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.

YouTube Machine Transcription or 'What was that?!'

Colnect has recently published new videos on YouTube. These are simple videos explaining about our website for collectors (stamps, coins, banknotes and more) from all around the world. As Colnect is available in 50 languages, it's important to upload subtitles for the different languages. Although we already created the English subtitles, curiosity made us look at what YouTube's automated "Machine Transcription" have produced for our videos. The "Machine Transcription" tries to do an old, yet daunting task of speech-to-text.

How surprising and hilarious were the results revealed. Many words allegedly transcribed had little phonetic resemblance to the audio. Obviously, the "Machine Transcription" is sometimes much worse that actually having no subtitles at all. Here follows an example.

First the video:



And now a screen shot of some of the funniest so-called "Machine Transcription":


Enjoy highlights such as "Number of Clinton's each" which seems to refer to "See the number of items each (collector has for every category they are active in)". Can you guess the original for "what the offer free trade" used to be? This one is easier, it was "What they offer for trade". The last example would be "it's what the up for and what they want". We're still unsure but it might relate to "(View a member's profile with a click) and see what they offer and what they want". Quite similar, isn't it? :)

So, to conclude, be extremely wary when using the machine transcription for anything other than some good laughs. Oh, you're welcomed to joke about the accent in the video ;)

Quarter Million Phone Cards on the World's Biggest Phone Card Catalog

The unceasing growth of phone cards on our phone card catalog has now reached one fourth of a million. It is available in 50 languages, and it is the WORLD'S BIGGEST phone card catalog! Collectors on Colnect use the catalog to manage their own personal collection. There are nearly 20 million items on collector lists on Colnect! The catalog's growth is possible due to the endless efforts of our phone card coordinators. We would like to thank and commend them: Ignacio F López Vico [iflvico], Trudy Hoogenboom [trudyh], Komdej Chulapprawut [komdej], Eyüp Güçmen [kolleksiyon], Jorge Pablo Villegas [Jorgepablo2005]. Colnect is presently and continuously working ways to extend more available resources for your collecting convenience. Check our phone cards catalog today.



250,000 PHONE CARDS TO CHOOSE FROM!

Our phone cards originate from 231 countries around the globe. Our assortment continues to grow as new available phone cards spring up to our catalog. It's nearly 30,000 freshly added phone cards since we last announced 222,222.

Are you a phone card collector with no Colnect account? Colnect is welcoming more phone card collectors to sign up in Colnect. Join the frolic of collecting. You will know why collectors stick with us.

14,141 Collectors Connect and Collect with Colnect

Colnect reached a new milestone - a huge union of collectors now 14,141! Colnect is, with no doubt, an inevitable fever around the planet. Join the craze of collecting and connecting only with Colnect. We announced last July about having 13,131 collectors. We've grown a thousand more collectors in just a month time. Colnect is looking forward to grow a bigger number of collectors. Together, we'll reach higher milestones.



By reaching this mark, swapping and trading your collections are more fun. More collectors joining means more collectibles available. We are certain that we will grow bigger fractions in the months to come. Are you a collector? This is your chance to try and experience Colnect. Know why more and more people join our community.

Not a member? Click here to sign up.

With Colnect's never ending promise to bring you only the best service, we're proud to say that this will not be possible without you, our precious collectors. Tell your friends to collect and connect with us. Only from your best collections' manager, Colnect. :)

1,001 Bank Cards Added to Bank Cards Catalog

Have you ever fancied collecting various bank cards all over the globe? Worry no more! 1,001 bank cards have been added by Colnect to its bank cards catalog. Colnect gathered a roster of bank cards for you to feast on. You can now add more and more and MORE bank cards to your collection! Bank cards are just so fun to look at, aren't they? We know you want these bank cards now it's your chance to have them! This is a great news to all bank card collectors.


HAVE YOUR PICK NOW!
We are certain how important it is to complete your album full of bank cards. Many thanks to Hendy Florez, our bank cards database coordinator, for making this wonderful addition possible. Don't miss the chance to complete your collection. We always have a lot in store for your collection desires. Each bank card comes with a unique appearance that will keep you asking for more. Select from a variety of card colors and origin. You asked for it, now we'll give it.

Colnect's continuous pursuit to help you enrich your collection never stops. Now, you can boast a number of bank cards. Connect with bank card collectors around the world and take your sweetest pick. Tell your friends about this wonderful addition to our catalog. Spread the word. Enjoy collecting!

Collectors Connect to Colnect with Facebook

Facebook is becoming a huge trend in the modern world. So starting today, you can sign up an account in Colnect using your Facebook account. Collectors can now create an account in Colnect fast and hassle-free. Just click on the Facebook login icon then grant permission to access from Facebook when signing up for Colnect. After that, you're good to go. There's no need to fill out a lot of boxes because everything will be done for you.


Do you have buddies in Facebook who are fond of collecting? Invite them to connect into our growing community here in Colnect. It is always a pleasure for us to cater to a growing family of collectors. Together, we can grow our collection faster and easier. Let's all get connected. The more, the merrier!

We are continuously finding ways to make things convenient for everyone. With this new feature, it will be easier to connect your friends to join the collection fever in Colnect. Collecting has never been this easy!

Only in Colnect, your partner in collection.

Collectors Welcomed To Presenting Themselves and Their Collections With Videos

Collectors from all around the world present their collection on Colnect. Now, a short video may easily be added to a collector's profile. In this short video the collector can talk a bit about herself and her collection. The video is available to all using a green PLAY button next to the collector's profile picture. See for example Colnect's founder video here.



This new feature is available through an integration with a cool new start up company named VanityVid. Colnect is one of the first platforms which will be implementing their fine product.

Tea Bag Catalog Displaying Over 6,006 Tea Bags

Colnect's tea bag catalog has doubled in size since we last announced its growth and now features over 6,006 tea bags from 66 countries. Perhaps not yet among Colnect's biggest categories, tea bags have developed a significant community of tea bag collectors on Colnect to connect and swap with. We would like to commend the hard work of the tea bags coordinator, Carine De Pauw, who tirelessly works to make our tea bag catalog the best in the world.



If you are a tea bag collector, feel free to sign up on Colnect and upload items from your collection to the site. The current success and future greatness of Colnect rests on the shoulders of devoted volunteers like Carine and YOU.

2,222 Gift Cards on Our Gift Card Catalog for Collectors

Gift cards is one of the new categories on Colnect, added just a month ago. It has, however, got a great boost and now boasts over 2,222 gift cards cataloged. The list of gift card collectors from all around the world is still relatively small but we hope that as the category grows, more gift card collectors would join in and manage their personal collection on Colnect.

Many thanks Claude Martin [Claude], who has kick-started the gift cards category and is now the coordinator in charge of it.

Collectors Collect and Connect on Colnect - Now With Over 13,131 Members

Collectors from all around the world manage their personal collections and swap with other collectors using Colnect's personal collection management and unique Auto-Matching feature.


Continuing the Colnect tradition of publishing statistics in numbers that are more fun to remember rather than rounded, we're happy to report that there are now more than 13,131 collectors on Colnect. This is nearly a 20% growth during the last three months since we last announced 11,111 collectors on Colnect. We deeply apologize for not announcing when we passed the 12,345 collectors mark but we'll try to do a big one when Colnect surpassed the 123,456 members :)

If you're a collector and haven't yet checked out Colnect, you're most welcomed to join our community and enjoy our unique free services. Happy collecting :)

Free Stamp Catalog Surpassed 111,111 Stamps

Stamp collectors from around the world work together to create and enhance Colnect's free online stamp catalog. Recently, the catalog has been growing much faster than before and it now has over 111,111 stamps listed from 223 countries. During the last 30 days alone, 6545 stamps were added.

Collectors who contributed information to the catalog deserve the credit for the growth but a special credit is due to Klauss [Lola22] who has been helping tirelessly as our new stamps coordinator supervising the contribution and editing of other collectors.

You're welcomed to help Colnect grow bigger and better by adding missing items on our catalog.
We also welcome new categories on Colnect so if you collect baseball cards, airsickness bags, beer mats, lights or anything else mass-produced, don't hesitate to contact us on Colnect and you may become a category coordinator.

Happy collecting :)

Gift Cards & Casino Player Cards - NEW Catalogs for Collector on Colnect

Collecting gift cards? Perhaps casino player cards? We're happy to announce these two new categories are now a part of Colnect and we've started creating extensive catalogs for these categories.

The new gift cards catalog, started and coordinated by Claude Martin [Claude], already has over 700 gift cards in it.


Casino player cards, given by casinos around the world, had a more modest start by Moti Krawitz [motikr] with over 30 cards in the catalog. With your help we could make our catalogs grow.


What about more categories on Colnect? Be those lighters, baseball cards or any other mass produced collectibles out there, we welcomed these categories on Colnect. If you're a serious collector and would like to head a new category, please read how to add more collectibles to Colnect.

Cheaters / Thieves - Swapping Tips

Colnect does its best to try and prevent cheaters and thieves from abusing Colnect members. Although most swaps are good for both sides, there are some cheaters out there. The following tips may help you avoid some common scams:

Swapping tips

* If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
* A collector with a few or no positive ratings should always send items first. If you're a new member, your best bet is to swap with members who have many positive ratings. After sending a package to a collector, you may give a neutral rating and change it to positive once you receive your package. This will help in preventing mass-cheats. See: Ratings
* Always use registered packages and keep the receipt. If you didn't register the package, it's your responsibility.
* Be very suspicious if the collector's real name or other details are different on Colnect and on the mailing address.
* Alert us about any suspicious offer you receive. This will help keeping other members protected.


For more information, check the Collector Warnings and Ratings Forum.

Recent Warning

The following person has opened numerous accounts on Colnect and got many negative ratings on all of them. If any collector from Serbia would like to report this person to the local police, please do. Here are some of the details used:

Dejan Kostic (or Marina Kostic)
Voje Micica 81
Bratmilovce
16000 Leskovac
Serbia

or

Mirjana Rajkovic
Radnicka 5 / 28
16000 Leskovac
Serbia

Please read more information about this person here

Colnect, Frognector and a Guitar at the Hitech Annual Conference HTIA2010

Colnect has presented for two days at the Hitech Annual Conference in Jerusalem. Colnect got its booth as a prize for winning a competition done by The Wadi.

Colnect had its promotional video on display at all times. If you haven't seen it yet, you're welcomed to check out Colnect's YouTube channel.

Colnect's founder (yours truly) was playing guitar to get the attention of each and every passerby and tell them about Colnect and how unique and different it is.

The most expensive phone card issued in Israel was on display, though not for sale. It is a special phone card issued by Bezeq and given to the late prime minister of Israel, Itzhak Rabin. There are only 3 more such phone cards known to exist and the one we had on display is in mint condition and is worth a few thousands of dollars.

Colnect decided to clearly differentiate its booth from those of other companies by offering shots of Arak, a 50% strong alcoholic beverage, to those who could say three times quickly "Collectors collect and connect on Colnect". Here are a few videos of people who have taken on the challenge:







Want to join us for a drink?


I would like to use this opportunity to thank Ofer and Lara for helping me out in arranging the booth and presenting Colnect to the visitors in the conference.
For more pictures and video you're welcomed to check out and "like" Colnect's Facebook page.

Recommend Collectors and Collectibles on Colnect to Your FaceBook Friends and WIN Prizes!

Who are the collectors you recommend on Colnect?
Which are the collectible items you recommend on Colnect?

If you have a FaceBook account, you can now easily recommend your favorite collectors and collectible items from Colnect to your FaceBook friends. To see the prizes you can win check out Colnect's news page.

Here's how to recommend a collector:


and how to recommend an item from Colnect's huge catalogs:


Happy recommending :)

Colnect's Phone Card Catalog, The World's Biggest, Has Over 230,000 Phone Cards Listed

Colnect's phonecard catalog reached a new milestone today, as 230,000 phonecards have now been uploaded onto Colnect for collectors to mark in their "Collection", "Swap" and "Wish" lists. Tbis monumental achievement could not have made without the tremendous work of our volunteer phonecard contributors and especially our phonecards coordinator, Ignacio F. López Vico. It is because of his efforts and the contributions of many dedicated collectors on Colnect, that our phonecards catalog, the world's biggest, keep growing so quickly and have already passed 230,000 phone cards.



If you would to like to help upload some of the next phonecards or any other collectible to Colnect, please feel free to contact us.

Collectors Gain From Colnect and WorthPoint Partnership

We're happy to announce a new partnership between Colnect and Worthpoint.

WorthPoint is the place to help you discover your hidden wealth. WorthPoint can make you money in any financial climate. Value, sell and acquire with precision, through:
* Extensive valuation data & expert advice
* Networking with and promotion to trading partners
* Access to the largest auction houses & other trading venues
* Inventory from hundreds of antique dealers
* A collecting community 350,000-strong and growing every day

Collectors from both Colnect and Worthpoint can now benefit from special offers.

コレクトしてコネクトする時、コルネクとするのさ

Colnect Collectors Community promotional video with Japanese audio.



牛(cow)：あー、またやっちまったよ。
かえる(frog)：どうしんだい？

牛：またこのコインだよ。
かえる：いいコインじゃないか。

牛：そうだけど、もう僕のコレクションにあるやつなんだよ。
かえる：あら？

牛：それにもうこの持ってるコインのために他のいいやつをあげちゃったんだよ。
かえる：なんでさ？

牛：だってさぁ、もう持ってるってことを忘れちゃってたんだよ。親切なコレクターさんが交換リストを送ってきてくれてさ。それで自分のカタログを調べてたんだけど、あんまり長いから間違えちゃったんだよ。
かえる：ああ、それは君がコルネクトをやってないからだね。

牛：コレクトしてるよ！コイン収集さ。
かえる：コレクトはしてても、コルネクトしてないってことさ。

牛：コルネクトって何？
かえる：僕のテレフォンカードコレクションの管理のために使ってるいいウェブサイトだよ。

牛：そういえばかなりたくさん持ってるよね。
かえる：そうそう。５３１２個あるんだよ。

牛：全部数えてるの？
かえる：そうじゃないさ。世界一大きなテレフォンカードカタログがそのサイトにあってね、僕は自分の持ってるカードをそこでマークしてるのさ。それから僕が欲しいと思ってるカードや交換してもいいカードもマークしてある。それでコルネクとサイトは自動的に他の人のコレクションとマッチさせて、トレードしやすくしてくれてるのさ。

牛：いいね。いくらかかるの？
かえる：無料だよ。コインもあるし。カタログは参加者が作ってるんだ。


牛：じゃあ君がカタログを今作ってるのかい？
かえる：そうじゃなくてさ。ウィキペデアと同じ原理さ。

牛：へ？
かえる：僕が自主的にやってる。

牛：なんで？
かえる：このサイトが他の人は僕のことも助けてくれてるからね。

牛：君だけだろう？
かえる：すでにもう世界各国から１００人以上のボランティアが参加してるんだよ。

牛：へー。この世界のみんなは英語ができるみたいだね。
かえる：コルネットのコレクターのほとんどは英語を使わないよ。３５カ国語で利用可能だからね。

牛：コルネクとって言ったっけ？
かえる：そう。コレクトしてコネクトする時、コルネクとするのさ。

牛：誰とコネクトするの？
かえる：世界中とさ。

牛：気づいたんだけど。
かえる：何？

牛：僕らもコレクティブルなんだよね。
かえる：うん。そうだね。

牛：ってことは僕らもコルネクと上で取引されるってこと？
かえる：そうだけど、、、それって変な感じだな。