Trading Card Lingo: A Beginner’s Glossary

New to trading cards?
The hobby comes with a ton of unique terms and abbreviations that can be confusing at first. Don’t worry—this glossary breaks down the most common trading card lingo so you can talk the talk and collect with confidence!

Booster Pack

A sealed pack containing a random selection of cards from a specific set.

Base Set

The original or main set of cards for a game or series.

Chase Card

A card that’s hard to find and highly sought after by collectors.

Common / Uncommon / Rare

Levels of card scarcity. “Common” cards are easy to find, “uncommon” are a bit harder, and “rare” cards are special or limited.

Foil / Holo / Shiny

Cards that have a shiny, reflective finish—usually more collectible!

Grading

The process of having a professional company evaluate the condition of your card and assign it a grade (usually on a 1–10 scale). Higher grades mean better condition and more value.

Mint / Near Mint

Terms for condition. “Mint” means basically perfect; “Near Mint” means almost perfect with maybe tiny flaws.

Pull

A card you get when opening a pack (“That was a great pull!”).

Set

A group of cards released together as part of a series.

Sleeves

Plastic covers that protect individual cards from damage.

Binder

A large folder with plastic pages for storing and displaying cards safely.

Break

An event (often live-streamed) where someone opens boxes or packs of cards and sells the contents to participants.

TCG / CCG

Abbreviations for “Trading Card Game” and “Collectible Card Game.” They’re often used interchangeably.

Rookie Card

A player’s first official card—usually the most valuable for sports cards.

PSA / BGS / CGC

Popular grading companies: PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator), BGS (Beckett Grading Services), CGC (Certified Guaranty Company).

Slab

A card that’s been graded and sealed in a hard plastic case by a grading company.

Raw Card

A card that hasn’t been graded or sealed—just as it came from the pack.

Hit

A valuable or rare card pulled from a pack or box.

Still have questions?
Drop me a message at Anthony@beastmodeicons.com or follow @beasttradingcards for more collecting tips and updates!