atnw.jpg (4234 bytes) presents: Other Pages on this site:

 
Card Collecting Primer
ST=Star Trek
SW=Star Wars
VOY=voyager
DSN=deep space nine
TOS=the original series
TAS=the animated series
TNG=the next gen
MOVIES:
1=TMP
2=TWOK
3=SFS
4=TVH
5=TFF
6=UC
7=GEN
8=FC
9=IN
WTT-wanted to trade
WTB-wanted to buy
FS-for sale
WB-white border
BB-black border

NSU-Non Sport Update Magazine

Definitions in BLUE  are from Collector's Link FAQ and tweaked to be more non-sports oriented

WAX PACK: These are called wax packs because they are packed in paper (or a soft plastic) and sealed with hot wax. There are usually 12 or 15 cards in a pack  Wax packs can be searched and resealed, so be careful.

  FOIL PACK: These packs are made from foil to insure "tamper resistance". There is no wax seal, but basically just a fusion of the foil. Typically, there are 12 or 15 cards in foil packs

JUMBO/CELLO PACK: These are larger packs, usually with about 24 to 36 cards in the pack. There is usually 1 special insert card per pack. May be either a wax or foil pack.

WAX BOX, FOIL BOX CELLO BOX, JUMBO BOX: Just the box that contains the packs. For foil and wax boxes, there are usually 36 packs (although a couple of companies put 24 packs in a box) For Cello/Jumbo boxes, there are usually 24 packs per box. A sealed or unopened box means that the box has never been opened and thus not searched.

WAX/FOIL/CELLO/JUMBO CASE: Generally there are 10, 12, 20 or 24 boxes in a factory case. These are called sealed or unopened cases.

FACTORY SET: A set issued by a company that contains 1 of each card in set (ie 1-500). Some factory sets contain special cards that are not contained in packs. These sets are usually shrink wrapped and unopened. Also, factory sets are more likely NOT to contain insert cards, so check the box to be sure!

COLLATION: Bad collation means that you don't get an even distribution of cards in the packs. That is, if there are 12 cards per pack and 500 cards in the set, you would buy 42 packs for perfect collation. Anything above this is personal opinion. However, if your getting duplicates inside the same pack, this is extremely bad collation.

HAND-COLLATED SET: This set is put together by the collector by opening packs, buying singles or groups of cards. With hand collated sets you can view all the cards to your heart's content and of course you'll know the condition of the set as you put it together.

PROMO: This usually refers to a card which is used as a promotional item. This DOES NOT refer to an unlicensed (Broder) card. Only licensed cards are promos. There are two types of promos:
CARD SHOW PROMO: These are cards handed out to attract people to come to card shows. Usually, the promo has on the back the card show's promoter's address and phone number. The quality is usually substandard.
COMPANY PROMO: These are cards handed out by manufacturers to allow the public a peek at an upcoming issue. These are more valuable than the other types of promos simply because they are printed by a licensed company. Some promos are even inserted in to Wax Packs. Promos draw attention by collectors because they usually have a lower print run are unique.

LICENSED SET: This means the company has permission  to print cards.

BASIC OR COMMON SET- cards that are numbered sequentially that complete the basic (core) set of cards.

SUBSET SETS-a sub set consists of a group of cards, that appear more frequently then a chase set, but less often then a common card. In many ways, they are an extension of the common set, and in many sets are considered part of the common set, but may have a different format or numbering system.

PARALLEL SETS-these are cards that are identical to the common set (even numbered the same) but have something diff about them a gold or silver foil stamp on the from...a slightly diff color to the borders or backs. These can range greatly in price depending on how many are in a box and how many there are in the basic (or common) set- cards that are numbered sequentially that complete the basic (core) set of cards.
CHASE (or insert) cards-special cards inserted to packs at a predetermined number ratio ie...foil cards 1:8 packs. this indicates 4 foils should be in a 36 count box. The companies go through great pain to tell you these is NO GUARANTEE OF NUMBER OF CHASE CARDS IN A BOX, the ratios are only appx. over the course of the full print run and may vary from box to box.

  • foil-has a metallic coating or aspect to the card
  • embossed-raised or puffy card, you can feel it.
  • foil embossed-combine the two above
  • hologram- image has 3-D effect, mainly on a metallic type card. that  flips, changes or has some movement  when the card's position has changed.
  • lenticular-this is a 3D card made of plastic. it may also have motion. ie SKYMOTION are lenticular cards that seem to show several frames of motion when moved. Normally the Lenticular cards have a lot more movement and color then the holographic cards.
  • gold plaque-cards embossed and covered in a gold foil
  • cell(or vinyl)-sometimes clear but all plastic cards of course there are various names for each of these
  • mirror-backed cards-TBA
  • promo(or prototype ) cards- before the set is issued the company will distribute cards in a premiere fashion (in magazines, conventions etc...)these will come a single cards, uncut sets of cards or inserts and sheets of 9 cards in a 3x3 format. Some prototypes are generic and are found in different places..magazines, shows, mailed to dealers and some are exclusive to a certain format and are usually labeled as such. For example a card exclusive to NSU will have their logo on it.
  • mail in (or away) offers- single or small sets offered on the backs of packages or boxes or in collector magazines. The offer may be for a binder (that may include a binder card) extra cards large versions of other cards in the set, promos
  • premiums-these are very similar to promo cards, the main difference being that they are not released to promote an upcoming series of cards, but to add interest to the product (usually a non-trek product...cereal, for example) to bolster sales.
  • redemption/exchange cards-a card that is randomly inserted in packs (usually 1:180 or 1:360 or greater!) that you can send in for a special card that is very limited. Many people prefer to have in their collections both the redemption card and the card they get in the mail.
  • Survey cards-inserted in about 12 diff ones added to packs to find out what we thought.
  • Cinema ad cards- these were inserted randomly into packs of several series of cards as an advertisement for the Cinema Collection set-a direct purchase set from Skybox. Each   card from different set had a different number in the corner and many collect each variant.
  • Skymotion cards-usually means a card that when held up to the light and moved the scene changes a bit. Can see through both sides. Lenticular cards usually have a back of some sort.
  • Case card/case topper-this is a card found in a full, sealed case of cards, usually a 20 box case. They are incentives to dealers to encourage them to buy in larger quantities. In some cases, the case card is unique, not found in the regular set, in other cases, he case card is one of the rarer inserts found in the set.
  • Box card-this is a card found in a sealed box of cards. Usually packaged separately, but part of the packs.
  • Foldout-these cards are the same size as the other cards in the site when folded, but open out to reveal more goodies!!!
  • Oversized cards-larger then the regular trading card sized, usually mail-ins or box toppers.

Card Grading

MINT : Mint.

Appears to exhibit all the attributes of a Gem Mint 10 card but upon closer examination will exhibit one of the following minor flaws: a very slight wax stain on reverse, a minor printing imperfection or slightly off-white borders. Centering must be approximately 60/40 to 65/35 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.

NM-MT : Near Mint-Mint.

This card appears Mint 9 at first glance. But upon closer inspection, the card can exhibit the following: A very slight wax stain on reverse, slightest fraying at one or two corners, a minor printing imperfection, and/or slightly off-white borders. Centering must be approximately 65/35 to 70/30 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.

NM : Near Mint.

Slight surface wear is visible upon close inspection. There may be slight fraying on some corners. Picture focus may be slightly out-of-register. A minor printing blemish is acceptable. Slight wax staining is acceptable on the back of the card only. Most of the original gloss is retained. Centering must be approximately 70/30 to 75/25 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the back.

EX-MT : Excellent-Mint.

Card may have visible surface wear or a printing defect which does not detract from its overall appeal. A very light scratch may be detected only upon close inspection. Corners may have slightly graduated fraying. Picture focus may be slightly out-of-register. Card may show some loss of original gloss, may have minor wax stain on reverse, may exhibit very slight notching on edges and may also show some off-whiteness on borders. Centering must be 80/20 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.

EX : Excellent.

Very minor rounding of corners is becoming evident. Surface wear or printing defects are more visible. There may be minor chipping on edges. Loss of original gloss will be more apparent. Focus of picture may be slightly out-of-register. Several light scratches may be visible upon close inspection, but do not detract from the appeal of the card. Card may show some off-whiteness of borders. Centering must be 85/15 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the back.

VG-EX : Very Good-Excellent.

Corners may be slightly rounded. Surface wear is noticeable but modest. May have light scuffing or light scratches. Some original gloss will be retained. Borders may be slightly off-white. A light crease may be visible. Centering must be 85/15 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the back.

VG : Very Good.

Rounding of corners will be evident, though not extreme. Some surface wear will be apparent, along with possible light scuffing or light scratches. Focus may be somewhat off-register and edges may exhibit noticeable wear. Much, but not all, of the card’s original gloss will be lost. Borders may be somewhat yellowed and/or discolored. A crease may be visible. Printing defects are possible. Slight stain may show on obverse and wax staining on reverse may be more prominent. Centering must be 90/10 or better on the front and back.

GOOD : Good.

Corners show accelerated rounding and surface wear is starting to become obvious. A good card may have scratching, scuffing, light staining, or chipping of enamel on obverse. There may be several creases. Original gloss may be completely absent. Card may show considerable discoloration. Centering must be 90/10 or better on the front and back.

PR-FR : Poor to Fair.

Corners will show extreme wear, possibly affecting framing of picture. Surface of card will show advanced stages of wear, including scuffing, scratching, pitting, chipping and staining. Picture will possibly be quite out-of-register and borders may have become brown and dirty. May have one or more heavy creases. A Poor card may be missing one or more small pieces, have major creasing and extreme discoloration or dirtiness throughout. Card may show noticeable warping. Centering must be 90/10 or better on the front and back.

Price Guides available:

  • Non-Sport Update: Price guide for non-sport collecting cards.
  • Wizard - Price guides for comics and action figures with a limited
  • non-sport card section (they do include Star Trek since 1991.)
  • Scrye - Price guide for Gaming (CCG) cards.




I found this card grading on a website I attempted to contact them for permission to use the grading, but my email was returned, user unknown. If someone feels they are due credit for this and wish it removed, please contact me at lynne@jklm.net

Previous Page

Return to Trek Card Home Page

cctn.jpg (3806 bytes)If you collect Trek Trading cards and would like more information on the cards listed in this site, along with detailed checklists, images and Trek card history, then check out the Card Collective CD ROM. For more information, visit here

 

E-mail me!

 

 

 

cctn.jpg (3806 bytes)If you collect Trek Trading cards and would like more information on the cards listed in this site, along with detailed checklists, images and Trek card history, then check out the Card Collective CD ROM. For more information, visit here

 

Return to Main Page