Like all hobbies and professions, there’s plenty of jargon and specialized terms used in the sports card industry. Here’s a breakdown of some of the most common terms you’ll come across in the hobby, with a quick definition for each. Follow any link for the full explanation, with photos and examples.

Jump to: B C F H I J P R S T U W

B

BMWT (Bubble Mailer With Tracking)

A shipping option where cards go out in a padded bubble mailer as a package, with a tracking number. It costs more than a PWE but protects the card better and lets you follow the delivery. Read the full BMWT definition

Break

A group buy where collectors purchase spots (usually a team or a player) in a box or case of cards that a “breaker” opens on a livestream. Each spot receives the cards that match it. Read the full break definition

C

Case hit

A rare card that turns up about once per sealed case of boxes (often 12 hobby boxes). Case hits are usually flashy inserts or parallels, like Panini’s Kaboom! cards. Read the full case hit definition

Comps

Short for “comparables”: recent sale prices of the same card, in the same condition and rarity, used to estimate what a card is worth. Read the full comps definition

F

FOTL (First Off The Line)

Panini boxes bought directly from Panini that arrive early and contain exclusive parallels, often with unusual low numbering like /7 or /17. Read the full FOTL definition

H

Hobby box

A box of cards sold through hobby shops and specialty retailers rather than big-box stores. Hobby boxes usually cost more than retail boxes but come with guaranteed hits and hobby-exclusive inserts and parallels. Read the full hobby box definition

I

Insert

A card that’s part of a product but separate from its base set, usually with its own design and a letter-and-number card code (like AH13). Inserts are typically harder to pull than base cards. Read the full insert definition

J

Junk wax

Cards from the mass-production era of the mid-1980s to early 1990s. So many were printed that most are worth very little today, though a few iconic rookie cards still hold value. Read the full junk wax definition

P

Parallel

A version of a base card with a different color, finish or pattern, usually printed in smaller quantities and often serial numbered. A single base card can have dozens of parallels. Read the full parallel definition

PC (Personal Collection)

The cards a collector keeps for themselves rather than to sell or trade, as in “I PC Ken Griffey Jr.” Read the full PC definition

Pop 1

Short for “population of 1”: only one copy of that card has received that grade from that grading company. Read the full Pop 1 definition

PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator)

The largest sports card grading company. PSA authenticates cards, grades their condition on a 1–10 scale, and seals them in a slab. Read the full PSA definition

PWE (Plain White Envelope)

The cheapest way to ship a card: a standard letter envelope with minimal protection and no tracking. It’s usually used for lower-value cards. Read the full PWE definition

R

Raw

A card that hasn’t been graded or sealed in a slab, just as it came out of the pack. Read the full raw cards definition

Razz

A card raffle: participants pay for spots, and once every spot is filled, a randomizer picks the winner of the card. Read the full razz definition

Refractor

A card with a reflective, rainbow-like finish, introduced by Topps in 1993 Finest Baseball. Variations include prism refractors, atomic refractors and 1-of-1 superfractors. Read the full refractor definition

RPA (Rookie Patch Autograph)

A rookie card that also includes a jersey patch and the player’s autograph, among the most sought-after modern cards. Read the full RPA definition

S

Shill bidding

When a seller, or someone working with them, bids on their own auction to push the final price up. It’s against eBay’s rules. Read the full shill bidding definition

Slab

The sealed plastic case a grading company puts a card in, with a label showing the card, its grade and a certification number. Read the full slab definition

SP (Short Print)

A card printed in smaller numbers than the rest of its set. That includes serial-numbered cards and unnumbered variations known to be scarcer. Read the full short print definition

SSP (Super Short Print)

An even rarer short print. Collectors don’t agree on an exact cutoff; we reserve SSP for print runs under 20. Read the full SSP definition

T

Tmall

Panini basketball products made for the Asian market and sold on Tmall, a large Chinese online marketplace. They include Asia-exclusive parallels and inserts. Read the full Tmall definition

U

Unlicensed cards

Cards made without a league license, so they can show players (through a players’ association deal) but not team logos or names. Panini’s MLB baseball cards are the best-known example. Read the full unlicensed cards definition

W

Wax

Sealed packs or boxes of cards. The name comes from the wax paper packs cards were sold in for decades. Read the full wax definition