Vocabulary
[ Starting Off ] [ Definitions ] [ Traders ] [ Card Abbreviations ] [ Card Condition ] [ Card Size ] [ Card Types ] [ Variations ] [ Fakes ]
There is a lot of lingo attached to collecting trading cards on any kind. On this page I hope to help
you understand how to communicate in regards to Sailor Moon cards. It can be tricky when you're
first getting started as many people you will go to will be experienced and start talking with
abbreviations and such you might not understand. Hopefully this page can help.
If there is anything you think should be added or changed, please visit the help page.
Starting Off
One of the easiest things to get confused with, and one of the first things you will run into, is the way
the explanations are set up. I have seen that most traders and what not follow the following pattern:
Series Name-Set Number-_-Card Number-Card Type-_-Card Side-Part Number
Seeing "pp1_001hp_fp1" can seem crazy if you don't know what it means. Here is the explanation:
Pull Pack Set 1 Card 001 Hard Prism Front Side Part 1
Small line's are usually used as spacers between the different parts, also some parts can be left
out unless they are needed (usually the last two parts). Listing whether it is the front or the back
side of the card is only needed when looking at a picture of the card itself and there are very few
cards that are more than one part. This means that the image continues on more than one card.
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Definitions
These are listed in categorical order rather than alphabetical order.
Word |
Definition |
| Set |
A group of cards, usually between 21 and 72 (but can be higher or lower with each
set). Sets make up the different series' of cards. For example, there are 10 sets in the Carddass
series. A Series that only has one set in it is usually referred to just by the series name, not the
set number. |
| Series |
A group of sets, like Pull Pack or Cardzillion. |
| Collection |
A group of Series'. The Carddass Collection has the main series, the Jumbo
series, the Half series, the W series, the EX World series, and the Deruderu set. |
| Trader |
A person who finish's their collection by trading their extra's for what they don't
have. There are many different kinds of trades, please see below for a list. |
| Buyer |
A person who finish's their collection by paying for what they don't have and selling
their extra's. Buyers don't usually trade, or do it very rarely, as they mostly only buy what they
need and don't have extra cards. |
| Seller |
A person who buys cards and sell's them, but doesn't actually collect them, or
collects a certain few. |
| Common |
A card that is readily available, usually the cheapest ones. |
| Uncommon |
A card that is not as available as a common, but still not to hard to find. |
| Rare |
A card that is hard to find and usually very expensive. These cards are called
rare for a reason. |
| Ultra Rare |
These cards are the hardest ones to find and are the most expensive as
well. You might see these once in a blue moon. |
| Regular Card |
Any card in a set that makes up the majority of that set. For example,
7-36 of the Cardzillion Set One set would be regular cards while 1-6 would be special cards
(see entry below). Following those same rules, even if the card is a prism or some other
"special" card type (see that section below), if the majority of the set is the same way than it is
considered a regular card for that set. For example, in the PP Special set, all 12 cards are
hard prisms but they're still considered regular cards for that set. |
| Special Card |
Any card in a set that is not part of the majority, meaning its not like the
rest of the cards in the set. For example 1-6 of PP Set One are special cards while the rest
of the set are regular cards. Sepcial cards can be prism, foil, etc (see Card Type section
below). This also includes the following cards: chase, promos, etc.; anything that is not a
regular card. |
| Non-Card Item |
Items that go with the set but are not counted as actual cards for it.
These can be wrappers, binders, uncut sheets, etc. |
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Traders
Traders can be just as different as Pull Pack and Cardzillion. Here is a list of the different types
of traders out there.
Name |
Meaning |
| Regular |
These traders try to collect all the cards that are out there, but they look
for deals or ways to trade their extra's for one's they need. |
| Partial |
These traders only collect the cards they like. They might only collect
one series or only cards with picture's of a certain character. |
| Promo |
These traders only collect the promo or preview cards. |
| Rare |
These traders only collect the rare or special cards such as prisms
and foil cards. |
| Purest |
These traders can seem insane as they go after every card and everything
related to them. Money is no issue as they will spend fortunes finishing their decks. They might
even collect shrink wrapped boxes and not even open them, hence the "purest" name. |
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Card Abbreviations
Not all card sets and series' have an abbreviation so if you don't see one here then just call it by
its regular name. I will list all the ones I come across here, but because there are so many different
series' and sets, I am still working on this list. Please be patient.
Abbreviation |
Meaning |
|
Abbreviation |
Meaning |
| PP |
Pull Pack |
|
CZ/Zcard |
Cardzillion |
| PP Seal |
Pull Pack Seal |
|
AW/DF1 |
Awesome (Dart Flip Series 1) |
| GR |
Graffiti |
|
PM/DF2 |
Prismatic (Dart Flip Series 2) |
| CW |
Carddass W |
|
S3/DF3 |
Series 3 (Dart Flip Series 3) |
| FA/5th Memorial |
Fifth Anniversary Memorial |
|
AR/DF4 |
Archival (Dart Flip Series 4) |
| BP |
Banpresto |
|
AF/Flipz |
Action Flipz |
| HC |
Hero Collection |
|
CCG/CGC |
Collectible Card Game |
| DXB |
DX Bromide |
|
FC |
Film Collection |
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Card Condition
Condition |
Meaning |
| Factory Sealed Mint (FSM) |
This started as a little joke by me about people who are ultra, super
picky over their cards conditions. Basically it means that the card is straight out of the packaging
or off the factory line. |
| Mint (M) |
The card is basically new or in perfect condition. |
| Near Mint (NM) |
This card is basically in perfect condition but might have one or two
extremely minor problems. |
| Good (G) |
The card is alright but has some problems like light scratches, minor
bends, etc. |
| Poor/Damaged (P/D) |
A card in this condition is pretty worse for ware and usually good for
nothing but a place holder. It may have writing, be bent across the whole card, or even be
stained. |
| Misprint (MP) |
The card has a mistake in the actual printing of the card from the positioning
to the color to even the words. |
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Card Size
Remember that these are averages and some cards might be slightly bigger or smaller than
listed here.
Name |
Average size |
|
Name |
Average size |
| Standard/Regular |
2.5" x 3.5" |
|
Seal |
2" x 7" |
| Jumbo |
7" by 10" |
|
Heart |
3" x 4" |
| Bromide |
4" x 3" 1/2 |
|
Coaster |
3" 1/2 x 3" 1/2 |
| Mini |
1.5" by 2" |
|
Pogs |
2" x 2" |
| 2x2 |
2" x 2" |
|
Mini Pog |
1" 1/2 x 1" 1/2 |
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Card Types
There are many different types of cards, so please be patient as I get them all listed. Also remember
that all these types can come in different shapes and sizes and some can be combined with other
types (like a foil chase).
If you know of one that is not listed here than please visit the help page.
Type |
Meaning |
Definition |
Example |
| 1 |
Regular Card |
Cards that have no real special quality to them like the prisms or foils.
These are just standard old trading cards printed on regular cardstock. |
 |
| 1i |
Idol (Lami) Card |
These are like a regular card only they are incased in hard plastic. |
 |
| 1t |
Tattoo Card |
The cards are basically a sheet of temporary tattoos. Sometimes just
small general tattoos and sometimes elaborate ones. |
 |
| 1s |
Sticker Card |
The front of the cards can be used as stickers. Many fake cards are
sticker cards so these are the most important card type to pay attention too. |
 |
| 1c |
Chase Card |
Cards that are not part of the regular set. These can include promos,
mail-aways, etc, etc. They are usually more common in American sets. |
 |
| 1l |
Lenticular (Flip) Card |
These cards show two different picture's when moved around. |
 |
| 1cl |
Cel Card |
The cards that are partly see-through as if looking at an animation cel. |
 |
| 1hp |
Hard Prism Card |
The cards with a prism affect on the front that do not detach from the
backing. |
 |
| 1sp/ps |
Soft Prism/Prism Sticker |
Same as Hard Prism's, but do detach from the backing as stickers.
These cards generally have a duller surface reflection than the Hard Prisms as well. Also,
the term "prism sticker" is generally reserved for fake sticker cards (as most are prisms)
however there are some official cards that use the term too. |
|
| 1f |
Foil Card |
These cards have a shiny front side, much like the prisms just with a
different effect. |
 |
| 1sf |
Soft Foil Card |
Basically the same as Soft Prism's just with foil tops instead of prism
ones. |
 |
| 1dsp/dp/df |
Double Soft Prism/Double Prism/Double Foil |
This is a type that brings together a few of the above. It is a card that
has a sticker on top (be it prism, foil, or regular) that can be removed and then another card
underneath (hence the term "double"). The card underneath can itself be a sticker (again
prism, foil, or regular) or it could be a basic card (prism, foil, regular card that can't be removed
from its backing). The term used is general picked based on the top card even though "double
soft prism" is the generic term. |
 |
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Variations
Along with card types, there are all sorts of card variations as well.
Name |
Meaning |
Example |
| HK vrs JAP |
Hong Kong cards where printed to be sold throughout Asia while the
Japanese cards were made to be sold in Japan. Even though there is little to no difference
between the cards and, while the HK prints are official cards, it is generally accepted that the
HK versions are less valuable and so not as sought after. The only real difference is that it
says 'made in HK' instead of 'made in Japan'. |
 |
| Editions |
There are many different sets that have different editions: N.A. CCG,
Banpresto. Basically all this means is that it was printed more than once. Its an affective way
to sell lots of cards without having to make a new set as the only thing that changes is a small
indicator somewhere on the card that tells what number printing it is. That indicator could be
a number, a symbol, or even just the printing date. And of course, the lower the edition, the
more valuable it is. |
 |
| Color |
This is usually seen as a misprint but sometimes happens often enough
to be considered a variation, as with the Carzillion series. In that case, both set 1 and 2 had a
blue version and a purple version. This color change seems to be the most common as it has
been seen in other cards of the same colors in different sets (PP, Carddass). It could be the
result of a second printing or just different factories using different ink. |
 |
| Misprint |
Misprints are generally fun cards to collect because there isn't actually
anything wrong with them except an error in the printing that the factory itself made. That error,
which could be anything from coloring to placment to text to something missing, just makes
the card more valuable as it is now more rare. |
 |
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Fakes
Fake and unofficial cards have always been a problem, especially in larger trading card communities
since there are so many different kinds of cards out there to be faked. Ever since these cards
have become more numerous however, some people have started collecting them as there own
sets and some "companies" have even started to produce sets that are totally new and all Prism
Sticker Cards.
This has caused some disagreement over which cards actually make a legitimate set. Sets like
Moonsoldiers and the Taiwan Poster Prism collection, while fake like, are basically considered
actual sets, just not official ones like PP or Dart Flip would be.
Either way, some cards will always be fakes and the most common "faking" method is simply
turning a card into a prism card. Here are two easy ways to spot these fakes:
- Look at the prism design. A normal prism effect is a small diamond, square, or glitter
design. A fake prism sticker has numerous designs, the most common being the spiral and tie-dye
effect. Also, true prism cards aren't totally covered by the design. It is usually on the background
and only parts of the outfits and/or facial features.
- Look for more picture's of the card, set, or series. Some fakes are pretty convincing as
prisms however they are just regular cards converted into prisms which can increase the price.
Also it is generally a good idea to be wary of any set that is completely full of prisms. There are
a few yes, but they are generally small sets and hard to find too, you usually won't run across them
in full sets at a great price like you will most fake cards.
Along with the above method of making fakes, there are people who try and make really decent
fakes and pass them off as the real thing. Obviously these are the most dangerous to the community
and anyone trying to use them as real cards should be reported to all traders immediately. These
can be very difficult to spot to someone who doesn't know very much about the cards and/or is
just getting started.
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