Ryan Barone (@ballcardgenius, Card Expert) is a lifelong member of the hobby. He has been quoted in PSA Magazine, and his content has regularly been mentioned in “Quick Rips” (the Topps RIPPED Newsletter) and across other hobby publications. hello@ballcardgenius.com; Last Time Ago LLC dba Ballcard Genius.
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What if I told you I had a PSA 10 RC of a HOF FS $400 DLVD PP GS. Would you have any idea what I was talking about?
While this might be an extreme example, when buying, selling, and trading cards, you’ll certainly see pieces of this word equation being used here and there.
I’ve talked about grading company abbreviations and have defined things like DLVD before, but thought it would be valuable to talk about all of those trading card abbreviations – and then some – under one blog post umbrella.
So, below you’ll find a table with a number of abbreviations and terms you should not only know, but that will help you become a better hobby participant and enable you to get more out of the cards you love.
| Abbreviation | Meaning | Category |
|---|---|---|
| AU | Autograph | Card Feature |
| BCCG | Beckett Collectors Club Grading (grading company) | Grading/Authentication |
| BGS | Beckett Grading Services | Grading/Authentication |
| BIN | Buy It Now | Trading Terminology |
| BMWT | Bubble Mailer with Tracking | Trading Terminology |
| BV | Beckett Value (referring to card valuation) | Pricing/Valuation |
| BVG | Beckett Vintage Grading (grading company) | Grading/Authentication |
| COA | Certificate of Authenticity | Grading/Authentication |
| COMC | Check Out My Cards (an online marketplace) | Marketplace/Platform |
| ERR | Error (referring to a mistake on the card) | Error/Misprint |
| EX | Excellent (referring to card condition) | Condition/Grading |
| FOTL | First Off The Line (referring to early-release products) | Packaging/Release Type |
| FS | For Sale | Trading Terminology |
| GAI | Global Authentication Inc. (Grading/authentication company) | Grading/Authentication |
| GEM | Gem Mint (referring to card condition) | Condition/Grading |
| GS | Goods and Services (PayPal) | Trading Terminology |
| HOF | Hall of Fame | Recognition |
| IP | In Person (referring to autographs obtained in person) | Autograph |
| JSY | Jersey relic | Card Feature |
| LCS | Local Card Shop | Store/Location |
| LTB | Looking to Buy | Trading Terminology |
| MEM | Memorabilia relic | Card Feature |
| MINT | Referring to a card in excellent condition | Condition/Grading |
| NM | Near Mint (referring to card condition) | Condition/Grading |
| NNO | No Name on Front (missing player name on the card) | Error/Misprint |
| OBO | Or Best Offer | Trading Terminology |
| OC | Off-Center (referring to a misalignment of the card) | Error/Misprint |
| PC | Personal Collection | Collector Terminology |
| POP | Population Report (referring to the number of graded copies) | Grading/Authentication |
| PR | Print Run (referring to the number of copies produced) | Card Feature |
| PSA | Professional Sports Authenticator | Grading/Authentication |
| PSA/DNA | PSA/DNA Authentication Services (Autograph authentication) | Grading/Authentication |
| PWE | Plain White Envelope | Trading Terminology |
| RAW | Ungraded | Grading/Authentication |
| RC | Rookie Card | Set/Designation |
| RPA | Rookie Patch Autograph | Card Feature |
| S1, S2, S3 | Series 1, Series 2, Series 3 | Set Designation |
| SASE | Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope | Trading Terminology |
| SGC | Sportscard Guaranty | Grading/Authentication |
| SN | Serial Numbered (referring to limited edition cards) | Card Feature |
| SP | Short Print (referring to cards with low print run) | Set/Designation |
| SPX | Spectrum (a card subset known for unique designs) | Set/Designation |
| SSP | Super Short Print (extremely limited card) | Set/Designation |
| UER | Uncorrected Error (a mistake not corrected in later print runs) | Error/Misprint |
To explain some of the categories used in the table above,
Card grading and authentication services in the trading card industry typically use abbreviations for their names and branding, including popular grading companies like PSA, BGS, and SGC.
These same companies use card conditions and designations such as Gem Mint (GEM), Near Mint (NM), Excellent (EX), Good (GD). Meanwhile, hobbyists use terms like POP to discuss a card’s rarity.
Speaking of rarity, various card features are better explained as abbreviations, including autographs (AU), jersey relics (JSY), memorabilia relics (MEM), serial-numbered cards (SN), and short prints (SP). Each of these features can contribute to a card’s uniqueness and value.
Similarly, set designations and releases come with information on set designations such as Rookie Card (RC), Short Print (SP), Series 1 (S1), Series 2 (S2), and Series 3 (S3). These different releases and subsets within a set can affect card availability and collectibility.
When on trading card platforms, you’ll see collectors buy, sell, and trade sports cards online on marketplaces such as eBay, COMC, Alt, and dedicated trading card forums. Highlight the benefits and considerations of each platform.
Other community terminology help explain commonly used terms via abbreviations such as Personal Collection (PC), Looking to Buy (LTB), For Sale (FS), Delivered (DLVD), Plain White Envelope (PWE), Bubble Mailer with Tracking (BMWT), and others.
Last, errors and misprints include abbreviations like No Name on Front (NNO), Off-Center (OC), and Uncorrected Error (UER).
