One person's junk...

Who knew? I read an article in the Edmonton Journal today about a new collectibles phenomenon - Starbucks gift cards. From the piece by Shannon Proudfoot:

"BucksCards.com, a website devoted to collectors of Starbucks gift cards - by far the most popular and lucrative on the market - reports that two anonymous collectors recently paid more than $2,000 each for cards that carried no balance but were produced in limited quantities for employees or contest winners.

"'Gift cards are like stamp collectibles or coin collectibles - just a modern version,' says Margaret Li, a collector from Vancouver who uses eBay to sell of duplicates or unwanted cards.

"The food news for Canadians is that on the Starbucks gift card market, the little guy may have the upper hand: there are vastly fewer of the ubiquitous coffee outlets in this country, so Canadian designs are more rare and valuable."

The website provides some interesting tidbits on misprints and other things to look for in collectible cards. It also highlights rare cards issued in countries around the world - I think it'd be a neat idea to pick up such international variations as travel mementos instead of the more commonplace postcard.

I've actually kept every card I've purchased or received, but for a different reason - I'm a sentimental pack rat. Still, it's reassuring on some level that there is a market out there for seemingly irrelevant, disposable pieces of plastic.