Anyone stepping into card collecting hears words like Refractor, Parallel, SSP or 1/1 very quickly, and sometimes feels that everyone is speaking a different language. This dictionary explains all the important terms in plain language, so you know exactly what came out of your box and what it is worth.
Box types
Hobby
The collector's box, sold in card shops. More special cards, and usually a guaranteed autograph on average.
Blaster, Mega and Hanger
Retail boxes, smaller and cheaper. Fewer hits, but usually exclusive parallels that do not appear in Hobby.
Jumbo and Delight
Special versions of Hobby - Jumbo with more cards and autographs, Delight with unique contents.
Case Hit
An exceptionally rare card that appears on average once in every case of several boxes.
A full explanation of the differences: Hobby or Blaster.
Card types
Base - base card
The ordinary card of each player in the set. Most of the cards in a box are base cards.
RC - Rookie Card
A rookie card: a player's first card in their first season in the official set. These are the cards that rise most in value when a player becomes a star.
Insert
A special card with its own design and theme, not part of the base set - for example cards of young stars or of historic moments.
SP and SSP
Short Print and Super Short Print: cards printed in smaller quantities than usual, without numbering. SSP is rarer still.
Parallel and Refractor
A parallel is a coloured or special version of an existing card. In Topps Chrome the parallels are called Refractors (Purple, Green, Gold, Red and more), and in Panini Prizm they are Prizms (Silver, Gold, Black). A comparison of the sets: Topps Chrome or Panini Prizm.
Numbered card
A card printed with a number such as 23/99, meaning the 23rd copy out of 99 in the world. The smaller the number after the slash, the rarer the card.
1/1 - One of One
A card that is the only one in the world, numbered 1/1. In Topps Chrome it is usually called a SuperFractor. A 1/1 of a star is among the most sought-after cards there is.
Autographs and game-worn pieces
Auto - autograph
A card the player has signed. On-Card is a signature directly on the card, and Sticker is a signature on a sticker applied to it. On-Card autographs are usually worth more.
Relic and Patch
A card with a piece of the player's shirt, shorts or equipment. A Patch is a coloured piece from the crest or the number on the shirt, and is therefore rarer.
RPA - Rookie Patch Auto
The strongest combination: a rookie card with a patch and an autograph, usually with a low numbering. These are among the most expensive cards in any set.
Condition and grading
Grading
Sending a card to a professional company such as PSA, which examines its condition and gives it a score from 1 to 10. A card in PSA 10 is usually worth far more than the same card ungraded. Everything about it: What PSA grading is.
Centering, Corners, Edges, Surface
The four things checked in grading: the centring of the print, the corners, the edges and the surface. Storing cards properly from the first moment protects all of them - How to store your cards.
Penny Sleeve and Toploader
A soft plastic sleeve, and a rigid protector over it. The basic way to look after every special card.
And two more terms
Break
A shared opening of a box on a live stream, in which each participant receives the cards of their team. What a break is and how ours work.
Hit
Any special card that comes out of the box - an autograph, a patch, a low-numbered card or a Case Hit.
In summary
Now that you know the language, every opening will be more exciting - you will recognise immediately what you pulled. Ready to try? All our boxes are in soccer cards, basketball cards and the other categories - authentic and factory sealed, with delivery anywhere in Israel.