PSA Glossary
Sports Lingo
Like all collectibles, the sports memorabilia market has its own terms and slang. The following is a brief definition and explanation of the most frequently used sports collecting terms.
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- want list
- A collector's or dealer's list of items he is wishing to buy. Often, a collector will send a dealer a "want list," and the dealer will try to locate the items on the list.
- wax
- A loose term that describes unopened packs of cards.
- wax box
- A box containing individual wax packs (usually 36).
- wax case
- A wholesale unit that contains wax boxes (usually 20)
- wax dealer
- A card dealer that specializes in unopened material.
- wax pack
- An unopened pack of cards, named for its traditional form of packaging: wax-coated paper that is sealed shut at the factory by simply applying heat. Wax packs may contain anywhere from one to 15 cards.
- wax stain
- A stain on a card caused by the wax on the card wrapper. Wax stains on a card front can be removed, due to the coating on the card surface, while wax stains on the card reverse are permanent.
- wrapper
- Usually paper, wax, or cellophane used to cover and encase a group of trading cards.