The Trading card reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004
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Trading card

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A trading card (or collectible card) is a small card which is intended for trading and collecting. Such items are argued to have great potential for appreciation and can become collector's items. Trading cards are traditionally associated with sports; baseball cards are especially well-known. Modern non-sports trading cards often feature cartoons, comic book characters, or television series. They can also be associated with trading card games.

In some jurisdictions, trading cards (particularly baseball cards) are distributed by police officers to children in order to boost public relations.