New to collecting?
Collectors dictionary
The words you'll hear thrown around at card shows, explained in plain English. Search for a term or just browse.
- Raw
- A card that has not been professionally graded.
- Slab
- A graded card encased in a sealed, tamper-evident plastic holder.
- Holo
- Short for holographic: a card with a shiny, reflective foil image.
- Reverse holo
- A card where the border and background are foil, but the artwork is not.
- Grading
- A professional assessment of a card's condition on a numeric scale.
- PSA
- Professional Sports Authenticator, a popular third-party grading company.
- Mint
- A card in near-perfect condition, with sharp corners and clean edges.
- First edition
- A card from a set's first print run, marked with a special stamp.
- Pull rate
- How often a specific card appears when opening booster packs.
- Sealed
- A product still in its original factory packaging, never opened.