Definition

Noun: A small, collectible card, typically made of cardboard or paper, featuring a picture (often of an athlete, character, or other figure) and related information. These cards are designed to be collected, bought, sold, or exchanged, primarily as a hobby.

Usage and Examples

• He spent the afternoon organizing his collection of trading cards by series and rarity.
• The value of a vintage baseball trading card can be very high.
• A popular activity at the convention was trading card swapping among enthusiasts.

Advanced Usage

• "To be in/out of the trading card game": An idiom meaning to be actively involved in or to have stopped participating in the hobby of collecting and trading cards.
  • I was really into it as a kid, but I've been out of the trading card game for years.

Variants and Related Words

• Collectible card: A more general term for any card designed for collection, which may or may not be intended for trading.
• Card trading: The activity or hobby of exchanging these cards.
• Trading card game (TCG) / Collectible card game (CCG): A game that uses specially designed sets of trading cards as game pieces (e.g., Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon TCG). These are distinct from the simple collectible "trading card."

Synonyms

• Collectible card
• Collector's card

Related Phrases

• To trade cards: The action of exchanging trading cards with another person.
  • The kids agreed to trade cards after school.
• Card condition: Refers to the physical state of a trading card (e.g., mint, poor), which heavily influences its value.

Noun

1. a card with a picture on it; collected and traded by children