The "Hidden Language" of sports card collectors

[Pat3ntP3nd1ng]

The "terms we hate to hear in the hobby" thread gave me this idea. We have all thought about it, but it may just seem too rude or not PC to actually say it. So here is "MY" beginners guide to what sports card collectors really mean when we say those certain things we say, or what we really want to say when someone creates certain post. Yes, I have used some of these as Im sure many if not all of you have as well. And remember this is all in fun so no one feel too offended.

What we say or do = What it actually means

Whats your bottom line price? = "I want to make money off this deal so quote me a lower price than the card is actually worth or I won't respond to your reply."

Do you think I did well on this purchase? = "Look at me, look at me I got a good deal and Im about to flip this card on eBay."

What is this card worth and "NO" its not for sale? = "I know this card is worth more than I paid for it and Im trying to get some interest in the card forum going before I sell this card on eBay."

Im a True collector because I like collecting cards and I never buy cards to sell. = "I still have a PC, but do you really think Im going to keep these $.25 commons in my PC, Im trying to get rid of this crap ASAP? Come check out my eBay store and COMC listings, I have over 2,000 cards for sale, send me offers 80% auto accept."

True rookie = Any rookie I currently own even if it has 6 parallels or is an insert.

PC = Cards currently in my home collection that I hope will rise in value like a solid stock over the next 2-5 years so I can sell it and hope to do it over again.


Sticker autos are the same as On card autos to me = "I don't currently own any On card autos of anyone but if I did I wouldn't be trying to convince myself of such nonsense."

eBay 1/1 = "Just trying to spam my listing into making buyers think they are getting some rare version of a card that has 999 other prints."

True 1/1 = the card is actually stamped 1/1 or one of one on it

Do you think Ive been scammed? = "I know Ive been scammed and taken for a fool, but I'm in denial right now hoping that someone tells me otherwise."

STEAL ALERT = "Hey guys, I missed this great opportunity to buy a card the other day, it was listed with a bad title or miss priced, either way I wanted to let all you guys knows in hopes the seller is on this forum and realizes his mistake and chooses not to follow through with the sale. If I can't have it no one can."

Pack Fresh = "I just opened the pack and put it into the top loader, but the condition is not that good. So I will say pack fresh to make it sound better, and absolve me from any moral or ethical duties when describing the condition."

Hobby potential = "Will I make some profit on this guy if I start hoarding his cards right now in hopes to sell later?"

Book Value = "I found the highest price I could find so I could list it as if you're really getting some kinda of deal, even though I know book value is meaningless."

Last ones sold at $x,xxx and $x,xxx = "The price of this card has recently collapsed but it sold for 5 times what Im asking for it now and thats what should matter to you, even though its still overpriced."

Saying thanks for the case break after paying $200 for a spot and getting a Mark Eaton Auto #1/25 = "This is bullisht, I can't believe this. You bring me bad luck when you do my breaks. Why can't I ever draw the number one spot when there is 75 people in my break?"

Using "non-auto", "not-Jordan", "not-Immaculate", not-Flawless, "not-NT".... in your eBay listing = "Im trying get more views to my auction even though I don't realize Ill probably piss most of you off and you won't end up bidding on any of my items."

"Awesome mail day bud, keep up the progress." (after showing 50 cards, none of which are more than $25 or rarer that #/399) = "F*%k I just wasted 5 god dmm mins looking at this mailday and reading the disingenuous comments and debating if I should have just left the one I did."

Creating a new thread (kinda like this one) = "No one in my personal life cares about my card obsession, I mean hobby so Im going to create a topic so I feel like people care about what I think. Then I will refresh the page every 2 mins for the next hour until I start to get comments that I can respond to."

96.7% of anything Gio says = SMH

eBay listing: $x,xxx OBO = "Send me an offer and I'll message you back in hopes to make an off eBay deal. That way we can both save"

Paypal direct = "Screw eBay's fees, Ill just send you a Paypal invoice. You're still buyer/seller protected."

I don't care if I make money I just do it for the love = "I have a net loss thus far and I decided to PC Greg Oden, Darko Milicic, and Eddie Curry in their rookie years which doesn't help, so when I say this it makes me feel better about the hobby choices Ive made."

[RJefferson]

Thank you. English is very hard. This was a great help to me.

[crackberry]

How does [insert player name]'s [insert #] point,[insert #] rebound performance affect his hobby potential? = I paid peak prices for [insert player name] cards i.e. during World Championships or rookie hype and now trying to hype the price back up so I can get my money back OR I missed out on selling [insert player name] cards at peak prices because I was greedy i.e. during World Championships or rookie hype and now trying to hype the price back because I am still greedy

[arkania13]

Hahaha.. very honest..
I think we can start to write down a specific glossary in our hobby, starting from from this thread..

[xavieronly1]

Mailday = early bird special for sale

[bkcardcollector]

Creating a new thread (kinda like this one) = "No one in my personal life cares about my card obsession, I mean hobby so Im going to create a topic so I feel like people care about what I think. Then I will refresh the page every 2 mins for the next hour until I start to get comments that I can respond to."


hahah really like this one
good post!

[JMarchand1981]

Originally Posted by crackberry

How does [insert player name]'s [insert #] point,[insert #] rebound performance affect his hobby potential? = I paid peak prices for [insert player name] cards i.e. during World Championships or rookie hype and now trying to hype the price back up so I can get my money back OR I missed out on selling [insert player name] cards at peak prices because I was greedy i.e. during World Championships or rookie hype and now trying to hype the price back because I am still greedy

::cough cough:: good old Kenneth faried

[rodmanmartinez]

Originally Posted by bkcardcollector

Creating a new thread (kinda like this one) = "No one in my personal life cares about my card obsession, I mean hobby so Im going to create a topic so I feel like people care about what I think. Then I will refresh the page every 2 mins for the next hour until I start to get comments that I can respond to."


hahah really like this one
good post!

Definitely one of the best in that list.

[MGoBlue]

One of the best posts Ive read in a long time. Thanks for the morning laugh to start my day. Great stuff.

[Beavers98]

HA HA Funny Stuff