This is the first in a series of posts that will begin addressing issues in creating a Zistle Style Guide. The Zistle Style Guide will be a collaborative project in Zistle members will reach consenus regarding naming conventions and categorizing that will be used for the Zistle Library. Before I delve into this post, I want to make the point that there are many different naming practices that exist–thereby creating the confusion in the first place. This discussion is not to decide what is the “right” way but what is the best way for Zistle and its members. I am aware that some of you are quite passionate about your views and I ask you to think about what is the best for everyone–not your personal preferences.Thanks in advance for your participation and enthusiasm.

Brands vs. Sets

While it may seem obvious, I think it is important to distinguish the difference between a brand and a set and the implications for Zistle. A brand is the name of the Card Manufacturer: Topps, Upper Deck, Razor, Donruss, etc. On Zistle, sets are the actual sets released by a manufacturer. So Topps is a set in addition to Topps Heritage. Topps Heritage is not a subset of Topps. There are a few reasons for this but the most important reason is parallel sets and categorization. Most sets include multiple subsets (parallels, inserts, autos, relics) often with the same numbers (parallels). If we do not have subsets, it becomes impossible to sort these cards correctly. A good rule of thumb is that if you can buy a pack of it, it is a set. If you can’t buy a pack of it, it is a subset of another set. There are exceptions and often there are inserts from other sets in many sets. These are admittedly more difficult to classify and requires a second post. I think most people agree on this topic, however, if anyone has any ideas for how to deal with sets that fall outside of the conditions listed above or if anyone has any additional comments, please share them.

Main Set vs. Subsets

In my personal opinion, this is one of the most difficult issues to resolve and I am extremely interested in what people think about this topic. The main set is another way of saying “base set” or “base cards”. Normally these cards are numbered numerically and have no particular distinguishing attributes (i.e. 1-400). Parallel cards should be categorized as a subset. Insert cards should also be categorized as a subset unless they belong to a different set.

Again, outside of a few exceptions, there seems to be general consensus on this topic. The one problem we need to resolve is when a card is in the normal numbering system but it is distinct from the base card design. For example, Season Highlights in Upper Deck occur in the normal numbering system, but they are obviously different in design from the regular base card. On one hand, if you take them out of the main set, there appears to be a hole in the numbering and can often lead to duplicates. However, if you don’t make them a subset, there is a loss of some detail. Some members have kept them in the main set, but added the title of the card, so that they can be searched. While this keeps the detail, some card names are often too long.Your thoughts on this are most appreciated.

Specific Sets: Bowman, Upper Deck, Topps

There are a few sets that I would like to address specifically and ask for help from the Zistle community on how to deal with these sets.

Bowman- Bowman released two products pre-2008– Bowman and Bowman Chrome. Within those sets, there are the draft cards as well- Bowman Draft and Bowman Chrome Draft. Both of the sets have multiple subsets. Because of this, Zistle lists them as four separate sets: Bowman, Bowman Draft, Bowman Chrome and Bowman Chrome Draft. Are there any thoughts on this? Is this a good solution or do you find it confusing?  In 2008, Bowman started releasing a Draft Pick and Prospects set which may have solved this problem going forward but I would love to hear your thoughts pre-2008.

Topps/Upper Deck–Series 1 and Series 2- Both Topps and Upper Deck release their main product in two distinct releases, Series 1 and Series 2. Currently, Zistle lists both Topps and Upper Deck as one product and puts those two sets together. While it diminishes some confusion, the carda are technically labeled distinctly by their respective series and often contain different subsets. Is it better to have one big Upper Deck/Topps set or better to distinguish them as separate sets?

I am going to start some discussions in the Zistle Forum about the above mentioned topics so you can join the discussion there or leave a comment on this post. Of course, feel free to start your own discussion thread about any issues that you feel need to be resolved. Thanks everyone for contributing to this!

by ashley Zistle Style Guide, Zistle Updates bowman, bowman chrome, set, subset, topps, upper deck