It's fair to say that card collectors have their own specific language when it comes to interacting within the hobby, which for beginners can be at times confusing to understand and very overwhelming, especially when trying to buy and sell sports trading cards! Card Authority aims to facilitate positive experiences for new collectors, and because of this we've decided to create a glossary of common terms and phrases to best assist with your transition into trading cards!
Common Phrases:
'Series 1 Release' - Makes up Select's first release of the trading card calendar. Series 1 releases are mass market products with wide-spreading distribution channels and can be found from anywhere between local card stores to service stations! These releases are cheaper and highly accessible, which is perfect for both younger and beginner collectors. For several years now, this release has been various iterations of 'Footy Stars'.
'Series 2 Release' - Series 2 releases signify the beginning of the 'hobby releases' which tend to create greater levels of interest, given the fact that a vast majority of product falls in the hands of active trading card collectors. These releases are a step up in both price and seriousness, with some cards found in these products worth 100’s of dollars! In recent years we've seen Optimum, Dominance, Legacy and Certified as the latest Series 2 releases.
'Booklet' - refers to cards which are represented on a fold-out book-shaped cards, usually left for premium releases, and successful predictor redemptions. These types of cards were first introduced in 2016 with the inception of the ‘Brownlow Medal Predictor’ (see below) and have also featured prominently in premium releases such as Supremacy. Compared to other cards of similar serial numbering, booklets carry a premium with other collectors.
'Predictor' - Particular cards whose values are determined on the likelihood of a player or teams successfully claiming season awards. As Select’s releases have developed so have the number of predictors collectors are able to both acquire and speculate with. These include Brownlow, Premiership, Coleman and Rising Star predictors! If you want to understand predictor cards in depth, follow the link to our resource: 'What YOU Should Know About Predictors!'
'Redemptions' - Refers to cards that are placeholders for other cards which aren't able to be packaged directly in the release and entitle you to whichever card the redemption corresponds to. Redemptions are often used for higher-end cards where quality control could become an issue and ensure the safe delivery of the card to the collector via Select's Redemption system.
'Error Cards' - Cards which have unique characteristics in comparison to the rest of the print run. E.g., missing foil. Not to be confused with design errors such as misspelled words or inaccurate information as those types of errors are consistent across an entire print run. Follow the link to our resource 'What Is An ERROR Card?' for more information!
'Flip' - the concept of buying a trading card for x amount, and selling the same card in the future for an increased sum. 'Flipping' can be done with almost any trading card commodity, including card singles and sealed stock. Flippers rely on fluctuations in demand and supply for prices to inflate, which can also be influenced by real-life performance.
35pt, 55pt, 130pt - Refers to the thickness of the trading card, most trading cards are traditionally printed on 35 pt. stock, however releases like 'Supremacy' use thicker cards (130pt stock) which require different card accessories including sleeves, top loaders and one-touches/ card safes.
'Breaks' - Refers to 'Card Breaks' or 'Box Breaks', 'breaks' involves the "breaking down" of a sealed product where participants purchase entries or "spots” which correspond to a particular team, player, serial number etc. If your spot corresponds to a card that's revealed in the break, you then become entitled to claiming that card! If you're unfamiliar with breaks, follow the link to one of our resources 'What’s All These ‘Box Breaks’ About? Group Breaks Explained!'
'Razz' - Similar concept to a 'card break', Razz's involve collectors buying into "spots" with a random number generated to determine the corresponding winner. Essentially a trading card raffle!
'Coining A Card' - "Coining" is a way to help validate the fact that the card you've listed for sale or 'razz' is in fact in your possession. Without the use of a coin or handwritten note including your name and the date, any picture of a trading card can be taken from anywhere on the internet and claimed to be yours!
Card Accessories:
'Penny Sleeves / Sleeves' - Refers to the plastic sleeves which trading cards are initially placed in, when storing or mailing trading cards. This not only protects the card when storing it in a Top-Loader or Storage Box.
'Toppies' - Slang for top-loaders, A plastic card protector that is rigid. You place your trading card into a sleeve and then slide the sleeve into the toploader. This is best practice for shipping and storage.
"One-Touch" - A One Touch or Card Safe is a rigid magnetic holder that has 2 pieces that connect to give a higher level or protection of a sports trading card. These can be used to store or display cards. ‘One-Touch’s’ are not optimal for shipping trading cards as they can move around in them.
'Bags' - Slang for 'Team Bags', ‘bags’ are thin plastic sleeves that have the ability to be sealed, and are used for protection, storage and when mailing cards. ‘Team bags’ are recommended to be used for all signature cards as they stop any air or moisture impacting the quality of the trading card.
Abbreviations:
OBO/ONO - Abbreviation for "Or Best Offer" or "Or Nearest Offer". When collectors post a sales thread for a trading card, you might see a price accompanied by 'O.B.O'. This signifies that the seller is willing to hear offers that fall in the vicinity of the listed price.
NFS - Abbreviation for 'Not For Sale'. This term is generally used on group posts where collectors are wanting to share their latest trading card pick-ups. Could also be used in sales posts where the seller is ONLY looking to trade for a specific card they desire.
NFT - Abbreviation for 'Not For Trade'. This term usually appears accompanied by 'N.F.S' and again appears when collector's wish to show-off their latest card acquisition. Also can be used in sales posts where the seller is ONLY looking to sell the listed trading card and isn't interested in any potential trades.
'WTS' & 'WTD' - Abbreviation for 'Want To Sell' and 'Want To Trade' respectively. As they suggest, the terms are used when collectors are looking to trade or sell trading cards in their possession.
'LTT' - “Looking To Trade”, is a variation of 'Wanting to Trade'
'4/8/12' - Refers to the cost of postage options available to potential buyers. When purchasing cards on social media groups, often the price of the card will be listed WITHOUT including the price of postage. $4 = untracked postage, $8 = registered postage, and $12 = express postage. (insert how to post article)
'Low' - Refers to cards serial numbered between '002-009'. Often carry a slight premium compared to non-low numbered cards. Due to the lower amount of chase cards available to AFL collectors, ‘low-number’ collecting is a common practice and is seen to give collectors are edge within their collection. To further understand how the serial number of cards affects their value, follow the link to our resource 'Low Numbers, JN’s & 01’s'.
'JN' - Cards that are serial numbered the same as the players 'jumper number'. Highly desired variations of cards within the AFL trading card community, and carry great currency on the secondary markets like eBay.
'01' - Cards that are serial numbered 01, 001, even 0001! The first card printed in the print-run, these cards carry a significant premium in comparison to non-low numbered cards.
'DPS' - Abbreviation for Draft Pick Signature, the first licensed autograph of an incumbent rookie player. As releases have evolved, we’ve seen Draft Pick Signatures develop into different variations with more scarce print quantities (e.g. Copper, Gold, and Platinum). In recent times we've seen 'Draft Pick Signatures' become some of the most highly sought after cards in the hobby!
'LF' - Abbreviation for 'Looking For', commonly used in group posts when a collector is trying to acquire a particular card.
NIL - Abbreviation for 'Next In Line', refers to someone flagging their interest in a trading card on a sales thread which has already been marked 'sold' or may have and offer or payment pending., in the circumstance the transaction between buyer and seller falls through.
'PM' - Abbreviation for 'Private Message', the benefits of dedicated online card groups is the ability to discuss negotiations privately on social media platforms. When you see the term 'pm sent', it signifies a buyer's desire to chat about a potential deal in private.
'W' & 'F' - Abbreviations for 'Watching' and 'Following' respectively. These terms are usually found in online sales threads where potential buyers wish to receive notifications for when the seller starts listing cards in the comments. Seller's might not start listing cards unless there's x amount of people interested in the sales thread.
'Fee's' - Can refer both to eBay fees and or PayPal fees. Both services take a percentage of the sale or transaction in exchange for providing a secure platform for transactions to take place.
'F & F' & 'G & S' - Abbreviations for 'Friends and Family' and 'Goods and Services' . Both are PayPal payment options when trying to exchange money for trading cards. Friends and Family is the 'everyday exchange of money' between you and friends or family members. This option has NO buyer protection and the buyer pays a fee of 2..9% of the purchase plus a fixed fee (30 cents AUD). Goods and Services payment are covered by PayPal 'Buyer Protection', and in a trading card sense could be used for first time transactions with another collector. In this type of payment however, the seller is burdened with any associating fee's. As mentioned above, this is a good payment type to minimise potential scamming.
Collector Styles:
PC - Abbreviation to 'personal collection', referring to the cards which compromises of cards which an individual enjoys collecting. What consists of a ‘PC’ is very individual to the collector and has no rules or boundaries to what cards could be considered a part of someone's personal collection. To learn more about collecting styles, read one our resources 'What’s Your Collecting Style?' for more information!
'Speculators' - Individuals whose collector-style is focused on buying the cards of players whose future values are largely dependent on future performance and collectability. High-risk, high-reward form of collecting which could see your collection both dramatically increase or decrease in value.
'Hoarder/ Bulk Collector” - Refers to a particular collector style, where individuals try to buy individual cards in bulk to either keep in the personal collections, or artificially raise the price of certain cards. Some collectors enjoy the chase of acquiring as many copies of a particular card as physically possible, which can create a race for other collectors to find those cards to finish their sets.
'Master Set Collector' - Collectors who aim to acquire every card, from every team, from every release!
'Team Master Set Collector' - A subcategory of Master-Set Collector, these collectors who aim to acquire every card produced in their teams colours across all releases.
'Player PC' - Collectors who aim to acquire the trading cards of their favourite player,
'Set Collector' - Collectors who aim to acquire every card from a particular set
Think we missed a common card term? Be sure to let us know via email or socials as this list will continue to grow and evolve the further we get into the fast changing landscape of trading cards!
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