Card Collector Glossary
From raw to pop report — every term a card collector needs to know, explained simply and organized by topic.
Updated 12 July 2026
Card collectors use a specific vocabulary — some of it translated into Hebrew, some of it kept in English as-is. This glossary rounds up every core term in plain language, organized by topic: condition and rating, trading, card types, grading, and community — so you never have to guess what a listing or a Facebook group post means.
| Criterion | Raw card | Graded card |
|---|---|---|
| Who sets the condition | The seller (self-assessment) | A grading company (PSA / CGC / BGS) |
| Extra cost | None | Grading fee + shipping |
| Time to sell | Immediate | Weeks to months (turnaround time) |
| Buyer certainty | Depends on seller trust | Objective score + cert number |
| Physical protection | Sleeve / toploader only | Sealed slab |
Condition & Rating Terms
The terms that determine how much a specific raw card is worth — the grades themselves are fully detailed in the card condition scale.
Raw (קלף גולמי)
A raw card hasn't been professionally graded — no slab, no numeric score, just a condition grade the seller assigned themselves. Most cards traded in groups and on the board are raw, so checking the seller's stated condition against the full scale matters before buying. The opposite of raw is a graded card. More: the full condition scale.
Mint (מצב מושלם)
Mint is the top grade on the condition scale — a card that looks like it just came out of the pack, with no visible wear even up close under sharp light. It's the reference point (100% of market price) that every other grade, from NM down to DMG, is measured against. More: the six condition grades.
NM (כמעט חדש)
NM (Near Mint) is the grade most collectors expect from a card pulled straight into a sleeve — near-perfect, with at most one tiny flaw visible only up close. NM cards typically sell for roughly 85-95% of that same card's Mint price.
LP (שחיקה קלה)
LP (Lightly Played) describes a card with wear visible at normal viewing distance — slight corner rounding or a bit of edge whitening — but nothing that damages the artwork or text. It typically sells for roughly 65-80% of Mint price.
MP (שחיקה בינונית)
MP (Moderately Played) describes a card with obvious wear you can't miss — noticeable corner rounding, clear edge whitening, sometimes a light crease. The card is still fully intact, but it's clearly been handled. It typically sells for roughly 40-60% of Mint price.
HP (שחיקה כבדה)
HP (Heavily Played) describes significant damage that's obvious at a glance — small corner tears, heavy edge whitening, maybe a stain or an extra crease. The card is still whole and fully identifiable, but far from display-worthy. It typically sells for roughly 20-35% of Mint price.
DMG (פגום)
DMG (Damaged) is the lowest grade on the scale — real structural damage: a tear through the card, a large water stain, writing, or a missing piece. A DMG card is mostly worth play value or set-completion value, usually just 5-15% of Mint price.
Centering (סנטרינג)
Centering is how balanced the margins are around a card's artwork — how well it sits inside its own border. Good centering (say, 55/45) points to accurate printing and directly affects both the grading score and the price, even when every other criterion is perfect. More: centering by grade.
Trading Terms
The terms that come up constantly when pricing a card and closing a deal — for the full methodology see how to price a card.
Comps (קומפס)
Comps (short for comparables) are real sales of that exact card — same grade, same grading company, same language — used to set a price. On eBay sold, these are completed transactions, not asking prices nobody paid. Averaging a handful of recent comps, after dropping outliers, is the standard way to price a graded card. More: the full pricing methodology.
Market Price (מחיר שוק)
Market price is the current estimate of what a card is worth, drawn from a source like TCGplayer market (an algorithmic weighted average) or an eBay sold average. It isn't fixed — it moves constantly with supply and demand, so it's worth re-checking close to when you actually sell. More: four price sources and what each measures.
Price Anchor (עוגן מחיר)
The price anchor is the up-to-date market price haklaf shows next to every listing's asking price, so buyers don't have to guess. The fairness tag is derived from it — the percentage gap between the asking price and the anchor, flagged as "market price," "above market," or "below market." More: how haklaf shows the live price anchor.
Bulk (באלק)
Bulk refers to common, low-value cards sold by quantity rather than as individual listings — mostly commons and uncommons with no particular demand. Even in perfect Mint condition, grading a bulk card almost never pays off, since the grading fee far exceeds the expected value bump. More: how to sell cards in Israel.
Singles (סינגלים)
Singles are individual cards sold one at a time, as opposed to sealed product (a booster, a box) or a whole lot. Most trading in groups and on the board happens in singles — each listing is one specific card, with its own condition grade and price. More: the board.
Sleeve / Toploader (שרוול וטופ-לואדר)
A sleeve is a thin plastic cover worn directly on the card, protecting it from everyday scratches and moisture. A toploader is a rigid plastic case worn over the sleeved card, protecting it from bending and pressure during shipping or storage. Together they're the standard for shipping a raw card safely. More: the shipping-prep checklist.
Card Types & Rarities
The card and sealed-product types that determine how sought-after a card or box is among collectors and players.
Chase Card (קלף הצ'ייס)
A chase card is the single most sought-after card in a set — usually the rarest, best-looking, or most powerful card in market demand, the one collectors are "chasing" when they crack booster packs. It can sell for tens or hundreds of times a common card from the same set, giving it the widest raw-to-graded premium of any card type.
Alt Art (אלט ארט)
Alt art is an alternate print of an existing card, with different artwork than the standard version — usually more detailed, in a different artistic style, and printed in lower numbers. Alt art versions are typically rarer and more sought-after than a card's regular version, and sometimes become the chase card of the set themselves.
Holo (הולו)
Holo (holographic) is a glossy print finish with a real embossed pattern under the color layer that shifts and shimmers at different angles. Holo cards are usually the rarer cards in a set (Rare and above), and they tend to feature striking artwork or especially powerful cards for gameplay. More: how to check for fake holo.
Reverse Holo (ריוורס הולו)
Reverse holo is a card where the holographic finish covers the background and border instead of the central artwork — the opposite of a regular holo card, as the name suggests. Reverse holo versions usually exist for common cards too (common/uncommon), giving them extra value over their regular version.
First Edition (מהדורה ראשונה)
First Edition is a set's first print run, marked with a dedicated stamp on the card — generally printed in smaller numbers than the "unlimited" reprints that follow. First Edition cards, especially from older, in-demand sets, trade at a significant premium over the same card's regular print.
Promo (פרומו)
A promo card is released through a special distribution rather than a regular booster — an event, a magazine, a movie tie-in, a gift set, or tournament participation. Some promos are printed in limited numbers and worth more than an equivalent regular-set card, but not every promo is rare — plenty were printed by the thousands.
Booster (בוסטר)
A booster is a sealed, randomized pack of cards — the most basic unit new cards are sold in. Every booster contains a fixed number of cards in a random mix (commons, rares, sometimes a holo), so there's no way to know which cards are inside before opening it.
ETB (קופסת אימון עילית)
An ETB (Elite Trainer Box) is sealed product bundling several boosters (usually 8-9 in Pokémon) together with accessories — sleeves, dice, a card organizer, and sometimes an exclusive promo card. It's a popular way to start a collection or open a moderate amount of boosters at a known upfront price.
Booster Box (בוסטר בוקס)
A booster box is the original sealed case a batch of boosters ships in — typically 36 boosters in Pokémon, though the count varies by game. A factory-sealed box is considered the "cleanest" investment vehicle among set products, since there's no risk of missing or swapped cards.
Sealed (מוצר סגור)
Sealed product — a booster, an ETB, a booster box — is anything still in its original packaging, unopened and untouched since it left the factory. Sealed product's value tends to rise over time as it gets scarcer, but it's also exposed to reseal risk, so checking for authenticity signs matters before an expensive purchase.
Grading Terms
Terms tied directly to the professional grading process — for the full company comparison see PSA vs. CGC vs. BGS, and for full detail on costs and turnaround see the grading-from-Israel guide.
Grading (גריידינג)
Grading is a professional inspection of a card by an outside company (like PSA or CGC) that checks corners, edges, surface and centering against a strict standard, then seals the card in a slab with a numeric score (usually 1-10) and a certification number. Grading is not the same as a seller's self-assessment of a raw card's condition. More: the full grading-from-Israel guide.
Slab (סלאב)
A slab is the rigid, sealed plastic case a grading company locks a card into after inspection, with a label showing the card name, the score, and the certification number. The slab protects the card from scratches, moisture and fading — but fake slabs exist too, so it's always worth verifying the cert number on the official site. More: how to spot a fake slab.
Subgrades (תתי-ציונים)
Subgrades are a separate score for each of the four condition criteria (corners, edges, surface, centering) alongside the overall grade. BGS is best known for this system, awarding a "Black Label" to a card that scores a perfect 10 on every subgrade — a rare feat that pushes the price well above a plain 10. More: comparing PSA, CGC and BGS.
Pop Report (פופ ריפורט)
A Pop Report (Population Report) is a public database where a grading company publishes how many copies of each card received each score so far. An especially low pop report for a given grade (say, only a few dozen PSA 10s worldwide) is one of the strongest price drivers, since it proves scarcity objectively and independently of any seller's claims.
PSA / CGC / BGS (חברות הגריידינג)
PSA, CGC and BGS are the world's three leading grading companies, differing in reputation, price and turnaround time. PSA is the largest and priciest, commanding the top secondary-market premium; CGC is faster and cheaper on average; BGS is best known for its subgrades. A PSA 10 and a CGC 10 don't trade at the same price — never mix companies when comparing prices. More: PSA vs CGC vs BGS vs ACE.
Reseal (רי-סיל)
A reseal is when sealed product — a booster box, an ETB, even a slab — gets opened, altered (say, a valuable card swapped for a cheap one) and resealed to look untouched. It's one of the most common scams on expensive sealed items, which is why high-value buyers check for cut marks, glue residue, or uneven seams before paying. More: authenticity checks.
Community Terms
General hobby terms worth knowing even if you're not an active trader.
TCG (משחק קלפים למסחר)
TCG (Trading Card Game) is the general name for any game built around collecting and trading cards — Pokémon TCG and One Piece TCG are the two main examples on haklaf. The term also describes the hobby as a whole: the "TCG community" covers collectors, traders and players alike.
Meta (מטא)
The meta is the term for the dominant decks and strategies in competitive play at a given moment — whatever's "winning right now" in tournaments. The meta shifts with every new set, and it directly affects the price of cards competitive players need, entirely separate from a card's collector or artistic value.
LGS (חנות תחביב מקומית)
An LGS (Local Game Store) is a physical hobby shop that sells cards, boosters and accessories, and usually hosts tournaments and game nights too. The term is less common in Israel than abroad, since there are fewer dedicated stores — much of the trading has moved to Facebook groups and online boards like haklaf. More: the board.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between a raw card and a graded one?
A raw card hasn't been inspected or sealed in a slab — its condition grade is the seller's own assessment. A graded card has gone through a professional check by a company like PSA or CGC, received an objective numeric score, and been sealed in a slab with a certification number you can verify. The difference directly affects both price and the certainty a buyer gets.
What's a chase card?
A chase card is the single most sought-after card in a set — the one collectors actually hope to pull when they open boosters, usually the rarest, best-looking, or most powerful card in the game. It can sell for tens or hundreds of times a regular card from the same set, and pulling one is often what makes opening boosters worthwhile financially.
What counts as Mint condition?
A Mint card looks like it just came out of the pack — no visible wear anywhere, not on the corners, edges or surface, even up close under sharp light. It's the top grade on the condition scale, and most cards pulled fresh from a booster today arrive in this condition or close to it.
What are comps?
Comps are real sales of that exact card — same grade, same grading company, same language — used as the basis for pricing. On eBay sold, these are completed transactions, not asking prices nobody actually paid. You take a handful of recent comps, drop the outliers, and average what's left — that's the anchor.
What is bulk?
Bulk is common, low-value cards sold by quantity rather than as individual cards — mostly commons and uncommons with no particular demand. Even a bulk card in perfect Mint condition almost never justifies the cost of grading, since the fee far exceeds the expected increase in value. Bulk is usually sold in lots or at token prices instead.