A Beginner's Glossary of Sports Card Terms

RC — Rookie Card. The card recognized as a player's first licensed card, generally the most valuable card of any given player.

/99, /50, /10 — Print run. A card marked '/50' means only 50 copies of that exact parallel exist. Lower numbers generally mean higher scarcity and higher value.

SSP — Super Short Print. An even rarer variation than a standard short print, sometimes not numbered at all because so few exist.

POP — Population count. The number of copies of a card that a grading company has graded at a specific grade. A 'PSA 10, Pop 3' means only three copies have ever received that exact grade from PSA.

Auto — Autograph. A card that includes an on-card or sticker signature from the player.

Relic / Patch — A card that includes a small piece of game-worn material, like jersey fabric, embedded in the card.

Parallel — A variant of a base card design, usually in a different color or finish, often numbered to a specific print run.

1/1 — One-of-one. Exactly one copy of that specific card exists in the world.