Glossary and topic index

These are plain-language working definitions. A product’s official terminology and a marketplace’s own condition rules take precedence.

Term	Meaning	Main chapter
Alt art / alternate art	A different illustration or treatment; identify the exact version	02, 08
Ask	The seller’s offered price; not evidence of a completed sale	03
Authentication	An assessment of genuineness within a service’s defined scope	06
Base card	The ordinary version within a product/checklist, contrasted with variants	09
Bid / buy offer	An amount a buyer offers, often subject to inspection or terms	03
Booster	A packaged selection of cards; configuration varies by product	05
Booster box	A sealed product containing packs; pack count is not universal	05
Break	An opening where buyers are allocated some portion of contents	09
Bulk	Lower-value inventory typically handled in groups	05, 07
Buylist	A dealer’s list of items it currently seeks to purchase	07
Case	A larger shipping/product unit; contents depend on the SKU	05
Cert	A grading/authentication certification identifier	04, 06
Chase card	A particularly sought-after card in a product	05
Collation	How cards are arranged and distributed into packs/products	05
Comp	A comparable transaction used in valuation	03
Condition rarity	Scarcity of examples meeting a particular condition level	04
Cost basis	Acquisition cost plus applicable attributable costs in your ledger	03
Cracking	Opening a grading holder or sealed product; context determines meaning	04, 05
Edition	A specified issue or printing designation	02, 08
Enchanted / Epic / Iconic	Lorcana rarity categories; check release-specific guidance	08
ETB	Elite Trainer Box, a Pokémon product type; contents vary	02
Expected value / EV	Probability-weighted average outcome under stated assumptions	05
Eye appeal	Overall visual attractiveness; not identical to a numerical grade	04
FOMO	Fear of missing out, often a pressure toward hurried buying	10
Gem rate	Proportion receiving a top grade within a defined submitted sample	04
Grade	A condition assessment on a particular grader’s scale	04
Grail	A collector’s especially desired item	02
Holo / foil	A reflective treatment; exact patterns and terminology vary	02, 06
IR / SIR	Illustration Rare / Special Illustration Rare in relevant Pokémon releases	05
Liquidity	Ability to sell promptly without an excessive price concession	03
Lot	Multiple items sold together	07
Margin	Profit relative to revenue; do not confuse with return on cost	03, 07
Market price	A provider’s estimate; inspect the underlying method and transactions	03
Master set	A collection scope that needs an explicit definition	02
Meta	The prevailing competitive environment and commonly played strategies	08
Mint / near mint	Condition terms whose meaning depends on the applicable standard	04, 06
MSRP	Manufacturer’s suggested retail price; not necessarily a market sale price	05
Parallel	A variant associated with a base card, often involving color or finish	09
Population / pop	Count recorded by a specific grading database/category	02
Print run	Quantity produced for a defined issue; often not publicly established	02, 09
Promo	A promotional distribution; not automatically rare	02, 08
Provenance	Documented origin and ownership history	06
Pull rate	Probability or observed frequency of a defined outcome	05
Raw	A card not encapsulated with a grading label	04
Redemption	A claim instrument for a card/item, governed by issuer terms	09
Refractor	A product-specific reflective parallel designation; verify exact checklist	09
Relic	A card containing material described by its manufacturer	09
Repack	A product assembled from existing items by another seller	09
Reprint	A subsequent authorized printing; details matter	02, 08
Reserved List	Wizards’ policy for a specified list of Magic cards	08
ROI	Profit divided by invested/acquisition cost for the defined calculation	03
Rotation	A change to which sets/cards are permitted in a specified format	08
Sealed	An unopened product; authenticity and packaging condition still matter	05
Serial numbered	Individually numbered within a specified run/variant	09
Set code / card number	Identifiers needed to distinguish a particular issue	02, 08
Shill bidding	Undisclosed bidding intended to manipulate an auction’s price	03
Singles	Individually selected cards	02, 05
Slab	A grading/authentication holder	04
Spread	Difference between relevant buying and selling prices	03
Standard / Core / other format	Rules defining eligible cards and how a game is played	08
Supply overhang	Inventory that may become available to compete with current listings	10
Turnover	How rapidly inventory is sold and replaced	07
Variant	A distinguishable version of a card or product	02, 08, 09
Vintage / modern	Relative hobby-era labels without one universal boundary	02, 10
Wax	Hobby slang for unopened packs/boxes, especially in sports cards	09
WOTC	Wizards of the Coast; in Pokémon collecting, often shorthand for its publishing era	02

Find the answer by question

Question	Go to
Where do I start?	01 Foundations, then 12 Playbooks
Which Pokémon segment fits my interest?	02 Pokémon
What is my card actually worth?	03 Pricing
Should I grade it?	04 Grading and the calculator on each card page
Should I open a box or buy the card?	05 Sealed and probability
Is this card or slab genuine?	06 Authenticity; obtain a physical expert review when unresolved
What should I offer for a collection?	07 Buying and selling
How do other TCGs differ?	08 Other TCGs
What makes sports cards different?	09 Sports cards
Which investment claims are unreliable?	10 Risk and 11 Cases
Which channels and videos were used?	Sources: channels and video library
How was this built, and what was excluded?	Methodology and research audit