,151 Collectors Already?

It has been a fast growth, isn't it? Collectors are now numbering more than 15,151. Last month, we announced 14,141 collectors in Colnect. In just a small amount in time, we're reaching again yet another milestone. As more collectors continue to join Colnect, we're thinking of better and more creative ways to truly inspire each Colnector. We're welcoming more and more people to be a part of our community. If you have friends who happen to collect, tell them about your great experience in Colnect.


15,151 COLLECTORS COLLECT AND CONNECT WITH COLNECT!


Facebook is one of the biggest social networking sites in the world of social media and its integration with Colnect contributed a lot to the growth of our community. We would like to grab this opportunity to welcome our members in Colnect who recently joined. Our deepest gratitude goes to each one of you who continues to support our community and continues to contribute in one way or another. It is a guarantee that we will give the best service possible to each one of you.

Joining Colnect is free. If you are reading this post and you're not yet a member, you are so invited to join Colnect. We have a vast collection of stamps, coins, bank notes, bottle caps, phone cards, hotel key cards, bank cards, gift cards, casino cards, transportation tickets, tea bags and post cards. Let us show you why collecting is easy and fun in Colnect.

Happy collecting! :)

121,121+ Stamps Listed on Colnect's Free Stamp Catalogue

Over 10,000 stamps have been added to Colnect's stamp catalog. With 121,121+ stamps, there is a fast growth in number basing from the previous post in June. This fast growth could be attributed to the non-stop work of our stamp catalog coordinator, Klaus Jochimsen [Lola22]. We would also like to commend immensely our stamp collectors for their support and efforts that aided a lot in the growth of our stamp catalog.


CHOOSE AMONG A VARIETY OF 121,121+ STAMPS

Take your pick among 121,121+ stamps. Be sure to grab what you are missing. Stamps come in different sizes, colors and origins. Make your collections bigger by swapping stamps with other users. Don't miss the chance to trade with a lot of stamp collectors and enthusiasts. Enhance and let your collection grow through Colnect. Help Colnect through your addition of missing stamps in our catalog.

If you happen to be a stamp collector and you haven't joined Colnect yet, now's the perfect time for you to join our big community. Sign up an account in Colnect. You will love it here as we continue to add great features in our website to render the best collecting and connecting service. Colnect is available in 50 languages to make sure that all collectors are conveniently connected worldwide.

Happy collecting! :)

8,008 Hotel Key Cards in the World's Biggest Catalog for Collectors

Colnect is getting big with Hotel Key Cards. We are now displaying over 8,008 Hotel Key Cards in our Hotel Key Card Catalog, the biggest catalog in the world. This huge accomplishment could never be possible without the efforts of our Hotel Key Card Coordinator, Ignacio F López Vico [iflvico].



PLENTY OF HOTEL KEY CARDS TO CHOOSE FROM!

Huge collectibles in our hotel key card catalog enable our hotel key card collectors to choose among a variety. Members get to enjoy swapping hotel key cards coming from their favorite hotels all around the globe. It's a fulfillment for collectors to boast a great number of hotel key cards in their collection originating from every side of the planet.

If you're fond of collecting hotel key cards, then you will surely enjoy our list of collectibles in our catalog. Collections vary from If you haven't "Colnected" yet, you are welcome to join us in Colnect and be a part of our growing collectors community.

18,181 Banknotes in Banknote Catalog

Colnect is jubilantly declaring a sum of 18,181 banknotes in banknote catalog. Banknote collectors can now enjoy this galore of 18,181 banknotes. Our collectors will be spared from the arduous task of accumulating banknotes in collection. Everything is in our banknote catalog now. There is no need to go through the exhausting process of trading your banknotes manually because we've got it all for you.



Colnect would like to commend this extensive quantity of banknotes to our banknote coordinator Vidami Istvan. Banknotes from different countries are available for trading. Pick among our miscellany of banknotes and get the right one for you. There are numerous banknotes in our catalogs just for you.

Tell everyone about this. Are you a banknote collector? Join our community in Colnect and see our banknote catalog. You will certainly like our banknote collection. Our big collections will take your collecting hobby to new heights. Swap with collectors globally. Collect and collect now with Colnect.

Collectors Flock to Colnect - 80,008+ People Visited Colnect in August

We're proud to announce that over 80,008 site visitors have gone through Colnect for the whole month of August. This is about 30% increase of the total number of visitors from last month. This proves that the popularity of Colnect is on a progression. We are hoping and anticipating for more visitors to flock in Colnect. We're irreversibly moving on a positive trail and getting better each month.

This increase could be attributed to Colnect's faster service and more collectibles available in the catalogs. The integration of Colnect with Facebook aided a lot as well for this mark. A number of people connected by social media found their way to Colnect through this conjugation. The huge stride of growth of visitors is a reward and a motivation to all of us.

Our endless gratitude goes to each of you who refers Colnect and spreads the word to your many peers in the collection industry. Through your outstanding support, there's nowhere to course but forward.

Internationalization Snapshot - Collectors from All Around the World Using Colnect in 50 Languages

Colnect is a huge site dedicated to all collectors around the world. With this trend involving many people of different nationalities and origin, Colnect has made an array of national languages spoken and used all throughout the globe readily available to all its collectors. The availability of such feature has given way for non-English speaking collectors to switch to foreign versions of Colnect. This created a tie that binds all people in Colnect who do not have a common language of communication.



The internationalization of the website contributed greatly to the access of a common interface enabling collectors to do transactions smoothly. Through this feature, swapping can be done without the hassle of communication barriers such as language differences. We commend the commitment and dedication of our translations manager Jens Bruno Wittek who has done an exceptional job to this internationalization.

Through a unified goal and purpose, Colnect continuously receives a hand from its people from different countries. Our immense gratitude goes to these volunteers who are contributing non-stop to make Colnect a better place for collectors.