Here's a quick explanation of the terms we use on this site. Please note that our terminology is somewhat looser than that used by trading card professionals.

Cards are classified into three main categories:

• Promo Cards are the individual cards distributed to promote an upcoming set. They're often given away for free at conventions and in industry publications, or included with Sell Sheets and Collector's Albums. They are generally 3.5" x 2.5" in size.

• Common Cards are the cards which make up a basic, no-frills set. Other names for them include Base, Basic, and Regular Cards. They also are generally 3.5" x 2.5" in size.

• Chase Cards are the cards with special features that are inserted at random into packages of Common Cards (the idea being that because there are fewer of them, they are more difficult to collect, so you have to 'chase' them down). Other names for them are Insert and Bonus Cards. They are not always the standard 3.5" x 2.5" trading card size. Some of the more popular features found on Chase Cards for Farscape include (but are not limited to):

  • Autograph cards are designed specifically to be autographed by an actor (or writer, or director, etc.) connected to the show. They feature a photograph of the signer, who actually personally signs each individual card by hand.

  • Costume cards have a piece of costume material embedded in them, and feature a photograph of the costume's associated character. Rittenhouse's formal name for these is actually "From The Archives" cards; you may also see them referred to as Pieceworks Cards by some online resellers, as another company uses that term for a similar type of card.

  • Foil cards have a foil or metallic-appearing layer applied over all or part of the card surface.

  • Lenticular cards are designed with multiple plastic layers, each with a slightly different image; when tilted back and forth, the image appears to be animated. These cards are thicker than regular cards, and the fronts have a ridged texture. Rittenhouse's trademarked name for this feature is "IN MOTION"; you may also see them referred to simply as Motion Cards.

  • Sound cards contain a soundchip; when a flap on the front of the card is lifted, it triggers the card to play a brief sound clip from the show. Because the flap itself is lenticular, Rittenhouse's trademarked name for this feature is "SOUND IN MOTION".

  • Sketch cards are exactly what they sound like - sketches. The hook is that each and every one of them is individually hand-drawn, making each one a unique piece of art. Rittenhouse's trademarked name for this feature is "SketchaFEX".

Individual cards are catalogued into Sets:

• Base Sets are a collection of common cards. Another name for them is Basic Sets; for Farscape, they're also sometimes called Season Sets, since they're typically issued by season of the show. Base Sets do not include chase cards; rather, chase cards are said to be associated with a particular Base Set, making it their Parent Set.

• Chase Sets are a collection of chase cards. They are always associated with a Base Set (their Parent Set) and generally relate to the same theme or subject, but tend to be more elaborate in design, and consist of fewer cards. Other names for them are Insert Sets and Bonus Sets.

• A Master Set is the collection of a complete base set and all of its associated chase cards.

• Factory Sets are stand-alone sets, collated, packaged, and sold as a complete unit (versus the random packaging of cards for a base/chase set, which necessitates multiple purchases and/or trades in order for a collector to complete the set). Factory sets produced in limited quantities to help advertise a larger, separately released set, are sometimes called Preview Sets, and generally consist of a relatively small number of cards.

• Progressive Proof Sets include all four color variations (yellow, red, blue, black) of printer's progressive proofs, as well as the resulting finished product, for each card in a set.

• A Series is a group of several related sets. Rittenhouse has issued many separate Farscape sets, but they're all part of the same Farscape series. Some chase set themes continue throughout a series (for example, new Autograph cards have been issued in association with each new Farscape Base Set); a "continuing" chase set is a Chase Series.

These are the Packaging terms we use:

• Packs are the basic unit of sale for trading cards at the retail level, consisting of a small number of cards enclosed in an opaque wrapper; they're also called Wax Packs, in reference to the waxed paper sometimes used for wrappers in the past (these days foil and plastic are more common materials). The Wrappers themselves are generally decorated in keeping with the theme of the set, and are sometimes considered collectible in their own right.

• A Display Box is a paperboard box holding three to four dozen packs, designed so that the lid can be propped open for counter-top display of the product in retail outlets. Another name for this packaging is Wax Box.

• A Case is a cardboard carton of 8 to 12 sealed and shrink-wrapped display boxes.

Other terms relating to trading cards:

• Collector's Albums are binders specifically designed and decorated to hold a particular set of trading cards.

• Sell Sheets are double-sided, glossy paper advertisements (in the US, generally 8.5" x 11" in size) distributed by trading card manufacturers to dealers and other outlets, in order to boost advance sales for an upcoming set.