Memorabilia Glossary

Appraisal

A written, signed value opinion of an item by a credentialed appraiser.

Auction Premium

The fee an auction house charges on top of the hammer price, paid by the buyer, the seller, or both.

Authentication

A third party verifying that an item is what the seller claims it is.

Autograph Authentication

A specialized form of authentication focused on the legitimacy of a signature.

Certificate of Authenticity

A document asserting that an item is authentic — credibility depends entirely on the issuer.

Chain of Custody

The documented sequence of ownership and possession of an item from origin to present.

Condition

The physical state of an item, evaluated against category-specific criteria.

Consignment

A selling arrangement where a dealer or auction house sells your item and takes a commission.

Dealer

A merchant who buys and sells collectibles, often with category specialty.

Encapsulation

Sealing a graded item in a tamper-evident plastic case ("slab").

Estate Collection

A collection passing through an estate, often inherited or sold through executors.

Game-Issued

A jersey or piece of equipment prepared for a specific player but not photo-matched to actual gameplay.

Game-Used

Equipment used in actual gameplay — bats, balls, pucks, helmets, gloves.

Game-Worn

A jersey or apparel item worn during a documented, photo-matched game.

Grading

A third-party numeric score of an item's condition, typically encapsulated in a tamper-evident slab.

Letter of Authenticity

A long-form authentication document, typically from a recognized third-party authenticator.

Letterman

A varsity letter jacket, often awarded to high school or college athletes.

Lot

A single item or group of items offered together at auction.

Modern Collectible

An item from contemporary production, typically post-1980 for cards or post-1985 for toys.

Population Report

The grading service's public count of how many copies of a card or comic have received each grade.

Provenance

The documented history of an item — its origin, ownership, and chain of custody.

Reserve Price

A minimum price below which an auction lot will not sell.

Slab

The tamper-evident plastic case that holds a graded card, comic, or signed flat.

Third-Party Authenticator

An independent company that authenticates items without being the buyer or seller.

Vintage

An item from an era — typically pre-1980 — that is considered historically distinct from contemporary production.