What Is a Parallel? Numbered Cards, 1/1s and Chasing the Rainbow
Hobby Basics · Beginner Guide · Part 4
Sixteen cards, one player, one photo. Same set, same card number, and yet one of them is the only copy in the world. Welcome to parallels, the reason two cards that look almost identical can be worth €1 or €500.
The short answer: A parallel is the same card as the base card, printed in a different color, finish or pattern. Many parallels carry a serial number like 23/99, which tells you exactly how many exist. The lower the number after the slash, the rarer the card. A 1/1 is the only one. Collecting every parallel of one card is called chasing the rainbow.
Karl's take
My first ever 1/1 was an Antonio Gates, pulled live on camera in a YouTube video. That card started a project: the full Antonio Gates rainbow from 2024 Donruss Elite. I am two cards away: the Status Sparkle /299 and the Black /25. Nobody needs a rainbow of a retired tight end. I chase it because it makes me happy every time I look at the page. That is the best reason to collect anything.
What is a parallel?
Every set starts with a base card: the standard version of each player, printed in large numbers. A parallel uses the same photo, the same design and the same card number, but changes the look. Different background color, a shiny refractor finish, a pattern like stars, waves or dots, or a different foil on the name.
Look at the photo above. Every card shows Antonio Gates in the same pose. What changes is the color, the pattern and the small number at the bottom.
Numbered, unnumbered and short prints
Numbered parallels have a serial number stamped on the front or back, for example 94/99. The second number is the print run: 99 copies exist. The first number is your copy. Numbered cards are easy to judge because the rarity is printed on the card.
Unnumbered parallels look special but carry no number. They can still be rare, but you only know how rare from the odds on the pack wrapper or the checklist. In my Gates rainbow, the base card, Green Disco and Pink have no number.
Short prints (SP) are the third kind. They carry no number either, but they are printed in much smaller quantities than the normal cards and fall far less often from packs. Razzle Dazzle in my rainbow is one: no serial number, yet harder to pull than many numbered parallels. The catch: because the print run is never published, you can only judge how rare an SP really is from the pack odds and from how rarely it shows up for sale. The even rarer version is called a super short print (SSP).
2024 Donruss Elite Antonio Gates: the full rainbow
| Parallel | Print run | My collection |
|---|---|---|
| Base | not numbered | Got it |
| Green Disco | not numbered | Got it |
| Pink | not numbered | Got it |
| Razzle Dazzle | short print (SP) | Got it |
| Aspirations Shimmer | /875 | Got it |
| Status Explosion | /875 | Got it |
| Orange | /399 | Got it |
| Aspirations Stars | /299 | Got it |
| Status Sparkle | /299 | Missing |
| Maroon | /249 | Got it |
| Blue | /99 | Got it |
| Aspirations | /99 or less | Got it |
| Status | /99 or less | Got it |
| Purple | /49 | Got it |
| Black | /25 | Missing |
| FOTL Pink | /13 | Got it |
| Gold | /10 | Got it |
| Status Die-Cut | /9 | Got it |
| FOTL Platinum | /3 | Got it |
| Elite | 1/1 | Got it |
Base card plus 19 parallels. 18 of 20 in my collection, two to go: Status Sparkle /299 and Black /25. Razzle Dazzle is a short print without a number. FOTL means First Off The Line, a hobby exclusive version released early.
The jump from /875 to 1/1 is the whole story of parallels: the same card, from almost a thousand copies down to a single one.
Why the serial number matters, and when it does not
- Lower print run, higher price. As a rule, a /10 sells for more than a /99 of the same player.
- The player still decides most. A /99 of a superstar can beat a /10 of a backup. Scarcity multiplies demand, it does not create it.
- Jersey numbers and 1/1s are special. Some collectors pay extra when the serial number matches the player's jersey number, or for the first and last copy of a run. Elite even has parallels like Aspirations and Status that are numbered based on a player's stats, which is why the checklist says "/99 or less".
- Not every color is equal. In each product, certain colors are the ones collectors chase. Gold, black and the 1/1 usually lead. Check the checklist for the official order.
Want to know the print runs and pack odds for a set before you buy? Our Checklists list every parallel with its numbering.
Chasing the rainbow
A rainbow is the complete set of parallels of one card, from the base card to the 1/1. It is one of the most personal ways to collect, and one of the hardest. The low-numbered cards may only exist once, and someone else might simply not want to sell.
Three tips if you start one:
- Pick a player you love, not one who is hot. A rainbow takes months or years. Hype players make every parallel expensive.
- Start with the checklist. Know how many parallels exist before you buy the first one, so you know what you are signing up for.
- Set a budget for the last cards. The final two or three are always the hardest and most expensive. Decide early what they are worth to you.
Buy the card because you want it, not because everyone else does. A rainbow is the purest version of that idea.
Watch it on YouTube
The break where my Antonio Gates 1/1 came out of the pack. Video in German.
Find parallels at Haus of Sportscards
We list every card with year, set, parallel and serial number in the title, so you know exactly which step of the rainbow you are looking at. Browse our Singles & Slabs.
Beginner Guide, Part 4 of the series. Previous: Grading Companies Compared · Related: Same Player, €3 or €300 · What Is a Case Hit?
Karl Klammer
