A piece of memorabilia created by a card company specifically to appear in trading cards. These haven’t been worn or touched by the athletes on the card.
A trading card company that produces different types of cards. Ultra-modern manufacturers include Leaf, Panini, Topps and Upper Deck.
Refers to the first series of cards printed for a specific set in a year.
A common auction term that is often used to describe a group of cards up for sale. An auction of five Chipper Jones rookie cards could be described as a Chipper Jones rookie lot on a marketplace like eBay.
The term lot is also used to describe a specific item or set of items in an auction for clarity. In auctions, items are often identified by lot number (ex: Lot #23) rather than the name of the item.
A mobile app that specializes in live box breaks and card sales.
Refers to cards that have the right to use both player names and team logos on trading cards through deals with leagues like the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB as well as their respective Players Associations.
Founded in 1985, Leland’s is a New Jersey-based sports auction house that has sold multiple million-dollar sports cards over the years.
A trading card manufacturer founded in 2010. Leaf produces unlicensed trading cards for sports like baseball and basketball but also releases entertainment sets that focus on celebrities.
A confectionery company founded in the 1940s that also produced trading cards. Leaf International is not affiliated with Leaf Trading Cards.
A Florida-based company that specializes in live sports card breaks.
An extremely popular modern insert that features comic-style artwork. Kaboom! has appeared in sets like Absolute Memorabilia for football, Innovation and Crown Royale for basketball, and Prizm English Premier League Soccer The set was also part of 2018 Panini Rewards.
Refers to cards produced during the 1980s and 1990s that were overprinted and have mostly lost long-term value outside of secondary scarcity created through grading. While not all cards produced during the Junk Wax Era have lost value, many cards of even the best players often hold little value because they are far too common.
A card that contains a piece of a jersey or uniform from the subject. Pieces of jersey are typically classified as game-worn if a player wore it during an actual game or player/event-worn if the jersey was simply put on for a moment during an event. Jersey cards are typically single-colored swatches, while patch cards contain two or more colors.
A non-base card that is typically part of a themed series within a product. Insert cards were originally created as chases to increase sales and debuted during the Tobacco card era. The 1990’s are considered the era when inserts really emerged and reigned supreme. Popular examples of ultra-modern inserts are Color Blast, Downtown and Kaboom.
An annual event that includes many of the hobby’s most important companies and people. Activities range from a card show to educational panels and seminars.
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