Information about Trading Card

A trading card (or collectible card) is a small card which is intended for trading and collecting. The cards began originally as premiums distributed with tobacco products, but later became very popular as inserts to bubblegum packs. Eventually, the cards became the more desirable content, and the gum, with few exceptions, is no longer included in trading card packs.

Trading cards are traditionally associated with sports; baseball cards are especially well-known. Cards dealing with other subjects are often considered a separate category from sports cards, known as non-sports trading cards. These often feature cartoons, comic book characters, television series, or movie stills. They should not be confused with a trade card.

As with playing cards, which they generally resemble, trading cards are often used to play various games. In the 1990s, cards designed specifically for playing games became popular enough to develop into a distinct category of collectible card games. These tend to use either fantasy subjects or sports as the basis for gameplay.

The development of the Internet has brought the development of various online communities, through which members can trade cards with each other. Cards are often bought and sold via eBay, which has been a boon to card collectors, but has led to the demise of many local card shops.

The value of a trading card depends on a combination of the subject's popularity, the scarcity of the card, and the card's condition. In some cases, especially with older cards that preceded the advent of card collecting as a widespread hobby, they have become collectors' items of considerable value. In recent years, many sports cards have not necessarily been appreciated as much in value due to mass production, although some manufacturers have used limited editions and smaller print runs to boost value.

In some jurisdictions, trading cards are distributed by police officers to children in order to boost public relations. While throughout America baseball cards are popular, in Canada the Royal Canadian Mounted Police distribute cards of each Mountie in the Musical Ride.

Terminology

Presented in logical order, not alphabetical:

• Cards – usually the standard baseball size of 2.5 in. by 3.5 in., but 'widevision' cards are of the tall historically-basketball size.
• Packs – the original wrapper with base and insert cards within, often called 'wax packs', typically with two to eight cards per pack. Today the packs are usually plastic foil wrap.
• Wrappers – the original pack cover, often with collectible variations.
• Retail Cards – cards, packs, boxes, and cases sold to the public, typically via retail stores.
• Hobby Cards – items sold mainly to collectors, typically via mail-order. Usually contains some items not included in the retail offerings.
• Blister Packs – factory plastic bubble pack of cards or packs, for retail peg-hanger sales.
• Rack Packs – factory packs of unwrapped cards, for retail peg-hanger sales.
• Tins – factory metal can, typically filled with cards or packs, often with inserts.
• Boxes – original manufacturer's container of multiple packs, often 24 packs per box.
• Cases – factory-sealed crate filled with card boxes, often six to twelve card boxes per case. Often 24 packs per box.
• Common Cards – also known as base cards. Nonrare cards that form the main set (for example Cards 1-200).
• Parallel Cards – usually a modification of the main set of base cards which contains extra foil stamping, hologram stamping and are often seen one per pack up to one per 36 packs.
• Insert Cards – also known as chase cards. Nonrare to rare cards that are randomly inserted into packs at various ratios like 1 per 24 packs for example. An Insert Card is often different from the main set, contains a different number on the back such as SS01 to SS10, etc.
• Promo Cards – cards that are distributed, typically in advance, by the manufacturer to enhance sales.
• Redemption Cards – special cards that come in packs that are mailed (posted) to the manufacturer for a special card or some other gift.
• Sketch Cards – insert cards that feature near-one-of-a-kind artists sketches.
• Autograph Cards – printed insert cards that also bear an original cast or artist signature. Rarely Seen.
• Box Topper Cards – cards that are included in a factory sealed box.
• Case Cards – card or cards included as a bonus in a factory sealed case.
• Oversized Cards – any base, common, insert, or other cards not of standard or widevision size.
• Unreleased Cards – cards printed by the manufacturer, but not officially distributed for a variety of reasons. Often leaked to the public, sometimes improperly.
• Base Sets – a complete set of base cards for a particular card series.
• Insert Sets – a complete set of a particular class of inserts, often called a 'subset'.
• Master Sets – not well defined; often a base set and all readily available insert sets; typically does not include promos, mail-in cards, sketch, or autograph cards.
• Factory Sets – card sets, typically complete base sets, sorted and sold from the factory.
• Uncut Sheets – sheets of uncut base, insert, promo, or other cards.
• 9-Up Sheets – uncut sheets of nine cards, usually promos.
• Sell Sheets – also 'ad slicks'. Usually one page, but increasingly fold-outs, distributed by the manufacturers to card distributors, in advance, to enhance case sales.

Condition descriptors

• M/NM – Mint/Near Mint. Items without any flaws. For example, not misprinted, with corner dings, card creases, etc.
• Excellent – A near perfect card, but with a dinged corner or other very minor imperfection.
• Very Good – Looks fine at arm's length, but looking closer reveals soft corners and other imperfections.
• Good – A card with writing on it, poor centering, a mild crease, or worn but present corners.
• Fair – A rather damaged card, such as bad crease or worn-off corners.
• Poor – A seriously damaged card.
• Pack Fresh – just removed from the pack, box, or case. Not necessarily M/NM.
• Factory Fresh – items not distributed via packs, but instead directly from the manufacturers. Also known as 'unused'.

Companies that produce or have produced trading cards

Ace Authentic Action Packed Artbox Bowman Gum a.k.a. Gum, Inc. Card Lynx Classic Collector's Edge Comic Images Custom-TradingCards.com Dart Flipcards Digimon Donruss Fleer 1981-present Fleer Ultra Futera Sports Cards (Australia and UK) Game On Sports, Inc. Gloopy Toys 2005–present Goodwin & Company 1887–1890 Goudey 1933–1941 Hoops Inkworks Insetcards In The Game Leaf Candy Company Leibig Nintendo Monsterwax O-Pee-Chee Pacific Trading Cards Panini Parkhurst Products Pokémon 1996-present Philadelphia Gum

Pinnacle Brands Playoff (company) Press Pass Pro Set Pro Line Rittenhouse Archives SAGE Score Select Australia SkyBox International STAR TheCardKid Inc, TK Allan Tobacco Bad Kids Topps Upper Deck 1989–present Webkinz 2007–present Wild Card Wizards of the Coast Yaquinto Printing Co., Inc. Tokenzone, Inc.

Categories of trading cards

Sports cards

• Australian Football League
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Boxing
• Football
• Golf
• Hockey
• Racing
• Tennis

Non-sports cards

• The Aquabats
• Ben 10
• DC Cosmic Cards
• Digimon
• Garbage Pail Kids
• Kiss (band)
• Marvel Universe Cards
• Naruto
• Pokémon
• Wacky Packages
• Yu-Gi-Oh!
• Zatch Bell!
• World of Warcraft
• Chaotic
• Webkinz

Movie and television cards

See also

• Cigarette card
• Error card
• List of collectible card games
• Trade card
• Artist trading card (ATC)