At PIM 2026, the Worldwide Phonecards Collectors Club organized a series of commemorative initiatives in collaboration with Urmet — Official Partner of the event — dedicated to members of the association and to the collector community. A limited quantity of the material produced for this occasion is still available.
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Urmet and the WPC Club — A Commemorative Partnership at PIM 2026
PIM 2026 carried a particular significance for the phonecard collecting community. The third edition of the Phonecards International Meeting coincided with the 50th anniversary of the first public phonecard, transforming the event into a celebration not just of the hobby but of the object at its centre.
Urmet S.p.A., one of the Italian companies most closely associated with the history of the phonecard, participated in PIM 2026 as Official Partner. Their presence was tangible throughout the event: a dedicated display of pieces from the Urmet historical archive gave collectors and visitors a direct encounter with the industrial history of the Italian phonecard, from the earliest commercial productions through to the end of the public telephony era.
The collaboration between Urmet and the WPC Club extended beyond the archive exhibition. Urmet donated a series of commemorative phonecards produced specifically for PIM 2026, distributed through the association’s fundraising initiative during the event. The proceeds supported the WPC Club’s activities. The remaining copies not distributed at the event were subsequently transferred in bulk to a collector in the field, completing the distribution of the entire series within the phonecard community.
The WPC Club was founded in 2024 with the mission of becoming the worldwide reference point for phonecard collectors. The partnership with Urmet at PIM 2026 reflects this ambition: bringing together a historic manufacturer and an international collectors’ club to mark a historic anniversary is precisely the kind of initiative the club was built to create.
The WPC Club thanks Urmet for their generosity and their continued commitment to supporting the international collector community, as well as all collectors who participated in the fundraising initiative during the event.
The PIM 2026 Collector’s Folder — 111 Limited-Edition Copies
As part of the commemorative initiatives connected to PIM 2026, the WPC Club produced a limited-edition collector’s folder. A small number of these folders are still available exclusively for members of the Worldwide Phonecards Collectors Club and for new members joining the association.
The folder was produced in a limited edition of 111 copies. Limited production is a defining characteristic of commemorative collecting: it is precisely the finite nature of the edition that gives each copy its weight for the collector who holds it. The 111 copies produced for PIM 2026 represent the complete run — no additional copies will be produced.
For a collector, a folder produced in a run of 111 copies for a specific edition of an international meeting occupies a particular position: it is not a standard reference tool nor a mass-produced item, but a document of a precise moment in the community’s history. Each copy that finds a home in a collection becomes part of the record of PIM 2026 and of the 50th anniversary of the phonecard.
To support the WPC Club’s activities, a contribution of €60.00 is requested for each folder. To allow as many members as possible to participate, only one folder will be available per member. This limit ensures that collectors who were not present at PIM 2026 in Grugliasco have the same access as those who attended the event.
After 31 December 2026, any remaining availability will be allocated according to the WPC Club’s institutional purposes and will no longer be accessible to individual members.
How to Request a Folder – Terms for WPC Club Members
The PIM 2026 commemorative folder is available to current WPC Club members and to new members joining the association by 31 December 2026. The contribution is €60.00 per folder, one folder per member, available while stocks last.
To request a folder, contact the WPC Club via the Contact page. Requests are handled in order of receipt, subject to availability.
The WPC Club thanks every member who has supported the association through these commemorative initiatives. Each piece produced for PIM 2026 carries with it a trace of the international community that gathered at Parco Culturale Le Serre in Grugliasco in April 2026. These initiatives reflect the WPC Club’s approach to the Phonecards International Meeting: PIM is not only three days of gathering, but a catalyst for projects and partnerships that maintain their meaning well beyond the days of the event.
