Reference

Trading Card Glossary

Plain-English definitions for the terms you'll encounter collecting non-sports trading cards.

Card Types

Base Card
The standard version of a card in a set — no special finish, no serial number. Every parallel and variation starts from the base card design.
Parallel
A version of a base card printed with a different color, finish, or border. Parallels are typically rarer than the base card and are often numbered to indicate how many copies exist.
Insert Set
A separate themed subset included within a product alongside the base set. Insert sets have their own numbering scheme and are seeded at lower odds than base cards.
Short Print (SP)
A card intentionally printed in smaller quantities than the rest of the base set. Short prints are harder to pull from packs and typically command higher prices.
Super Short Print (SSP)
An even scarcer version of a short print — sometimes seeded just one per case. SSPs often feature a different image or design variation from the base card.
Variation
An alternate version of a card with a different photo, background, or design element. Variations share the same card number as the base version but are distinct cards.
Autograph
A card signed by the subject — actor, athlete, artist, or other personality. On-card autographs are signed directly on the card surface; sticker autographs use a pre-signed label applied to the card.
Relic / Memorabilia Card
A card containing a piece of a physical item — a costume swatch, a prop fragment, or game-used equipment — embedded behind a window in the card face.
Sketch Card
A one-of-one card hand-drawn by an artist, typically included in hobby boxes at low odds. No two sketch cards are identical. Crackwise tracks sketch card artists through SketchSheet. → Browse sketch artists

Print Details

Print Run
The total number of copies a card was produced. Often stamped directly on the card as a serial number — for example, 47/150 means copy #47 out of 150 printed.
Numbered Card
A card with a foil-stamped serial number showing how many copies exist (e.g. /25, /10, /5). The lower the print run, the rarer the card.
1/1 (One of One)
The rarest category of numbered card — only one copy exists in the world. Common 1/1 types include Printing Plates, Superfractors, and top-tier color parallels.
Printing Plate
A 1/1 card made from the actual printing plate used to manufacture the set. Each card exists in four colors — Black, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow — one plate per color per card.
Superfractor
Topps' term for the rarest refractor parallel in Chrome sets, serial numbered 1/1. Features an extra-bright refractive finish distinct from all other parallels.

Finishes & Technology

Chrome
A card printed on reflective, chromium-coated stock developed by Topps. Chrome cards have a mirror-like finish and serve as the base for refractor parallels. → 2025 Topps Chrome Marvel Studios
Refractor
A Chrome card treated with a coating that diffracts light into a rainbow pattern. Different colored refractors (Blue, Gold, Red, etc.) exist at different print runs within the same set. → 2026 Topps Chrome Marvel Comics
Prizm
Panini's equivalent of a refractor — a Chrome-style card with a prismatic finish. Prizm parallels follow a similar color hierarchy to Topps refractors, with numbered tiers from /199 down to 1/1.
Foil
A metallic foil layer applied to part or all of the card surface, creating a shiny reflective area. Common in 1990s insert sets from manufacturers like SkyBox and Fleer.
Holo / Hologram
A card featuring a holographic image or holographic foil treatment. Popular in the early 1990s non-sports market.

Grading & Condition

Raw
An ungraded card — not encased in a grading company's slab. Raw cards are sold and traded in their original, unencapsulated state.
Graded Card
A card professionally evaluated for condition, assigned a numeric grade, and sealed in a tamper-evident plastic case. Grading standardizes condition so buyers and sellers share a common reference.
Slab
The rigid plastic case a grading company seals a card inside. The label shows the card name, year, set, grade, and grading company.
PSA
Professional Sports Authenticator — the largest grading company by volume. PSA grades cards on a 1–10 scale; a PSA 10 (Gem Mint) is the highest attainable grade.
BGS / Beckett
Beckett Grading Services — grades cards on a 1–10 scale with half-point increments. Known for sub-grades covering centering, corners, edges, and surface separately.
CGC
Certified Guaranty Company — originally known for comic grading, now a major card grader. CGC grades on a 1–10 scale and is growing quickly in the non-sports market.

Products & Buying

Hobby Box
A box of packs sold exclusively through hobby shops, typically guaranteeing at least one hit (autograph, relic, or numbered card). Hobby boxes have better odds than retail.
Blaster Box
A retail-exclusive box sold at big box stores, usually containing fewer packs than a hobby box and at lower odds of hits.
Wax Pack
A vintage term for a sealed foil or wax-paper pack of cards. Still used colloquially to describe any sealed pack.
Case
A full sealed case of boxes — typically 12–20 boxes depending on the product. Case breakers purchase a full case and sell spots to collectors who receive whatever cards are pulled.
ePack
Upper Deck's digital platform for opening trading card packs online. Some ePack cards are digital-only; others can be redeemed for physical copies. Crackwise tracks ePack insert sets alongside physical sets. → Browse Marvel sets
Kakawow
A Chinese trading card manufacturer producing Chrome- and Prizm-style sets for Marvel, Disney, and other properties. Known for heavily paralleled sets with dozens of colored refractor variants at varying print runs. → 2023 Kakawow Cosmos Disney 100 All-Star

Collecting Terms

Checklist
The complete list of cards in a set, typically numbered sequentially. Crackwise provides full checklists for every registered set, including insert sets and parallels. → Browse all sets
Rainbow
A complete collection of every parallel of a single card across all colors and print runs. Completing a rainbow for a popular card is a common long-term collecting goal.
PC (Personal Collection)
Cards a collector keeps for themselves rather than reselling — typically focused on a specific character, actor, or card type.
Comp
Short for comparable sale — the recent sold price of a similar card used to establish fair market value. Crackwise pulls comps from eBay sold listings to give you real market data. → 2025 Topps Chrome Star Wars
Pop Report
A grading company's public database showing how many copies of a specific card have been graded at each grade level. A low pop at PSA 10 typically signals a card that is difficult to grade well.