Collectible Terms Glossary 2024
Collectible Terms Glossary
Welcome to our Collectible Terms Glossary (also known as a "Glossary of Terms"). We created this handy Collectible Terms Glossary as a reference for collectors to assist them in their collecting efforts.
Contained in this Collectible Terms Glossary are terms that are frequently used by collectors which are also used on this website in our articles and in our product descriptions. Listed directly below each term is its corresponding definition.
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Action Figure
- The masculine version of a doll that has jointed poseable (and sometimes removable) limbs. Typically, action figures are based on characters from movies, television, or comic books.
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Advertiser Collectible
- An item that features the name, logo, product, service, and/or mascot of an iconic company well-known for its advertising and promotions such as Coca-Cola.
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Antique
- Something that has been in existence for 100 years or more and is, therefore, valuable and of interest to collectors because it is characteristic of a particular era/time period and style of creation.
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Authentic
- Something that is real as opposed to something that is a fake or a reproduction.
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Autograph
- Hand-written artistic signature of an author, artist, or celebrity.
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Automobilia
- A combination of the words automobile and memorabilia, automobilia means collectibles that are automotive in nature.
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CAMIS
- Abbreviation for the collectibles store 'Collectibles And More In-Store'.
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Cel
- Short for 'celluloid', a transparent sheet on which objects are drawn or painted for traditional, hand-drawn animation. Characters were drawn on cels and laid over a static background drawing.
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Certificate of Authenticity
- A document from proper authorities that confirms the legitimacy of an item by saying the item is in fact what it says it is.
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Classic
- Something that is recognized as being of high quality and lasting appeal.
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Collectable
- The British version of 'Collectible'.
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Collectible
- An item with certain qualities or characteristics that someone considers interesting, memorable, meaningful, attractive, or valuable either sentimentally or monetarily (they can offer capital gains potential and inflation protection).
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Collection
- Multiple items with a related theme that a person has accumulated and gathered together.
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Collectors Item
- An object that was specifically produced for a high-end market targeted at collectors (i.e. special editions, limited-editions, commemoratives) that have historical significance, first editions, the only one of its kind, hard-to-find/rare, autographed, and/or used by its creator or a notable public figure. Also referred to as a "Collector's Item".
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Commemorative
- Something created specifically to celebrate an event or anniversary.
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Costume Jewelry
- An object that adorns the body made with less expensive materials and/or simulated jewels/stones and/or plated metals.
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Curio
- An item that is considered distinctive, engaging, eccentric, and/or uncommon.
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Entertainment Collectible
- An item that features the name and/or likeness of a personality/character featured in media such as television (live-action and animated), film, comic books, comic strips, and books/novels.
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Exclusive
- Something elite because availability is limited to only a certain group intentionally excluding others.
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Fair Market Value
- The price at which an item would sell between a seller and an informed and unpressured buyer in an economic market in which prices are based on competition among private businesses not controlled by the government.
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High Quality
- The description for how well an item was made (i.e. the development process, the technique used, materials used, etc.) which directly affects how long the item will last. Meaning high-quality items are above-standard and durable.
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Hippieish
- Reflective of the 60s and 70s culture like a lot of flowers, bright or neon colors, psychedelic patterns, ribbons, lace, fur, short shorts, short skirts, knee-high socks, knee-high boots, bell-bottom pants, embroidered patches, Puka shells, crochet, bean bag chairs, black-lights, and lava lamps.
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Limited Edition
- An item of which only a set quantity was produced and is thus marked with both its specific edition number and the total number of editions produced (i.e. 112/1500).
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Lithograph
- An item created using a special method of printing whereby an image is drawn on lithographic limestone (or a metal plate with a grained surface) using oil-based inks then applied to a flat surface. The artist uses a separate stone or plate for each color in the image.
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LP
- A long-playing record.
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Memorabilia
- Objects collected as souvenirs associated with a famous person, an important event, or a personal experience.
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Militaria
- Military memorabilia with historical interests, such as weapons, uniforms, lapel pins, and awards.
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Mint Condition
- Never been used, in perfect condition, and in the original packaging.
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Near-Mint Condition
- Looks new; shows minimal to no wear; may or may not have the original packaging
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Nostalgic
- Evoking sentimental thoughts and feelings for the past.
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Novelty
- Something with a distinctive attribute, a unique or unusual characteristic, or that was recently developed.
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Original
- Existed first thus not a copy nor derived from something else.
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Premiums
- Promotional items, such as small toys, offered by companies for free, or at a low cost, with the purchase of another product as incentives to attract new customers, encourage repeat purchases, and increase brand loyalty.
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Rare
- Precious because only a few exist which makes it particularly interesting and more valuable.
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Replacement Value
- Amount of money needed to replace an item with the exact same or similar item in the current retail market.
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Retro
- Abbreviation for retrospect which means looking back. It describes something that's reflective of the trends 25 to 49 years ago such as a lot of curves, curls, swirls, earth-tones, light pastels, suede, leather, chenille, long skirts, long dresses, vests, high-waisted pants, and muscle cars.
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Return On Investment
- An investment that will sell for more money than what you originally paid for it. Also referred to as an ROI.
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Scabbard
- A cover for a knife or sword blade. Also known as a sheath.
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Serigraph
- A high-quality item created using silkscreen printing whereby an image is drawn using a mesh to transfer ink onto an underlying layer.
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Sheath
- A cover for a knife or sword blade. Also known as a scabbard.
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Signature
- Reprint of a hand-written artistic autograph of an author, artist, or celebrity.
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Special Edition
- An item designed specifically for a particular occasion or focused on a particular theme thus it is different from how it is normally.
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Sports Collectible
- An item that features the name, likeness, and/or autograph of a sportscaster or player and/or the name, logo, and/or mascot of a team and/or athletic association. Not the same as "Sporting Good" which instead is sports equipment that does not feature a team, mascot, player, athletic association, and/or autograph.
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Vintage
- Something that has been in existence for a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of 99 years.
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Woodblock Print
- An artistic "woodcut" technique for printmaking used throughout East Asia between the 17th & 20th centuries. In Japan, woodcut prints were called "Ukiyo-e" which means "pictures of the floating world"). Typically they featured motifs, landscapes, the theatre, or places of pleasure. The old-world technique required a team of 4 people (artist, carver, printer & publisher) whereby an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood (usually cherry wood). The wood's flat surface was covered with ink by an ink-covered roller to show the characters or images to be printed in black and the non-printing parts were then shown in white. The white parts were then cut away with a knife/chisel "along the grain" of the wood (unlike wood engravings where the block is cut in the end-grain). A separate block had to be used for each color.
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Workmanship
- How skillfully something was made.
This concludes our Collectible Terms Glossary. Thank you for reading the Collectible Terms Glossary. We hope you found it useful to clarify common terminology used in the world of collecting.
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