Trading Card Games: What to Record

Identification

Player / character Text Trading cards

Player, character or subject on the card.

Set Text Trading cards

Set or product, e.g. 1952 Topps, Prizm Basketball 2018-19, Base Set (Pokémon), Alpha (Magic).

Year / season Text Trading cards

Year or season of the set, e.g. 1986, 2018-19.

Manufacturer Text Trading cards

Card company, e.g. Topps, Panini, Upper Deck, Bowman, Wizards of the Coast.

Card number Text Trading cards

Number on the card or in the set checklist, e.g. 57, 4/102, RC-12.

Parallel / variant Text Trading cards

Parallel, insert or variant, e.g. Silver Prizm, Refractor, Gold /10, Shadowless, alternate art.

Serial numbering Text Trading cards

Individual numbering printed on the card, e.g. 23/99, 1/1.

Reference link Link Trading cards

Web page about this object or its reference entry (catalogue, database, sale).

Game Choice, or your own

Trading card game.

• Pokémon
• Magic - The Gathering
• Yu-Gi-Oh!
• One Piece Card Game
• Disney Lorcana
• Flesh and Blood
• Digimon
• Dragon Ball Super
• Star Wars Unlimited

Rarity Text

Rarity as printed or in the set list, e.g. Common, Rare Holo, Mythic Rare, Secret Rare.

Language Choice, or your own

Print language of the card.

• English
• Japanese
• German
• French
• Italian
• Spanish
• Portuguese
• Korean
• Chinese

Print edition Choice, or your own

Print run of the card.

• 1st edition
• Unlimited
• Shadowless
• Limited / first print run
• Reprint
• Promo

Finish Choice, or your own

Surface finish of the card.

• Non-foil
• Holo / foil
• Reverse holo
• Etched / textured foil
• Full art

Grading

Grade and holder of a graded card.

Grading service Choice, or your own Trading cards

Service that graded and encapsulated the card.

• PSA
• Beckett (BGS / BVG)
• SGC
• CGC Cards
• TAG
• Not graded (raw)

Grade Number, 1 to 10 Trading cards

Numeric grade on the service's 10-point scale, e.g. PSA 10 Gem Mint, PSA 9 Mint, BGS 9.5 Gem Mint, PSA 8 NM-MT.

Grade qualifier Choice Trading cards

PSA qualifier for a card that misses its grade in one respect, or 'Authentic' for ungradeable cards.

• None
• OC (off-centre)
• ST (staining)
• PD (print defect)
• OF (out of focus)
• MK (marks)
• MC (miscut)
• Authentic / altered

Subgrades Text Trading cards

Subgrades of BGS or TAG, e.g. centering 9.5, corners 9, edges 9.5, surface 10.

Certification number Text Trading cards

Number on the grading holder (slab) or authentication certificate, to look it up in the service's database.

Condition

Condition notes Text Trading cards

Faults, wear and damage in detail.

Play condition Choice

Condition of raw cards in the terms of the TCG market (TCGplayer, Cardmarket).

• Near Mint (NM)
• Lightly Played (LP)
• Moderately Played (MP)
• Heavily Played (HP)
• Damaged (DMG)

Quantity Whole number, at least 1

Number of identical pieces held, when they are recorded together.

Acquisition

How and when the object came into the collection.

Acquisition date Date Trading cards

Date the object came into the collection.

Acquisition method Choice, or your own Trading cards

How the object came into the collection.

• Purchase
• Auction
• Gift
• Inheritance
• Exchange / trade
• Self-collected / found
• Commission

Acquired from Text Trading cards

Seller, auction house (with sale and lot number), donor or place where it was found.

Purchase price Amount Trading cards

Price paid including fees and premiums.

Provenance Text Trading cards

Earlier owners and the object's history, oldest first, with sources (labels, invoices, sale catalogues).

Value

Estimated and insured value.

Estimated value Amount Trading cards

Current market value as estimated.

Valuation date Date Trading cards

Date of the current value estimate.

Valuation basis Choice Trading cards

What the estimated value is based on.

• Own estimate
• Recent sales / auction results
• Dealer offer
• Catalogue value
• Professional appraisal
• Insurance valuation

Insured value Amount Trading cards

Sum the object is insured for.

Collection record

Your own inventory data.

Inventory number Text Trading cards

Your own number or label for the object, e.g. C-0042, as written on its label or album page.

Storage location Text Trading cards

Where the object is kept, e.g. room, cabinet, drawer, album and page, box.