OBC Slang Dictionary

Suggestions for new terms, or better definitions of existing terms are always appreciated! Send your comments to the webmaster!

• Beater - a card is described as "a beater" when it looks like it has been attached to a child's bicycle spokes, made its way through a load of laundry or other such arduous journey.
• Black Beauty - a 1971 Topps card (with those cool black borders)
• "The Book" - The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading, and Bubble Gum Book - a highly prized possession by most OBCers.
• Buckett - The Beckett Baseball Card Price Guide - the scourge of OBC
• Burlap - The fabric-like background borders on the 1968 Topps cards
• Cool Grey - a 1970 Topps card (with grey borders)
• "Dealer Scum" - not what we think of card shop owners, but the persona that an OBCer takes on when he (gasp) sells some of his cards, usually to others in the group.
• Dupe - a double/triple, etc. that can be swapped or given away.
• Dupes Box - a box where your extra cards are stored.
• Evilbay - that online service we all love to hate, or is that hate to love? - eBay.
• FCFS - first come, first served. Often seen on waiver wire posts.
• Fitaked - A package from OBC's lady of quite eclectic cards.
• "FOOT" - Fraternal Order OF Tiger Fans. Mostly based in Michigan, but loyalists among OBC, including Scotland, Virginia & Colorado.
• "Fort Washington" - one of the better shows available (Ft. Washington, PA). Usually 3-6 shows a year. Often a hangout for east-coast OBCers.
• HOM - Hall of Mediocrity, an OBC creation which honors the "unsung heroes" of baseball.
• Horizontal - a 1960 Topps card (horizontal format).
• Jiggler - a 1962/63 Jell-o card.
• Moof - An aroma (mold, smoke, etc.) given off by certain cards, usually described on a scale of 1 (mild scent) to 10 (ultra-funky smell).
• "The National" - the National sports card convention. Often an opportunity for OBCers to gather and swap cards.
• "Nosebleed Section" - A card from a pre-1974 High # Series, tough to get.
• OBC Condition - A low grade card, usually prized by OBCers and shunned by the rest of the card collecting world.
• OBC-Friendly - Used to describe a dealer who is usually well-stocked with OBC ondition cards and/or offers special deals to OBCers at shows.
• OBCAC - The OBC Advisory Council - OBC's governing body, consisting of 7 voting members, a non-voting facilitator and the webmaster.
• Psycho - a 1972 Topps card (phycadelic 60s/70s design).
• Puffy - one of those padded brown mailing envelopes stuffed with cards.
• Rambling - A lengthy discourse on the OBC mail server (coincidentally called ramblings). Ken Morganti is notorious for helping this name come to be.
• SCP - single card pleasure (a 1-card letter/package from another OBCer). A 2-card pack may be referred to as a DCP, and so on...
• Sked - Another name for a schedule.
• Stan Hack - Shrouded in mystery, Stan Hack prowls among the group, seeking wantlists to hit. Who is he? Only time will tell...
• Stan Hacked - One is said to have been "Stan Hacked" or "Hacked" when they are the recipient of a package from the group's mysterious benefactor, Stan Hack.
• "SOSH" - "Sons of Sam Horn," a national Red Sox fan club known for unreasonableness and pre-2004 schizophrenia.
• Sunglasses Alert - Any reference to a card that was manufactured after 1980 (poking fun at the "shiny" UV-coated surfaces of newer cards).
• Tipton - aka "a beater". Named for OBC "Guru" Larry Tipton, who is famous for collecting hsi vintage cards in "any - yes ANY condition".
• Tipton Mint - see "The Guru's Grading Guide" for OBC Guru Larry Tipton's tongue-in-cheek grading guide which defines the grades of a "Tipton" card.
• TV - a 1955 Bowman card (TV-insert format).
• Type Card - first hit to a set. 1 is a type card, 2 and you are collecting them.
• "Vegas" - A hangout for west-coast OBCers. A large show in Las Vegas, NV several times a year.
• Waiver Wire - a posting by an OBCer on the group server for available cards that can be claimed by other in the group.
• Woodie - a 1962 Topps card (wood-grain border).