Sports Cards Collecting 101: Glossary of Terms and Definitions
Whether you’re a new collector or returning to the hobby, all the acronyms and lingo can be difficult to understand. This glossary details some of the most common terms used in the sports and trading card hobby.
1st Bowman – a player’s most popular prospect card, signified by a small “1st” in one corner of the card.
Base card – the most common cards in a product, and usually the least valuable.
Blaster box – an affordable retail box you can find at major chain retail stores like Walmart or Target. Blaster boxes usually have fewer cards and no guaranteed hits (autographed or relic cards).
Breaking – a popular way to “buy in” to popular releases for a more affordable price. Breakers open multiple boxes or cases of a product on a live-stream and sell slots (usually by player or team). Once over, the breaker will send the customers all the cards that they won from that break.
Case – a case comes factory sealed from the manufacturer and contains a set number of boxes.
Case hit – a rare card that is only found once per case.
Cello pack – often found in retail stores, a product with two or more packs packaged together.
Cert number – Certificate numbers are unique codes to keep track of graded cards. You can enter the cert number into the grader’s website to verify that card’s authenticity.
Chase card – the rare and valuable cards that collectors hope to find when they’re ripping packs.
Checklist – a list provided by manufacturers that provides all the cards in the set.
Common card – the least valuable cards in a set.
Consignment – a service provided by some hobby stores where collectors can send their cards to be sold. The consignor does the work of listing the cards for a small percentage of the sale price.
Crossover – a service offered by some grading companies that allows a card graded by another company to be crossed over to another company’s slab if it meets a minimum grade.
Cut signature – a signature that has been taken from another piece of memorabilia or a signed check and inserted into another card. Usually used when a player has passed away.
Doctored – a card that has been altered in some way.
Error card – a card that was unintentionally printed with a mistake. Error cards are often highly sought after because once the printer realizes an error, they will stop production on the error card, fix the issue, and print the correct versions.
Facsimile Signature – a fake signature that is printed onto a card.
Factory set – a product that contains every single card from that set.
Fat pack – a larger pack with more card than you’d find in a pack from a retail box, but likely doesn’t have any exclusive cards.
Flagship – a sports’ main card release.
Game-used – a piece of equipment that was used in an official game.
Game-worn – a jersey or piece of clothing that was worn in an official game.
Graded card – a card that a professional company has deemed authentic and given a grade 1-10 based on the card’s overall condition.
Hit – autographed, relic, or high-valued cards you can pull from a box
Hobby box – high-end boxes found at local hobby shops or online
Insert card – special themed cards that are not a part of the base set
In-person auto – a card with an autographed after being pulled from a pack, usually signed by a player at the ballpark or card shows.
Junk wax – a term for cards from the 1980s and 1990s that were overproduced and carry little to no present value.
Lot – a group of cards or boxes sold together.
Mega box – a type of box that is found in large retail stores (like blaster boxes) but are generally the most expensive retail format because they hold mega box exclusive cards or even guarantee hits.
Numbered – cards that have the print run stamped on the cards, showing how many copies of that card were made. Often displayed on the front of back of the card as “5/10,” for example. Numbered cards with limited print runs are more desirable than cards that are not numbered.
On-card auto – an autograph that is signed directly on the card, as opposed to an autograph on a sticker that is then placed onto a card. On-card autographs are preferred.
Parallel – parallels are cards that have the same overall layout but come in different colors or patterns. They are more limited than base cards and some parallels are numbered.
Pop #/Pop report – a breakdown released by grading companies that shows what cards they’ve graded and how many of each card they’ve graded. When a card is the only one graded, sells may post “Pop 1” to highlight that their card is the only one available.
Printing plate – a piece of thin metal used in the actual printing process for that card. There are four color versions of printing plates that are each a 1/1, and they are usually randomly inserted into packs from that release.
Qualifiers – a designation placed on the label of a graded card to signify that the card meets the grading standards for that grade, except in one area that is greatly flawed. The following are the most common qualifiers: OC (off-center), ST (stain), PD (print defect), OF (out of focus), and MK (marks).
Raw – an ungraded card.
Redemption – redemption cards are found in some releases when the manufacturer did not receive the autographed card from the player in time for release day. The redemption cards get inserted into packs and tell the collector what card they are due to receive and how to claim that card, usually by a scratch-off code. The collector can go to the manufacturer’s website, enter the code, and will be sent the card once the manufacturer receives it.
Refractor – Topps cards that have a “rainbow-like look and colorful shine.” Panini’s version is the “Silver Prizm.”
Reprint – a reproduction of the original card, usually new printings of popular vintage cards. The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle is a popular card that gets reprinted, most notably in commemorative Topps sets like those from 1983, 1996, and 2021.
Retail box – the all-encompassing term for boxes found at large retail chain stores, including blaster and mega boxes.
Short print – most commonly signified by an image variation, short printed cards are rarer and more valuable than common cards.
Slab – graded cards.
Subgrades – Beckett offers subgrades on their labels, assigning a grade for each of the four categories considered when grading a card: centering, edges, corners, and surface.
Superfractor – a card that is a 1/1.
Tiffany sets – high-quality complete sets released by Topps from 1984 to 1991. The scarcity of these sets makes them some of the most valuable cards from the junk wax era.
Variation – short printed cards with minor differences in color or image.
Vintage – everyone’s definition of vintage is different, but generally vintage cards are those produced before 1980.
Wax – factory sealed boxes.
Abbreviations
AU – abbreviation for Autograph, usually seen on a graded card slab
BCCG – Beckett Collectors Club Grading, a high-volume grading service with a different grading scale than any of the other big grading companies.
BGS vs BVG – Beckett Grading Service (modern cards, 1981 to present) vs Beckett Vintage Grading (vintage cards, pre-1981)
B/S/T – Buy/Sell/Trade, used by collectors on social media
BMWT – Bubble Mailer With Tracking
COA – Certificate Of Authenticity, confirms that the autograph or memorabilia is authentic
FF/F&F – Friends & Family, method of sending money on PayPal where there is no fee but no protection for the buyer.
FS/FT/NFS/NFT – For Sale/ For Trade/Not For Sale/Not For Trade, used by collectors on social media when posting photos of cards
GS/G&S – Goods & Services, method of sending money on PayPal where there is a fee but protection for the buyer.
ISO – In Search Of or I’m Seeking Out
JSY – abbreviation for Jersey, usually seen on a graded card slab
LOA – Letter Of Authenticity, confirms that the autograph or memorabilia is authentic
LCS – Local Card Shop
LTB/LTTF/WTB/WTTF – Looking To Buy/Looking To Trade For/Want To Buy/Want To Trade For, used by collectors on social media to signal cards they’re looking for
NNO – signifies a card with No Number On back
NNOF – signifies a card with No Name On Front
PC – Personal Collection
PRC – Pre-Rookie Card, used mostly for prospects and college players
PSA – Professional Sports Authenticator, one of the most popular grading companies
PWE – Plain White Envelope
RC – Rookie Card
RPA – Rookie Patch Autograph
RR – Rated Rookie
SGC – Sportscard Guaranty Corporation, one of the three most popular grading companies
SP/SSP – Short Print and Super Short Print
T206 – A tobacco card set released by 1909 to 1911
TCG – Trading Card Game
VAR – abbreviation for Variation, usually seen on a graded card slab
