Every hobby

Die-Cut

Also written: Die cut

A card physically cut into a shape other than a rectangle.

Physical formThe card itself is made differently

A die-cut card has been physically cut into a shape — a silhouette, a skyline, a stepped edge, a window through the card. The cutting is done with a shaped die after printing, which is an extra manufacturing step, which is why die-cuts almost always sit high on a rarity ladder.

Condition is the whole story

Die-cut cards are the most fragile cards in the modern hobby. Every cut edge is an exposed edge, every point is a corner waiting to bend, and standard sleeves and top-loaders are built for rectangles. A die-cut that has been shuffled into a stack once is often no longer gradeable.

Store them in a rigid holder from the moment they come out of the pack — never loose, never in a binder page with other cards pressing on the points.
Inspect the interior cut edges under light: die-cutting can leave faint whitening along the cut that reads as damage under grading.
Expect shipping to be the highest-risk moment in a die-cut's life.

Eric Lindros — 1999-00 Pacific Crown Royale - Team Captain Die Cuts — **Real die-cut cards on our shelf**Pulled from the same pools our packs deal from — not stock photography.

Zack Moss — 2020 Panini Select - Tri-Color Prizm Die Cut — **Real die-cut cards on our shelf**Pulled from the same pools our packs deal from — not stock photography.