Grading Scale
A grading scale is the numerical framework used by a third-party grading service to express the condition of a collectible. The two dominant systems in collecting are the 1–10 trading-card scale (with half-point increments) and the 1–70 Sheldon scale used by all major coin graders. Comic books are graded on a 0.5-step 0.5–10 scale by […]
Patina
Patina is the natural surface oxidation that develops on metal and on certain organic surfaces over decades of exposure to air, moisture and trace pollutants. On ancient coins, an even green or brown patina is positive, since it indicates an undisturbed surface and helps confirm authenticity. On bronze artefacts and antique brass, a continuous patina […]
First Edition
First Edition is a printing-run identifier that appears on early Pokémon cards and on a small number of other trading-card products.
Provenance
Provenance is the documented chain of ownership of a collectible — the record of who has held the item, when, and how it transferred between owners. Provenance is most heavily weighted in categories where authenticity is otherwise difficult to verify (ancient coins, fine art, vintage watches) but it adds value across every collecting category. A […]
Convention Exclusive
A convention exclusive is a trading-card variant, action figure, signed comic or other collectible released only at a specific in-person event — typically a major comic, card or hobby convention. Convention exclusives are usually produced in limited print runs, individually numbered or stamped, and distributed to attendees through booth purchase, panel attendance or organised-play participation. […]
Mint State
Mint State is the condition designation for a coin that shows no trace of wear from circulation. On the 70-point Sheldon scale used by all major coin graders, Mint State covers grades MS-60 through MS-70. The grades within the Mint State band are determined by surface preservation, lustre, strike quality and eye appeal rather than […]
Cosplay
Cosplay is the performance art of dressing as a character from a film, television series, video game, comic, novel or other source media, typically at a fan convention.
Holo
A holo (short for holographic) is a trading card whose image area is printed on a foil substrate, producing a shifting iridescent pattern when the card is moved through light. Holographic printing was introduced commercially to trading cards by Pokémon’s 1999 Base Set and rapidly became the standard high-rarity treatment across virtually every modern TCG. […]
Coin Flip
A coin flip is the small two-by-two-inch inert plastic holder used by collectors to store individual raw coins. Despite the name, the safe versions are mylar or polyethylene rather than vinyl — vinyl flips contain plasticisers that leach onto coin surfaces and cause irreversible green slime damage over years of contact. Mylar flips are inert, […]
Wax Pack
A wax pack is the traditional sealed format used to distribute trading cards from roughly 1948 until the early 1990s, in which a small number of cards were wrapped in wax-coated paper. The wax served as a moisture barrier and as the heat-seal that closed the wrapper. The format gives its name to the entire […]