Interesting facts through collectibles: Eiffel Tower opens

What comes to your mind when you think about France? The first thing to pop up into the most people's head is the Eiffel Tower. It is not only the most recognizable symbol of  France but also it is the most-visited paid monument in the world.

Phonecard, Eiffel Tower, France, 2001, Colnect Catalog

After 2 years of hard work, construction of the Eiffel Tower was finally finished on March 15, 1889. After 16 days, on March 31, it was opened and celebrated by commencing the first ascent to the top of the tower. The elevator was not working yet, so 1,710-step climb had to be done by foot.

Coin, 10 Dollars (Eiffel Tower - Paris, France), Cook Islands, 2007, Colnect Catalog

Eiffel Tower is very popular in the collecting world. There are many different types of items which display this magnificent tower. Here are some examples from our categories of coins, phonecards, and even lego sets.

Lego Set, Eiffel Tower, Advanced Models, 2007, Colnect Catalog

On average, 25,000 people are visiting the tower every day. The most popular Eiffel Tower-themed collectibles are postcards and stamps. In addition to being able to share the experience with family and friends, they serve as a memory trigger for the days of visiting Paris and the Eiffel Tower.

Postcard, Paris. Eiffel Tower and Trocadero gardens, France, Colnect Catalog

Do you collect the collectibles of a specific topic? If yes, share in comments the topic you're interested in. 

Stamp, Chagall - The Betrothed and Eiffel Tower, France, Colnect Catalog

If you want to contribute to Colnect you are welcome to check Contributor Guide. To purchase or sell your collectibles feel free to visit Colnect Marketplace.

Famous people through collectibles: Albert Einstein

Everyone in the world must know the name of Albert Einstein, the founder of the theory of relativity. He was born on March 14, 1879.

Banknote, 5 Numismas - Albert Einstein, Kingdom of Kamberra, 2012, Colnect Catalog

During his life, this brilliant mind accomplished so much that he was even named as the Person of the Century by Times magazine. Albert Einstein is most famous for his theory of relativity.

Sugar Packet › Albert Einstein, Spain, 2016, Colnect Catalog

His contributions towards the world earned him various rewards one of them even being the Nobel Prize in Physics. He died at the age of 76, continuing to work until the very end.

Stamp, Centenary of Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, Hungary, 2015, Colnect Catalog

Albert Einstein left us a huge collection of breakthroughs and advancements in the field of science. There are a lot of collectibles for people out there who are interested in Einstein or are fascinated with physics.

Kids Meal Toy › Albert Einstein, Europe, 2017, Colnect Catalog

Many different stamp series dedicated to Einstein were issued in various countries: Vietnam, Grenada, Fiji, Mongolia, Zaire, British Virgin Islands, USA, and others. There are many Einstein-themed coins made in Switzerland, Northern Mariana Islands, Thailand, Togo, Nauru, Germany Democratic Republic. Most of these items illustrate him alongside his theories and different physics formulas.

Coin, 10 Yuan (Einstein), China, People's Republic, 1991, Colnect Catalog

Do you want to contribute to Colnect? You are welcome to check Catalog Contribution Guidelines page and start making Colnect better. For collectibles, you would like to buy or sell check our marketplace.

Interesting facts through collectibles: Nobel Prize

Alfred Nobel, well-known Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor, businessman, and philanthropist, passed away on December 10, 1896. He signed his last will in 1895, which stated to use his assets to establish Nobel Prizes.

Bertha von Suttner (1843-1914) writer, Peace Nobel Prize, Stamp, 1965, Austria, Colnect Catalog

In 1901, on Alfred’s fifth anniversary, first Nobel Prizes were awarded. There were 5 prizes in total for Chemistry, Literature, Peace, Physics, and Physiology or Medicine. 

50 Pesetas, Banknote, 1905, Spain, Colnect Catalog

Ceremonies take place annually in Stockholm, Sweden and each laureate receives a gold medal, a diploma, and money. These prizes have the purpose to reward people for their incredible achievements.

1 New Sheqel (Nobel Prize in Literature - Shmuel Yosef Agnon), Coin, 2008, Israel, Colnect Catalog

Over the years, there were many individuals who were awarded Nobel Prize and to celebrate their beneficial work for the humanity, many collectibles were made in their names. 

William Faulkner – Litterature 1949, Maximum Card, 1985, Sweden, Colnect Catalog

There are numerous amounts of stamps, phonecards, philatelic products, coins, banknotes, milk cup lid, postcards, which you can find on Colnect. Hard work of these people to benefit humanity will always be appreciated.

Famous people through collectibles: Napoleon Bonaparte

Everyone has heard stories about Napoleon and his achievements. During the Revolution, he served in the army as an artillery officer. He managed to rapidly rise through ranks and eventually became a general. From there on he continued increasing his reputation and influence which resulting in him becoming First Consul of the Republic in 1799.

Stamp › Bicentenary of the birth of Napoleon Bonaparte, French Colonies and Territories, 1969, Colnect Catalog

In 1804, he became the first Emperor of the French. His coronation took place in Notre Dame Cathedral on December 2 and his reign continued until 1814. He managed to take control of France again in 1815 but this time his reign ended after several months.

Stamp › Silhouettes of Napoleon and Josephine, Saint Lucia, 1969, Colnect Catalog

Many different collectibles were made over the years in the name of Napoleon. On Colnect, you can find various kinds of items which are connected to him. For example, you can even find coins which were made during his reign such as this one:

 Coin › 1 Centesimo (B), Italian States, 1807, Colnect Catalog

Colnect has been built by collectors just like you. If you wish to contribute to our growing community of collectors and start making catalog better for other fellow collectors then you can add new items, add images and information to already existing items, help to translate catalog to your language, edit the catalog, write wiki articles, and even create your own categories.

Famous people through collectibles: Grace Kelly

On November 12, 1929, an American actress and a Princess of Monaco, Grace Patricia Kelly was born. And it’s a great occasion to look at her charming personality through collectibles.

Stamp: Grace Kelly, Prince Rainier III, crown and monogram, Monaco, 1956, Colnect

There are many various collectibles which were made in her honor. Some of them could be found on Colnect. Currently, you can find 30 stamps, 8 coins, 6 phone cards which are connected to Grace Kelly in our catalog. For example, several of these stamps were made in 1956 to represent her marriage such as the one provided below. Also, many of the items owned by Grace Kelly during filming or things signed by her are collected by people all around the world.

Stamp: Rear Window, Monaco, 2016, Colnect

Throughout her career, Grace Kelly starred in many successful films, such as High Noon (1952), Mogambo (1953), for which she won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress, Rear Window (1954), To Catch a Thief (1955), and The Swan (1956). Those films became a golden classic of cinema and are loved by thousand people around the globe.

Phone card: Renato Casaro 2 - Unforgotten (Cary Grant / Grace Kelly), Germany, 2000, Colnect

In 1956 she retired from being an actress and married Prince Rainier III. She continued her life as a mother of 3 and a Princess of Monaco until her death in 1982, which was caused by a car accident due to her suffering a stroke.

Coin: 10 Dollars (Grace Kelly 30th Anniversary of death), Fiji, 2012, Colnect

Do you have Grace Kelly themed collectibles in your collection? Share them here in comments. 

77,777 Coins On Colnect!

Colnect Coin category has been growing at a rapid speed and today we have reached the hypnotizing mark of

77,777 coins!

50 Pence (The Red Dragon of Wales), Numismatic Product, Jersey, 2013, Colnect catalog

Less than 6 months ago we celebrated a milestone of 66,666 coins. Since that time 11,111 coins in total have been added to our catalog. Just think of it; collectors from all over the world each day have contributed to Colnect about 62 coins!

20 Cents, Standard Circulation, Swaziland, 1974, Colnect catalog

You can find coins from the farthest corners of the world in our Coin catalog. There are coins from 404 contries, minted by 397 mints, with the face value of 1370 different currencies, and 41 shapes.

100 Córdobas (U.S. Bicentennial), Numismatic Product, Nicaragua, 1975, Colnect catalog

The impressively fast growth Colnect coin catalog is a result of immense work and dedication of the coordinators, Angelo Parla [angelo13] and Hernán Bofill [hbofill12], and all editors and contributors of the category.

½ Penny, Standard Circulation, Ireland-Hibernia, 1805, Colnect catalog

Colnect has been built by collectors for collectors and any help is much appreciated. Interested to start helping out your fellow collectors? Read our Contributors guide and fill out our Contributor application.

Coins Reaching 66,666 on Colnect

In an appropriate tribute to the year 2016, we're happy to celebrate Colnect Coins catalog passing the 66,666 Coins mark.

This year we have seen a lot of positive progress for Numismatic collectibles on Colnect. Maybe most importantly, we've seen the addition of the Year Variants in the coins catalog.

1 Mahbub (With rose) Gold Coin from Egypt, 1730, from the Colnect catalog  

With over a thousand new coins added every month, the coins catalog is growing in impressive speed. The speed does not come at the expense of the quality of the catalog, that maintains it's high standards for information and images.

500 Tenge (Abulkhair khan) Silver Coin from Kazakhstan, 2016, from the Colnect catalog 

The success of the catalog is due to the impeccable work of the coordinators, Angelo Parla [angelo13] and Hernán Bofill [hbofill12], and the dedicated editors and contributors of the category.

1 Sovereign (Victoria Queen) Gold Coin from Australia, 1855, from the Colnect catalog

If you would like to help add items to the catalog, please see our Catalog Contribution Guidelines page.

500 Dinara (Preserve Planet Earth Series - Brontosaurus) Copper-Nickel Coin from Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1993, from the Colnect catalog

We wish all the best to the catalog that is getting better and better every month. There's a bright and shiny future for this numismatic category.

1 Cent (Silver edition) from Sierra Leone, 1964, from the Colnect catalog

100 MILLION Items on Colnect Collectors Inventories

Yes, One Hundred Million items marked on collectors' inventories. As a community, it's wonderful to see how active everyone is in collecting and interacting. After all, this is what Colnect is made for, and it only goes to show that it is truly working.

What does this number mean? It's the accumulation of all items marked for swap on Colnect, all the items marked on the collections of Colnect's members, all the wish lists, all the custom lists. You can say it's the accumulation of all the collecting wealth, collecting hopes and aspirations of all the collectors on Colnect. This makes this inconceivable number even more impressive.

Colnect collectors have 40 million different physical items in their own collection. That's without including multiple quantities of the same item that a specific collector may have. So physically, there are lot more than only 40,000,000 items.

Additionally, there are now 8 million different physical items on collector swap lists. These are 8,000,000 opportunities for tens of thousands of collectors on Colnect. Even greater than that is the number of wish list items which is nearing an incredible 50 million, demonstrating once again that collectors will always have the ambition to find more and create better collections. Swaps are a major part of the Colnect community and social activity. In this day and age, it is an actual physical connection made between collectors on different points on the globe and it is the foundation of Colnect.

Looking at the numbers, you can find many more other curious statistics. For example, for every item on the catalog, how many collectors are marking it? Well, we can see that, on average, the Coins category is the leader in this case. An average of 85 collectors have marked a given item in their collection and an average of 178 have marked it on some list. This is great for Colnect because of another useful resource it has, the Item Score. The item score relies on data from the collectors themselves, The more marking, the more data, the more accurate the score.

We can see how much knowledge, connection and strength we can gain simply by marking the lists. So what else is there to say than - mark away! May the swaps roll on :)

The New Colnect Core Coordinator - Hernan Bofill [hbofill12]

In the great Colnect team there are many different roles. Some start out initiating something new, some Colnect finds for a new role, for some a role simply grows on them. But this is not one of these cases, this case is unique. Here a role is just so perfect for a collector, that it's almost as if it was created for him.

The collector, as most of you know him, is Hernán Bofill [hbofill12] and the new role is Colnect Core Coordinator (CCC). This role will allow him to be in contact with coordinators of all categories, offering his support and advice. He will be with a finger on the pulse of all catalogs, so he'll know when something is needed to be done and what. At the same time he'll have the bird's eye view of Colnect, with the freedom to introduce and push forward ideas. Hernán Bofill [hbofill12] is now your top guy on everything related to the catalogs.

Hernán and his son, Nino

Since joining 3 years ago, Hernán has been relentless in pushing the catalogs and the community forward. Most importantly, he has been relentless in his enjoyment of what he does, refusing to let anything stifle his enthusiasm and momentum. He has very quickly made himself an invaluable resource. By offering his expertise, time, mentoring and always his care he won the respect and gratitude of many of Colnect's team and members.

You see him all the time, editing and coordinating on so many catalogs, answering on the forum and in private, swapping and listing, but let's hear a little more from him about himself.

hbofill12 as you all know him

- What do you collect?

My primary collecting items are coins. Then I have a lot of tokens and medals, that I am putting in order. Due to a "space issue” I only collect labels of the beverages that I drink. I am also a Beatles fan, so I collect Beatles CDs and memorabilia. I have a huge quantity of events tickets (Sports, Concerts, Admission) and Pins, and also some rocks, fossils and shells.

- How did you start collecting?

Since I was a child, I always had the collecting virus in me. Toys, magazines, stickers, glass balls. I always wanted to complete a series…

- Why do you think collecting is valuable?

Collecting, no matter what you collect, means two principal things to me. First, a lot of learning and knowledge. Second, creating relationships with other collecting partners.

- Which roles have you taken on Colnect before?

I've started in Colnect as a Coins editor for Argentina, Paraguay and Fantasy Issues. I would really like to thank Jim [Rubycored] for his mentoring. He was the one that motivated and pushed me to become what I am in this community. Then I became a Global Coins editor and Drink Labels coordinator. One year later, I was helping Jim and Angelo with the coordination of Coins, and handling the coordination of Tokens and Medals. In the middle of that Jim offered his Security Manager position to me and I accepted. With this, Amir also wanted me to become one of the site admins and I started working with some of the other category coordinators, helping them, for example, assign stars and grant editing permissions.

- What do you think are the main challenges Colnect faces?

We have a great catalog and we cover most of the “Swapping” collectibles, which is great. The main challenge that I see now is to improve the data in our catalogs. Doing this, I am sure that we are on the way to become the world's main collecting reference.

- Which are the first issues you'll be focusing on?

I would like to make the coordinator's day by day in Colnect more easy. I am working in a couple of ideas and I hope to share them soon.

- How can members help out?

There are many ways to help out in this community. I think that one of the best ways to start is asking your primary collection coordinator how you can help him. Be sure that he/she will find a task for you to do. This could be a good starting point.

- What would you like collectors to know about you, that they don't know yet?

Well, most of them know me but perhaps they don’t know much about me. About my personal life, I can tell you that I am from Argentina and I am 38 years old. I am married and have two kids. Nino who is 10 years old and Helena who is 6. I am a Systems Engineer and work for a pharmacy industry company, leading the Latin America software factory projects. As I said above, apart from collecting, I am a Beatles fan and enjoy going to music concerts. I also like to watch Football and Rugby.

Hernán Bofill and his family

To wrap this post up, we will finish resolving a mystery with another mystery. Many have asked and wondered, what is the meaning or reason of Hernán's OM avatar? The answer lies before you. As he wrote: "This is my necklace. It was created especially for me and it has been with me since 1997."

Thank you, hbofill12, for all that you have done and with all that you will do. Good luck and congratulations on this new role, we are all excited for you :)

56,789 Collectors now on Colnect!

It's always fun to see more and more collectors joining Colnect and participating in the community. Every day you can see more collectors from different countries swapping items, discussing collectible issues on the forums and suggesting useful new ideas, keeping the Colnect community vibrant, current and on it's toes.

In the last 3 months Colnect has reached 56,789 Collectors, an increase of  over 11 percent. That means over 6000 collectors have joined Colnect in the past 3 months, becoming members of the community and enriching it with their input, with their collections and their character.

"25 Rupees - Queen's Silver Jubilee" - Seychelles Coin, newly added on Colnect

It's truly beautiful and inspiring to see the cooperation between collectors on Colnect, from those who have been with Colnect since the beginning to brand new collectors. The more veteran Colnect collectors are happily reaching out to new ones with help and advice, creating new connections of collectible exchange and friendly relations, helping improve the catalogs and the website with their comments and remarks and more.

"Nissay" - Japanese Phonecard, newly added on Colnect

New items are constantly added to the Colnect catalogs, thanks to the wonderful contributors, editors and coordinators on Colnect. You can see some examples of them right here in this post. Some categories have reached new impressive achievements such as the Japanese Phonecards section that accumulated over 111,111 Japanese Phonecards, with much of it due to the dedicated work of the editor of Japanese Phonecards, Karl Heinz Degener [neizi].

"Peter Rabbit" - Japanese Phonecard, newly added on Colnect

There are also new categories that have been in the works for some time now. Those will be joining Colnect soon such as Sports Cards, CDs, Paper Clips and Milk cup lids. Many more great collectible category ideas are being suggested on and off the forums and we hope eventually we will be able to create a home for all of them.

A big thank you to all those devoted and enthusiastic collectors that are the beating heart of Colnect, both very active and very kind, from Coordinators, Editors, Translators and Contributors to all the Collectors on Colnect that swap, discuss, manage their collection and show much care and appreciation for Collecting.

"Famous Uruguayan Women - Nelly Goitino" - Uruguayan Stamp, newly added on Colnect

Would you like to know how you can contribute to the Colnect catalogs too? Have a look at our Catalog Contribution help page. Would like to suggest and create a new category you would like to see on Colnect? Post it on the New Categories forum.

"Vessel with flowers" - Japanese Phonecard, newly added on Colnect

Continent Division in Country Lists !NEW!

As part of the latest efforts to make the browsing of the Colnect catalog even more swift and intuitive, now all Country lists have been divided into Continents on quick on-page tabs, so you can rush past all irrelevant information on the way to your wanted collectible items.

As in all the other lists on Colnect, you can also use the Quick-Filter box. Just start typing into the yellow search box and see how the list quickly adjusts and shortens to include only options you may be interested in.

This continent division is, of course, optional and you can still view all countries in the regular list format if you prefer it.

Combined together these options make for not only fast searches, but also for convenient view of the Country List pages, with no scrolling down needed, just a click or a type.

Try it out now and let us know what you think! Come on, search for something... :)

Medal Collectors - welcome to Colnect!

We are happy to announce the opening of a new Medals category on Colnect.

"Order of the People's Army with Golden Star" - Yugoslavian medal, from the New Colnect Medals Catalog

A long awaited category, the Colnect Medals Catalog, is home to a unique kind of mass-produced collectible. Medals are a collectible that is, by definition, relatively rare. Many times a collectible Medal is passed on as family heirloom, and each holds a personal meaning that goes beyond the title of the medal alone. The catalog will be open to many kinds and Usages of Medals, from Military, through Education to Sports.

"Humanitarian Service Medal" -  USA medal, from the New Colnect Medals Catalog

The category will be co-coordinated by Hernan Bofill [hbofill12], and [neweden]. There have been a lot of efforts made by devoted collectors, such as the coordinators and more, to bring this category to life. The catalog now holds 272 precious Medals from 10 countries. With the help of more collectors, it can develop into a comprehensive and impressive account of World Medals.

"College of Montreal Medal" - Canadian medal, from the New Colnect Medal Catalog

The category was built at the request and initiative of Colnect Collectors. You can see how the build was developed on the forum. If you would to see how you can contribute and join in on the catalog, you are welcome to read all you need to know on the Catalog Contribution Guidelines page.

"Bronze Star, for acts of heroism" - USA  medal, from the New Colnect Medals Catalog.

Are you  a Medals Collector? Would like to meet the other collectors on this category? Come see the new Medals Collectors Forum.

"General Güemes" - Argentina medal, from the New Colnect Medal Catalog

We would like to thank all who helped make this wonderful category happen, and wish the category, and it's coordinators the best of luck :)

New collector products with Colnect's API

Do you want to create unique products for collectors based on the unique information freely available on Colnect?

Colnect's new API enables you to query Colnect's database to extract relevant information available on Colnect. You can then use this information to offer new products to collectors. This opens a new world of possibilities.

Rock The Collectors' World

Here are some ideas for products that can be implemented using Colnect's new API:

• Mobile applications for collectors
• Facebook applications for collectors
• Offline collection management software interacting with one's Colnect account
• Online marketplaces or shops can extract updated collectible item details for sales
• Statistical analysis applications based on unique collectors information
• Mashup applications such as image recognition to search for an item on Colnect
• Tools to automatically check and update Colnect's catalogs

Background

Colnect is the constant work of so many people and that's how it has become as amazing as it is today. Colnect contains unique information found nowhere else and it's easily and freely available to anyone. At the heart of Colnect are the online catalogs used by collectors to manage their personal collection and use advanced features such as Best Matches.

Colnect's catalogs are extensive and in many of the collectible categories supported they are THE BEST catalogs available anywhere in the world. They are offered in 61 languages to more than 333,333 people visiting Colnect every month. The members of Colnect currently manage about 50 million items on their inventories on Colnect.

How to Use the API

Please see the post on Colnect's forum and write us that you're interested in using the API and what you generally plan to do with the information. You will then be given more specific information and a unique API key to enable you to use the API.

30,003 Coins Marks New Colnect MILESTONE!

As one of the premier coin collecting enterprises online, Colnect celebrates its coin catalog database reaching the 30,003 coin plateau today.



It is you, the Colnect collectors, that continue to bolster the vast archives with exceptionally extraordinary collectibles and artifacts that should be proud of this great achievement. Colnectors can now find and view over thirty thousand different coins within the Coin Category for trade, studying, or just plain enjoying.

We must also give credit where it's due and recognize angelo13 and rubycored for their excellent work as coordinators since our last achievement of 22,222 coins. See how to help contribute to the cause here.

Look and marvel at the beauteous piece, the bronze color and the gorgeous imagery on the Vienna issued Austrian five Euro coin.



Nowhere is such a vast array of unique, rare, and exceptionally lovable collections. Colnect embraces its users who offer up their precious valuables for viewing.

Remember that it is through your work, your diligent collecting, and your vigorous online connecting that the world gets to share and embrace all of the wonderful collectibles here on Colnect.