What do all the weird and wonderful words mean in the world of trading cards?
Auto - an autographed card.
Base card - the most common type of card.
Base set - the first main Pokémon expansion set.
Binder - an album to hold your cards. You can see the full range of Vault X binders here.
Booster Box - a box containing multiple booster packs. Often put on the shelf as a display unit in a shop but can also be bought by collectors. Some sports card booster boxes come with special cards
CCG - Collectible card game
Chase card - the one everybody wants!
Deck Box - a small container to hold the deck of cards you are going to play with.
Dex / Pokédex - the full list of every Pokémon.
ETB - Elite Trainer Box. Basically a starter kit with everything you need to play Pokémon TCG. But they also come with booster packs which could have rare cards in them so are sought after by collectors. Some people keep their ETBs sealed to retain their value.
Exact fit sleeve - a close fitting sleeve to protect your cards. Can then be inserted into a penny sleeve to ‘double sleeve’ your cards and prevent any dust/contaminents getting in. Take a look at Vault X Sleeves here.
Full art - a card with artwork extending across the full face of the card.
Grading - the process of sending a card to be assessed by an expert for its condition and quality for a small fee. You would usually send your sleeved card in a semi rigid holder to keep it safe in transit. Cards are generally rated from 1 (very poor condition) to 10 (excellent condition and printing quality). Highly rated cards are sometimes worth a lot of money. There are lots of different companies you can use to grade your cards. Some of the most famous are PSA and Becketts.
Illustration rare - a Pokémon card rarity level with full art but no texture.
Magnetic card holder - a rigid plastic card protector with a magnet to seal it shut. See Vault X Magnetic Card Holders here.
Parallel - a different, rare version of a base card. Often with different artstyle or finish.
POP Report - Population report. The total number of cards that have been graded at a specific level. For example there is only 1x PSA10 Skeledirge (Surging Sparks 031) in existence.
PC - Personal collection - cards you definitely never want to lose!
Penny sleeve / soft sleeve - a sleeve to quickly protect any decent cards you pull. Take a look at Vault X Sleeves here.
Playset - 4 copies of the same card - the most you can run in a single deck.
Playmat - a nice surface to play cards on, often with special designs. Event-exlcusive playmats can be highly sought-after.
Pull - you pull cards from a booster pack… but a pull can also refer to finding a rare card.
Pull rate - the chance of finding rare cards in a booster pack or box.
Refractor - special reflective cards with a rainbow effect. First introduced with Topps 1993 “Baseball’s Finest” set.
SIR - Special illustration rare - a Pokémon card rarity level with full art and a textured finish.
TCG - Trading Card Game.
Raw - a card you’ve just pulled - not yet graded.
Reverse holo - the shiny holographic print is reversed for a striking effect.