What the numbers mean
A quick key to the numbers and marks on Garbage Pail Kids cards, wrappers and price lists.
On the card
| You see | What it means |
|---|
| 1a, 1b | The card number. a and b are usually the same art with two different names, so 1a Nasty Nick and 1b Evil Eddie are one picture and two cards. |
|---|
| 1 to 620 | Numbers run in order across the 15 Original Series, so the number tells you the series. |
|---|
| One or two asterisks | Printing marks beside the copyright line on the back. Checklist makers usually don’t count them as separate cards, though a few errors appear only with one mark. |
|---|
| © 1985, © 1986 | The copyright year. Read this to tell an original from a Chrome or Flashback reprint with the same art. |
|---|
Which series a number belongs to
| Series | Card numbers |
|---|
| Series 1 | 1 to 41 |
|---|
| Series 2 | 42 to 83 |
|---|
| Series 3 | 84 to 124 |
|---|
| Series 4 | 125 to 166 |
|---|
| Series 5 | 167 to 206 |
|---|
| Series 6 | 207 to 250 |
|---|
| Series 7 | 251 to 292 |
|---|
| Series 8 | 293 to 334 |
|---|
| Series 9 | 335 to 378 |
|---|
| Series 10 | 379 to 417 |
|---|
| Series 11 | 418 to 459 |
|---|
| Series 12 | 460 to 500 |
|---|
| Series 13 | 501 to 540 |
|---|
| Series 14 | 541 to 580 |
|---|
| Series 15 | 581 to 620 |
|---|
Chrome reuses numbers from the series it remakes, so 1a can be an original or a 2013 Chrome card. Always check the set as well as the number. Other newer sets restart their own numbering.
Numbered cards on Chrome and newer sets
| You see | What it means |
|---|
| /299, /99, /50, /5 | A print limit. /50 means only 50 of that version were made. The card may be stamped with its own number, like 12/50. |
|---|
| 1/1, Superfractor | Only one exists. |
|---|
| Refractor, Atomic, X-Fractor, Prism | Finish names. Some are numbered and some aren’t. |
|---|
| Printing plate | The plate used to print the card, usually four per artwork, one for each ink color. |
|---|
Pull odds
| You see | What it means |
|---|
| 1:57 | About one card like this per 57 packs, on average. It doesn’t promise one. |
|---|
| Hobby 1:29, Value 1:71 | The same card can have different odds by box type. |
|---|
| About 1 in 5 boxes | The pack odds worked out for a whole box. |
|---|
Printed odds are often wrong, so treat them as a guide.
On wax packs and boxes
| You see | What it means |
|---|
| 25¢ | The original pack price. |
|---|
| 5 stickers, 1 stick of gum | What the wrapper says is in a Series 4 pack. Check the wrapper for other series. |
|---|
| 0-490-21-05-6 | A wrapper or box code, which can point to a print run. Collector sites tie this one to the Series 5 Green 10 error, and 0-490-21-04-7 to the Series 9 no-number Semi Colin. |
|---|
Grades and prices
| You see | What it means |
|---|
| Grade 1 to 10 | Condition, where 10 is the best. |
|---|
| PSA 10, CGC 10, SGC 10 | A 10 from that grader. They don’t sell for the same money, even at the same grade. |
|---|
| Cert number | The ID on a graded slab. Use it to look up the card on the grader’s site. |
|---|
| Ungraded | The usual price for a card that hasn’t been graded. |
|---|
| Declared value | What you tell the grader the card is worth. It sets your service tier and fee. |
|---|
Want more on grades? See what each grade looks for. Looking for a card? See the best cards and boxes.
Checked November 1, 2026 against collector checklists. Series numbers matched on the checklists we compared. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Topps.
