At Huggins & Scott I know we're guilty of using some annoying hobby terms. When you write 1,500 lots every 3 months it's very difficult to avoid. However, the world "pasteboard" is on the banned list :)

Orb

In the last Heritage Auction they had a card with "vivid hues and frosty borders" of which I was high bidder on. I can hardy wait for it to get here.

At least they weren't "antique white." As I recall that was a Greg Bussineau euphemism for toned from way back in the day.

"I would crack this card out of this grade 8 holder from a company that you've never heard of and submit it to PSA but well, that could be dangerous. So I'll just sell it at a value of a PSA 7 instead."

How about the ole veiled ebay threat in the B/S/T:
"Final chance to get 'em before they're moved to ebay tomorrow!!"

"Candidate for grading" with a hat tip and a wink to Jeff L.

Haha. That actually JUST worked on me right now!

BID RETRACTION- from "customers" that use the e bay excuse "could not contact seller" after 3 days of the bid being active,...I guess it becomes true when they are blocked for this action!

LOL...Don't fall for the ole {off to ebay) trick. They know they don't want to incur all of those fees.

I think one of my least favorite words is using "sick" to describe anything other than an organism being sick. Inanimate objects, such as cards, don't get sick!!

My favorites are MOJO, sic/sick, elite/leet, fire, lit, or any other word people started to use in the early 2000's to describe cards. Also the over use of the White Whale term. It should be use for cards that are hard to find and rare, not for an expensive nonrare card that you had to save up for.

Maybe they're sending you a Courrier and Ives print?:)

Any auction lot description that uses long convoluted sentences and flowery adjectives to describe something that can be done more efficiently. As if I might kick in an extra bid above my limit because you used twelve adjectives to tell me how beautiful the card is.

Many cataloguers don't realize that readers prefer simple sentences they can understand. Just tell me whether there are any flaws that don't show up in your scan and I'll figure out what I want to bid. That can be done in one sentence of about twelve words or less.

I have to assume these awful descriptions are geared towards impressing the consignors, because I know the bidders hate them.

I really didn’t like “mid-tier back” at first but have grown to accept it.

Now seeing “off backs” all the time to refer to a non- Piedmont/sweet cap t206 is annoying.

"Oyster colored edges"

Centered (when it's plain to see that it's not)
PSA ready (what would make a card not ready for a trip to Newport Beach?)
Rare (especially when they quote the pop of 550)
PSA (when the card isn't PSA graded)
Gorgeous (I've probably been guilty of this a time or 2, but it should really be reserved for women, not cardboard)

LOL the three that came to mind were the same three with which I started this thread. Particularly "advanced collector."

Yes this ... I laughed at it in 1999 yet here we are still

Invest !

I've always found this irksome; let's say a card is in very good condition. The seller will have two prices: the high retail price of $100 and then "your price" of $35. It gives the impression that you're getting a deal but in reality the card being in lesser condition would sell for the $35 price.

Hobby terms that annoy you
 

-“Invest”
-Item specifics or title/subtitle that all have “Mike Trout” or “PSA 10” in them so that I can’t actually filter a search for either
-And I have to agree with “centered” when they are clearly not. As a side note when a card is psa 10 and is clearly off center to the naked eye.

Now I have to repent as I have recently referred to my highest priced card as “this bad boy”[emoji2357](embarrassing). From one Peter to another...can you forgive me? Won’t happen again!


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Take your pick...


https://www.ebay.com/sch/cmiz5290/m....p2047675.l2562

This one!

I've been seeing it a lot lately for vintage photos and tickets, which irritates me much more then when it's used for cards, for some reason.

:mad:

There's gonna be a problem the next time I see "Wagz" or "WaJo".

Honus Wagner was not what a dog's tail does.

Walter Johnson is not J.Lo.

Is it just me or is anyone else starting to think that "razor sharp corners" means that the card was trimmed with a razor?

On another note when someone says a card is the nicest copy they have seen or handled I tend to think of a friend of mine that other mutual friends always say is the smartest person they know. I always think the same thing in both cases. You really need to get out more.

Similarly, the use of "known to the hobby" sometimes just "known." It may make sense with some rare items but I think it's often overused.

almost everything Heritage writes annoys me. Like this gem:

"The manner of distribution required a hand cut to form individual cards, and here that endeavor was executed masterfully, assigning both razor-sharp corners and flawlessly balanced borders to the piece."

Like Hedley Lamarr writes for them:

Hedley Lamarr : My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives.

Taggart : God darnit, Mr. Lamarr, you use your tongue prettier than a twenty dollar whore.

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...ize/Korman.jpg

My 2 biggest pet peeves are when people bump a thread after they sold a card and when someone doesn't post scans or a price and wants to sell a card. "I have a new house to sell, but you can't get a price or pictures". I don't see that being huge in real estate.

Regarding "PSA Ready"...

The card may be ready for PSA. But is PSA ready for the card? Judging by the 11 month wait time, I think not! :eek:

Excellent Point! :D

Card from Covid free home, god bless

:D:D

Corners are so sharp they can cut glass

Buyers will message this and only this "How low can you go"

Iconic. Iconic. Iconic. Iconic.

And I use the word anyhow.

From my 'The New Directory of Collectorisms...' thread:

22. Copy-triter
Someone who, instead of speaking like a normal human being, constantly throws out overused, stale or ‘expected’ phrases such as “Thanks for sharing,” “Buy the card, not the slab,” “Collect whatever makes you happy,” etc.

See also: Iconoghast - a person who can’t seem to post something without using the word “iconic.”

When buyers ask whats the least you'll take, I answer whats the most you'll pay.

Specimen. Cards as medical samples.

“PSA?”

Yes, technically ANY card can be submitted to PSA, but thanks for reminding me (and trying to game my search results).

'slab' <----WTH

non-hobby phrase --> "....asking for a friend" <---- whatever!

“Raw”.
No. It’s ungraded.
It’s not like raw pork or raw oysters.


“Slabbed”.
No. It’s not a slab.
Slabbing is not a verb.

That always reminds me of the car salesman tactic of asking "how much do you want to pay?" Last time I had to deal with that at a dealership my answer was "Nothing." Salesman was flabbergasted: "What do you mean?" I said: "I want the car for free. Can we do that?" Apparently not an option, but no one had ever answered it that way before for him, I guess.

Calling the SGC slab a tuxedo. I HATE that phrase. And calling modern base cards the paper version. Both go thru me like nails on a chalkboard.

Set break

Nicer in person

Attic Find

Estate Sale Find (glorified garage sale)

Putting out a feeler

"No returns" on ebay is more funny than annoying. No returns, huh? Want to bet?

"The pictures are part of the description" is annoying. Just describe the damn item. Your s****y pictures don't show me anything.

But the most annoying as a pennant collector is the application of any baseball card grading classification to a pennant. There's no such thing as a VG or EXMT pennant. Pennants should be described based on their...oh I don't know...exemplary "eye appeal". :D

A whine I heard a lot before this run-up in card prices:

"But I'm into it for more."

That's a 'you' problem, not a 'me' problem.

New to the hobby (previously mentioned)

Highly unlikely

I saw the term "Hyper-Rare" used for a few listings yesterday.

I guess I found it more amusing then annoying though.

Was tempted to contact the seller and ask: "I'm really interested in your item, but am concerned about it's behavioral problems. What do you think would be the best way to calm it down?"

:D

Adam,

Thanks for a much-needed laugh. Do you mind if I borrow that quip every time somebody tries to get a discount, saying, "I have to get this item authenticated"? How does that mean that YOU expect me to deduct that money from the sale?!

MOJO

Pack Fresh

Ebay 1/1

Sick