Futera’s ‘Code For Collectors’ is a FREE service that gives collectors details about their card’s features and rarity, including details about the photography, materials and processes used in the making of the card, how many were actually released, and for memorabilia cards which game/date/season the jersey was from, if the card was a ‘Futera Rookie’ card, together with photographs and videos from production stages.
This information is not just interesting, but helps collectors make informed decisions about the trading potential of their cards.
This service was launched with selected cards from the Futera UNIQUE 2014 Collection onwards, with cards have a unique code that act as a link between the physical card and Futera’s Collection database.
Go to futera.com and click on ‘Code for Collectors’ on the top panel of the homepage.
Enter the card’s unique code into the box and press ‘Enter’.
• General details are given about the card - name, title, numbering, what Collection the card is from.
• The ‘Print run’ quantity shows how many cards were produced. The ‘Release number’ shows how many cards were actually released - these numbers could be different. A Release quantity that is less than the Print run means that certain cards did not reach packing stage due to quality control/damage issues, and therefore the cards that did actually release are even more rare and potentially valuable.
• The right side of the screen would show any relevant photos of the card’s production process.
• Scroll down to see a detailed specification of the card.
* ‘Code for Collectors’ provides information on the game/date/season of the photography on the card.
* Information about the materials used in the creation of the card such as the board type and density/weight, thickness, inks and any special finishing processes is given.
* Special print or finishing techniques could include hand-engraving, embossing, die-cutting, or feature precious elements such as gold plated frames and/or precious stones such as diamonds, rubies or other.
* The Coding type indicates the technology used to give each card its unique code which could be laser or print-coding.
* If a ‘Printing Plate’ card was released from the making of the card, this will be noted on Code for Collectors, together with the quantity of how many Plate types were issued from the Collection (there are normally 4 colour plates used in printing - Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (CMYK); and how many Printing Plate cards Futera issued of that particular card. Futera generally keep their Printers Plate cards rare, often as a ‘1 of 1’ - meaning that only 1 Printers Plate exists in the world for that card design.
* If it is the first time that Futera has released a card of a player, it will be noted as a Futera ‘Rookie’ card.
NB: Some players may have featured in a Futera Base Set in previous Collections, but if they are appearing for the first time in a Futera Collection as a Memorabilia card, they would be shown as a ‘Futera Rookie Memorabilia card’.
* The Memorabilia Card Colour Grading Service is a very helpful tool for collectors (a LINK to this FREE service is provided from the ‘Code for Collectors’ site).
Here you can check how RARE your Memorabilia card is, and therefore how potentially valuable it could be by searching for your card’s number on the Colour Grading Charts. Your card will be shown on a Chart which plots the different memorabilia piece combinations from a particular Set. The fewer cards that exist for a particular colour, and/or colour combination, means that these cards are more rare and therefore potentially should have a higher trading value.
You can also go directly to the ‘Colour Grading Chart’ from the Futera website Homepage.
* Another FREE service for collectors is ‘eFUTERA’ - a live, online card trading market for both Futera UNIQUE Collection and virtual and physical FWF Online football cards.
