Glossary of Terms

A player’s 1st Bowman card is their first official baseball card, released before their official rookie card. These cards will be designated “1st” or “1st Bowman,” usually in the upper left-hand corner. The 1st Bowman card designation was first used in 1996 but didn’t become a staple of Bowman sets until 2003. Since then, a player’s 1st Bowman has taken on greater value as prospecting has become an increasingly important part of the modern Hobby. Within the collector community, the importance of the 1st Bowman card has come to rival that of the professional rookie card.

A card that is autographed by a player, celebrity, or other subject. Autos are a type of chase card – they are more limited, and thus more valuable, than the more common cards in a set.

Base cards make up the base set, which is the most common set of cards in a sports or non-sport product. Base cards are considered common cards and make up the majority of cards in a given product. They typically feature a card number on the back of the card, making them easily identifiable on the product checklist.

A blaster box is a type of retail box that is commonly distributed at large retail stores like Walmart and Target (as opposed to Hobby shops or online exclusives). Blaster boxes tend to have fewer packs per box (anywhere from 4 to 15) and, like other retail products, tend to have a lower price point, making them an accessible option for newcomers to The Hobby.

When one or more cards – generally, autographed cards or relics – are combined together to open like a book.

A box is a sealed container that holds packs of cards. Some boxes may contain as little as one pack of cards; others may contain 30+ packs. In the most common configuration, a Topps box will contain 24 packs, though the number packs-per-box varies considerably from product to product.

Box loaders – or toppers – are special, single cards or sets of cards that are only available as inserts in hobby boxes. Box loaders are usually larger than standard-size cards and are meant as a unique opportunity for collectors to engage in the Hobby.

“Breaking” means opening the seal on the box or pack to reveal the cards inside. Breaking can take many forms but is typically done by a collector or dealer specializing in the particular type of product being opened. Collectors will buy into a break in hopes of acquiring rare or high-valued cards. The collector or dealer may live-stream the breaking event on media platforms like Fanatics Live, allowing viewers to watch in real time as cards are opened. Breaking has become an increasingly important part of the modern hobby as a way for collectors and dealers to connect and share their passion for trading cards. It can also be a way for collectors to acquire rare or valuable cards that they may not have been able to obtain otherwise.

Breaking refers to the practice of opening multiple boxes or cases of a product at the same time, and then distributing the cards to a larger group of paying customers. Breakers sell ‘slots’ to their breaks, and customers receive a defined portion of the opened product. In some cases, the customers will pay for a specific team, which entitles them to any card belonging to a player from that team; in other cases, the customer is simply given a randomized allotment.

Breaking has become a major business within the trading card world. Breakers operate websites and often stream their breaks on social media platforms. For high-stakes breaks, it isn’t uncommon for thousands of people to tune in and watch even though they aren’t paying for a slot or receiving any cards.

For more on Breaking, check out this video.

Brick-and-Mortar refers to Hobby Shops. These Hobby Shops represent the foundation of collecting and continue to be the most critical institutions in the Hobby. Even as the Hobby develops and grows digitally, the brick-and-mortar stores remain important industry collaborators and cultural custodians.

A trade show where collectors and dealers congregate to buy, sell, and trade cards. There are hundreds of card shows around the United States each year, and an increasing number of shows are now held in Europe and other countries. Most card shows are local and attended by a relatively small number of local dealers and enthusiasts. Large card shows like The National, which is held annually, can typically attract over a hundred thousand attendees.

These are plastic sleeves used to protect cards. The most popular kind – Penny Sleeves – get their name for being inexpensive: they cost a penny.

Card stock refers to the type of paper or material used to produce trading cards. Card stock can vary in thickness, depending on the set and type of card. Thicker card stock is often used for higher-end or premium products. The thicker stock provides a more substantial and impressive feel to the card. Overall, the quality and thickness of the card stock used can significantly impact a trading card’s overall value and desirability.

A case is a sealed container that holds a set number of boxes. Most Topps hobby cases contain 12 boxes, though the number of boxes-per-case varies from product to product.

Boxes are shipped from manufacturers in cases, and for some products, a special card will be inserted ‘one per case’. These case hits are more rare and thus more valuable to collectors.

Any given set of cards will include a limited number of chase cards, which are highly coveted by collectors. Some examples of chase cards include: autographed cards, rare parallels, rare rookie cards, relic cards, and insert cards.

Unlike common base cards, chase cards are more rare and valuable. When opening packs, some collectors will completely ignore the base card set and focus entirely on hitting a chase card.

Chasing the Rainbow is a modern collecting phenomenon where you collect different color parallel cards of a player. Depending on the player and parallels that could include autos, a complete Rainbow collection could consist of many cards. Additionally, some collectors chase only the paper or chrome Rainbows or combine both.

A list of every card in a given product (e.g. 2021 Topps Chrome Baseball) – every base card, every parallel, every autographed card, etc. A checklist doesn’t tell you what cards you will pull from a given pack or box; instead, it tells you what cards you could pull from that box. It defines the universe of potential cards for a given product.

Unlike traditional paper cards, Chrome cards use chromium paper, which gives them a shiny, metallic look. Chrome cards are also more firm and durable than paper cards. First introduced with the 1996 Bowman Chrome set, Chrome remains one of the most popular card types in the entire Topps line.

Collation/Collating is the organizing and assembling of trading cards into complete sets or subsets. Typically done by collectors or dealers, this process involves gathering individual cards and arranging them according to specific criteria, most often using checklists. Collating can be challenging and time-consuming, particularly for larger sets containing many parallels. Collation/Collating is a critical aspect of the Hobby because it allows collectors to complete sets and increase their overall value. Since the introduction of the checklist in the late 19th century, collation/collating remains an essential part of the Hobby requiring patience, attention to detail, and deep knowledge of the cards and sets collected.

Combination cards feature two or more players, teams, or other elements on a single card. These cards come in various designs: one player on each side, players arranged in a unique design on the card, dual or triple autos, and even relic cards receive the combination card treatment. Combination cards are often produced as unique or limited edition cards, making them highly sought after by collectors.

Commons are the least rare, and therefore least valuable, cards in any given set. A typical common would be the base card of a non-rookie player. Commons are the opposite of chase cards and hits.

A collector who is driven to possess every card of a given set, year, team, player, or category. If they collect 2021 Topps Chrome Baseball, the completist will hunt down every card from that checklist – including every base card, parallel, auto, etc. For many collectors, common cards from a given set will have little value. But for a completist, whose aim is to complete each set, the common cards will have significant value, since they cannot complete the set without them.

A trading card that has had part of the card stock removed to create a specific shape, design or function, such as a stand-up.

In today’s collecting era, such cards are used as inserts and are usually short-printed. This makes them more rare than other cards in the set, and thus more likely to be coveted and valued by collectors

A dinged card is a damaged card. A ding can refer to indentations, scratches on the surface, or other types of damage. But the most common ding is associated with the corners. When a corner is bent, blunted, or otherwise damaged, it is called a “dinged corner”. Usually, this is caused when the card is mishandled. But sometimes, dinged corners result from cards simply shifting around in the pack. Dinged cards will typically receive a lower grade, and have a lower value on the secondary market.

A card that contains a mistake or error resulting in a variation (aka VAR). Error cards may include misspellings, statistical errors, incorrect photos, or other mistakes. When an error is corrected by the manufacturer, the error cards can be far more rare than the common, corrected versions, which leads to higher values. However, if the correction occurred late in the production cycle, the corrected card will be printed in lower quantities than the error card, and thus the corrected card – not the error card – may be worth more.

A piece of memorabilia that has been worn by a player at a non-specific game or event. For example, a jersey or jersey patch that was worn at a rookie’s signing session. This memorabilia is then embedded in a trading card. (See also: Game-Worn)

Factory Set refers to a specific way to sell baseball cards. Instead of random packs being placed in a retail box or hobby box, a full set is packaged and sold in a single box. Factory sets first appeared in the 1980s due to the popularity of hand collated sets offered in mail catalogs.

Built by collectors for collectors, Fanatics Live is a Hobby platform innovating the breaking industry with more exciting shows, unprecedented athlete access, and the most robust trust and safety policies in the business. Collectors can join the most reputable breakers, including industry leaders WeTheHobby, The Monster Card Shop, and Layton Sports Cards, for daily breaks on sports cards, TCG, memorabilia, and more collectibles.

A piece of memorabilia that has been used in a professional sporting event. These items can include, but are not limited to: bats, jerseys, fielding gloves, batting gloves, bases, etc. Baseball memorabilia is typically ‘MLB authenticated’, which means that Major League Baseball guarantees the authenticity and provenance of the game-used items.

Game-used memorabilia are commonly used in relic cards (though not all relic card memorabilia is game-used).

A piece of memorabilia that has been worn by a player in an official game, which is then embedded in a trading card – commonly referred to as a Relic Card. Examples include a piece of a player’s game-worn uniform or gloves. (See also: Event-Worn)

Glossy sets refer to cards featuring a shiny, reflective coating. This coating is achieved through printing tech, such as Chrome cards printed on chromium paper. Glossy sets are considered more visually appealing than regular non-glossy sets, and they are often produced in limited quantities, making them more valuable to collectors. Some examples of glossy sets include Chrome sets, Tiffany Sets from the 1980s and 1990s, refractors, and other inserts or subsets included in non-glossy products.

Many collectors will submit their cards to a third-party service to evaluate and assess their physical condition. This third-party service will assign a numerical grade between 1-10; the higher the grade, the better the condition. Cards with higher grades tend to fetch higher prices on the secondary market. A card in perfect condition will receive a GEM Mint rating of 10. Mint and near-mint graded cards tend to be highly valued, and often fetch prices that are exponentially higher than cards with low grades.

For more on card grading, check out this video.For a breakdown of the different card grading services, check out this guide.

High numbers or high series refers to the subset of cards within a particular set released later in the production run, typically with a higher number. This means they may have had a lower print run and are often harder to find than the earlier cards. High numbers can be desirable for collectors, especially those focusing on completing sets. Set collectors often find that completing a set with a high number of cards can be more challenging and adds a greater sense of accomplishment.

A modern hobby term referring to higher-valued chase cards. Autographs, relic cards, insert cards, and coveted rookie cards are all commonly understood to be hits. In some cases, manufacturers will guarantee a certain number of “hits per box”, which means that a specific number of chase cards have been inserted in each box.

A widely-used shorthand for the practice of card collecting and the community of card collectors.

Hobby boxes are high-end boxes that typically feature a greater number of chase cards, which makes them more expensive/valuable. Unlike retail boxes, which are widely distributed in big box stores (think: Walmart or Target), hobby boxes are usually distributed exclusively through hobby shops or online.

A hologram card features a holographic image or design element. The hologram can be the primary focus of the card or be used as an accent or security feature. Holograms refract light to produce three-dimensional images or shiny, prismatic effects that change depending on the angle of view. Holograms have been made to create unique, visually appealing cards; they’ve been produced in limited numbers or special sets to create rarity and increase collector value. Holograms can be used as a means of authentication to counteract counterfeiting.

When a player signs an autograph, they sometimes include an additional inscription along with their name. Some popular inscriptions include the player’s nickname, Hall of Fame induction year, specialized notation (e.g. statistical achievement), or other personalized message.

Insert cards refer to any non-base and non-parallel cards in a trading card set. These cards typically have their own themes, names, designs, and numberings.

A trading card that contains a small piece – or “swatch” – of a player’s jersey. Unlike Patch Cards, which are taken from specific parts of the jersey (i.e. the logo or number), jersey swatches are typically single-color and consist of basic mesh or cloth material. The memorabilia used in jersey cards are not always Game-Worn or Game-Used.

This refers to the period in the late-80s and early-90s where card manufacturers flooded the market with product, resulting in an massive, supply-side imbalance of supply and demand. Most cards and boxes from the Junk Wax Era are worth significantly less than similar cards released earlier in the 1980s, simply because the print quantities were so much greater. Many collectors, disappointed that so many of their cards weren’t as rare and valuable as they expected, ended up fleeing The Hobby during this era.

A visual effect that gives a card 3D-depth and movement. When you shift a lenticular card from side to side, the image appears to move.

A logoman card features the logo patch from a player’s jersey. Logoman cards are always 1-of-1 (there is only one patch per jersey) and are often autographed, making them among the most desired and valuable cards in The Hobby.

Low series or low number cards are from the first series produced for a set in a given year. Production and distribution of these cards are generally greater as they’re the first run of cards available to the public for that season. Low series cards typically feature some of the most valuable and sought-after players.

Mini cards are any card smaller than the standard trading card size of 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches. The size of a mini card can vary, but it is typically around 2 inches by 3 inches or smaller. Mini cards are often used as a special subset or insert within a larger trading card set, featuring unique designs, materials, or artwork. Mini cards can also be produced as standalone sets. Some famous mini card examples include the 1952 Topps Look ‘N See set, which featured historical figures and measured just 1.75 inches by 2.5 inches, and the 1984-85 Star Company Michael Jordan rookie card produced in the small size of 2.125 inches by 3 inches. Another famous example is The Allen & Ginter Mini set, a popular subset of Allen & Ginter baseball.

A special type of card featuring two or more different players.

The National is shorthand for The National Sports Collectors Convention, the largest and most well-attended card show of the year. The first National was held in 1980 in Los Angeles. In recent years, it has been held in Atlantic City and Chicago and has attracted over 100,000 attendees.

Numbered cards are short-printed (e.g. limited edition), and the print run is specified on either the front or back of the card. For example, a card may be sequentially numbered 10/100 to indicate that it is the 10th card out of a print run of 100.

With on-card autos, the player puts their signature directly on the card, rather than on a sticker affixed to the card (a sticker auto). Many collectors prefer on-card autos because they offer a closer connection to the player and are more aesthetically pleasing. Generally speaking, on-card autos have greater value than sticker autos, though both types of card are highly prized.

A 1/1 card is the rarest type of trading card, making it especially appealing to collectors. Some of the most valuable cards in existence today are 1/1 cards.

A pack is a sealed container that holds a set number of cards. Most Topps packs have between 4 and 16 cards, though the number will vary from product to product.

Most trading card products have a base set, made up of common cards, and then a smaller number of more-limited parallel cards. These cards essentially ‘run parallel’ to the base set – they have a similar look and design, but are distinguished by a unique physical quality. This distinguishing quality can be in the form of border color, texture, pattern, card material, image variation, or the printing technology employed.

Cards that specifically feature a multi-colored jersey patch embedded in the card itself. Sometimes the jersey patches are game-used, but not always.

A modern hobby term to describe cards that a collector specifically intends to keep for themselves. In most contexts, PC also connotes cards that a collector is unwilling to sell or trade (“they belong to my PC and aren’t for sale”). “PC” can also be used as a verb – as in, “I’m PCing this card, it has sentimental value”.

A collector who seeks out cards of a specific player, just as a team collector seeks out cards of a specific team.

A pop report is a published census showing the total number of cards graded by a third-party grading company. For any given card in any given grade (e.g. Mint 10), there will be a published pop report showing how many times the grading service has awarded that exact grade to that exact card. When a collector pulls a valuable card from a pack, they will often look up the pop report to see how many graded versions of that card exist. If the card has a low pop, that means there are fewer potential cards on the market and thus prices will likely be higher.

A post-war trading card refers to trading cards produced after World War II. This term often distinguishes between vintage, pre-war cards and the birth of the modern Hobby. In contrast to pre-war cards, post-war trading cards were usually produced in much larger quantities, making them more accessible and affordable for collectors. The most famous post-war trading cards include the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey, Jr., and the 1948 Leaf Jackie Robinson.

A pre-war trading card refers to any trading card produced before World War II – from the 19th century to 1939. This term is commonly used in the collecting community to distinguish between vintage cards made before and after this period. These cards were often produced as promotional items or inserts in products, including cigarettes, gum, and candy, and featured various subjects, including sports stars, movie actors, and historical figures. Some of the most valuable pre-war trading cards include the T206 Honus Wagner and the 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth baseball cards.

A printing plate is the thin metal plate used to print cards. They typically come in four different colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Printing plates are often offered as one-of-one collectibles for each color.

Prospecting is collecting cards of young players who have yet to reach the MLB. In many ways, Prospecting is all about finding as many cards of potential future All Stars as possible – imagine collecting the first-ever card of Albert Pujols, Mike Trout, or Juan Soto. For Prospectors, it’s all about Bowman Draft and Bowman Chrome. Both sets offer the most prospect cards of any other product on the market – MLB draftees in Bowman Draft and International Signees in Bowman Chrome.

A random break is a breaking event where the contents of a sealed box or case of cards are divided randomly among participants. Each participant typically pays a fixed fee to enter the break by purchasing a “slot” or “spot.” The collector or dealer will then use a randomizer tool to randomly assign each slot to a participant. Once the slots have been assigned, the collector or dealer will “break” the cards by opening them and revealing their contents. The cards are then distributed among the participants according to the slots that they were randomly assigned.

A card that hasn’t been graded and slabbed by a third-party service like PSA or BGS. When you buy a pack of Topps baseball cards, you are buying raw cards. If you send those raw cards to a grading service, they will become graded cards. Grading typically adds value, and graded cards tend to be more valuable than raw cards in the same condition.

Find out about the best raw cards from Topps products thanks to this Cardlines guide.

With redemption cards, the owner exchanges or “redeems” the card with the manufacturer and receives a hit (typically, autographed) card at a later date. Modern redemption cards feature a code printed on cardstock, and the owner redeems their card by simply submitting that code to the manufacturer.

Refractor Cards utilize a special printing technology to create a unique visual effect. The cards refract light to create a prism or rainbow-like look and colorful shine. Most products include multiple types of refractors, each of which is named forby their different colors (Green Refractor, Blue Refractor, etc.). Each color is printed to a different quantity, and they tend to be numbered.

Refractor cards are more rare than common cards in the set, which means that collectors assign them greater value.

A card that contains a piece of memorabilia embedded in the card itself – from a swatch of fabric from a player’s jersey to a piece of game-used baseball. There are Dual and Triple Relic cards, which include more than one piece of memorabilia on a single card.

Relic cards are typically considered chase cards and assigned more value than ordinary base cards.

These are lower-priced boxes that are widely distributed and available in large retail stores like Walmart or Target. A retail box may have the same base set as a higher-end hobby box, but will have fewer guaranteed hits and chase cards.

The RetroFractor celebrates legendary players across 100 years of baseball who never received their 1st Bowman card. Each year, the RetroFractor players are featured in the base set Chrome® Prospect design, complete with the 1st Bowman logo in Bowman Baseball, Bowman Draft, and Bowman Chrome. In addition to the base card, each RetroFractor includes Gold, Orange, Red, and SuperFractor™ parallels.

Rookie cards refer to players’ first cards once they make their Major League debut. In most cases, rookie cards are stamped with some kind of designation (e.g. “RC”) on the front or back, and that designation will appear on the card that same year as the debut or, in some cases, the following year.

Players can have dozens of rookie cards – especially if they are a highly-touted prospect that manufacturers want to feature in their products. Rookie cards are highly coveted by collectors and tend to be much more valuable than cards produced later in a player’s career. If a player has several different rookie cards, they will usually vary in value, and collectors will reach a consensus as to which rookie card is most important – and thus, most valued.

Since 1959, Topps has selected rookies for the “All-Star Rookie Team” – a player for each position, including a Designated Hitter (DH) and Relief Pitcher (RP). Players selected for the team have the “Rookie Cup” logo included on their next season’s card. Rookie Cup cards are every bit as important as a player’s Rookie Card (RC). In fact, players awarded the Rookie Cup frequently become perennial all-stars and have Hall of Fame-caliber careers.

Fanatics introduced this uniform patch for 2023 MLB prospects and rookies playing in the first MLB game. The debut patch is worn on the jersey in the player’s first-ever MLB game. The Rookie Debut Patch was turned into the innovative Rookie Debut Patch Autograph card that first released in 2023 Topps Chrome Update Series Baseball.

A collector who seeks out every card in a given set.

To learn more about becoming a set collector, check out this video.

A card that is printed in lower quantities than other cards in the same set. Short prints, or super short prints (SSPs), are much more scarce than common cards, and thus more valuable to collectors.

Sketch Cards are one-of-one, hand-drawn cards created by the licensed artist from a particular set. They are the same size as regular trading cards and include the artist’s signature.

Slabbing is a synonym for grading. A slabbed card is a graded card. “That card is probably worth some money – you should get it slabbed”.

Topps established the standard size for modern trading cards as 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches (6.4 cm x 8.9 cm). This size became standard because it was small enough to fit easily into card-collecting albums or sleeves yet large enough to accommodate detailed artwork and text. It also allowed for efficient printing and cutting processes, which made it cost-effective for card manufacturers. While there are some variations in size for certain types of cards, such as oversized or mini cards, the 2.5 x 3.5-inch format remains the most common and widely recognized standard in the Hobby.

Starter sets provide collectors with a basic introduction to the Hobby. These sets typically include a selection of cards representing an overall set or theme and additional items such as binders, sleeves, or other accessories used to organize and protect the cards. Starter sets target new or casual collectors who may be unfamiliar with the Hobby and offer an easy way to get started. More experienced collectors may also use these sets to acquire a complete or near-complete set of cards and supplement their existing collections with additional cards or accessories.

With sticker autos, the player autographs a sticker or label and then the sticker is applied to the trading card. These differ from on-card autos, where the player signs the card directly.Some collectors prefer sticker autos because they result in fewer indentations on the surface of the card.

Sticker cards are just that: stickers that can be peeled off from the back. The most famous examples of sticker cards are Garbage Pail Kids and Wacky Packages.

A superfractor is the rarest type of refractor card. Superfractors are short-printed, 1-of-1 cards, which means that for any given card, there will be only one superfractor of that card in the entire product. Because they are 1/1, superfractors are among the most desired and valuable cards in any set.

For more on Superfractors, check out this video.

Team breaks – also known as “Pick Your Team” breaks – refer to breaks where collectors split the contents among the participants according to a predetermined set of rules. For example, in a typical baseball card team break, collectors purchase a team (or teams) and receive all the team cards for the team(s) they purchased. Team breaks increase collectors’ chances of obtaining specific cards or from particular sets.

A collector who seeks out cards of a specific team, just as a player collector seeks out cards of a specific player.

Topps issued high-end sets of cards from 1984 to 1991 – including the 1989 and 1990 Bowman Baseball sets. Tiffany sets were sold exclusively as complete sets. Officially, these sets were known as “Collectors’ Editions,” but the Hobby would later adopt the “Tiffany” sobriquet for these releases. These sets were identical to the regular issue set, except for using higher-quality white cardboard stock and adding a glossy finish to the front of the cards.

Checkout Cardlines’ essential guide to Topps Tiffany sets.

Toploaders are thick, plastic encasings used to protect and store cards. Valuable cards are typically placed in a thin penny sleeve and then in a toploader for maximum protection.

An uncut sheet refers to a single sheet of trading cards that has not been separated into individual cards. Trading cards aren’t printed individually. Instead, cards are printed out on sheets and then separated. These sheets can include as few as two or three cards or roll out as big as a poster. Uncut sheets represent another exciting way to collect. They offer a glimpse into the printing process and sometimes feature special promotional or limited edition cards not available in common card sets. Uncut sheets also make for fantastic show pieces, providing another way to show off your personal collection.

A card that is different – usually in small and subtle ways – from its common counterparts in the same set. The most common variations include: a different color background or lettering, a corrected error, a name misspelling, or a photo variation.

Variations are almost always intentional. On rare occasions, they arise from manufacturing errors that are later corrected. Variations that are rare tend to be more valued and coveted by collectors.

A commonly-used Hobby term, wax refers to an unopened box or case of cards. To “rip wax” or “break wax” is to open a sealed box or case – often vintage boxes that have been kept unopened for years.

The card wrapper has always been integral to the hobby, whether made of wax, plastic, or foil. Wax was the wrapper material of choice from the 1950s to the 1990s, when plastic took over. By the end of the 1990s, foil became the go-to material and continues to be the wrapper material of choice.