COLLECTOR RESOURCES

Glossary of Commonly Used Terms

The intent of this glossary is to give the new Puffkins collector or trader a general idea of some of the more commonly used terms in the world of collecting and trading.
Please note: My definitions may not be the same as someone else's! When trading please try to be as clear as possible and make sure that the potential trader you are dealing with is being clear with you.
If you know of a term that is not covered here, send it to puffkinsdigest@yahoo.com and I will add it. This glossary will be continually changing. Definitions will be added, updated, and improved as time goes on.

BGF (Bright Green Feet): Refers to the foot pad color on the earliest releases of Lily and Shelly.

B/N (Black-nosed): Refers to the black nose on the first release of the now retired Snowball.

CURRENT(S): Puffkins that are currently in production and being shipped to retailers by Swibco.

GENERATION: Refers to swingtag changes on Puffkins. There may be slight tag differences within generations as well. (See Swing Tag Generations Table for a complete listing.)

1st Generation Tags: The older tags (red heart with a dark purple border) that all have the same UPC number on the back regardless of the style of Puffkin. This number is 44046 01362. Also printed on the inside of the tag is: ŠSwibco Lisle, IL instead of the Swibco website address. Found on the first two batches of Puffkins released.

2nd Generation Tags: The older Puffkins tags (red heart with a dark purple border) that have different UPC numbers on the back depending on the style of Puffkin. A slight difference within this tag generation is the inclusion or exclusion of the Swibco website address www.swibco.com on the inside of the tag. Some tags have ŠSwibco Lisle, IL instead of the site address. Found on the first 3 batches of Puffkins released.

3rd generation tags: The newer Puffkins tags (red heart with a light purple/lavender border) currently being attached to Puffkins.

HTF (HARD TO FIND): Puffkins that are currently in production by Swibco, but don't seem to be shipped to stores as often or in as great a quantity as other styles. Also there are Puffkins that are not retired, but have certain variations that are HTF, such as L/Y Lily, BGF Lily and BGF Shelly. Such Puffkins generally have a greater monetary value than other currents on the secondary market. A Puffkin can be 'current' and 'hard to find' at the same time. Puffkins that are considered to be 'hard to find' change constantly due to popularity, trend on the guestbooks, and Swibco's shipping and supply.

LMK (Let Me Know): Respond to request or offer. A term commonly used when trading and buying. It is considered polite to always respond to e-mail. Variation: PLMK (Please let me know).

L/N (Lavender-nosed): Refers to the lavender nose on the later release of the now retired Snowball and on the current Tasha.

L/Y (Leap Year): Refers to a tag variation on Lily where the birthdate was printed as 2-29-97 for awhile and then changed to the current 2-28-97.

Limited Edition (LE): A Puffkin that is produced for a specific holiday, for a certain period of time, or in limited, predetermined quantities. An example would be the Halloween Limited Edition Puffkins.

MGF (Moss Green Feet): Refers to the foot pad color on some of the early releases of Lily and Shelly and on all of the current releases.

MINT: Descriptive term for a Puffkin or tag that is in perfect condition (ie; no tears, nicks, creases, dirt, fading, ink, or other imperfections of any kind) or like new. Some collectors consider a price sticker on the back of a Puffkin's tag as non-mint, while others do not have a problem with it. Some people may list a Puffkin as 'mint' but the tags may not be.

MISPRINTS: Refers to swingtags which have spelling errors or words omitted in the printed poem or elsewhere on the tag. A few errors are widely recognized by Puffkin collectors and may increase the value of a Puffkin, but most errors do not. It will help to research prices on the various guestbooks, website pricelists, and collector's guides, but always use caution when buying or trading.

MISTAGS: Puffkins which have the wrong swingtag attached to them. Because swing tags can be switched easily by hand a mistag does not usually increase the value of a Puffkin. Hint: a mistag is more likely to be of value if it is connected to a HTF or retired Puffkin.

MWBT (Mint with both tags): Descriptive term for a MINT Puffkin with both tush tag and swingtag. If you are trading you should confirm that the tags are also mint and *attached* to the Puffkin with the original tag-attachers or sewing. Also see 'MINT', 'MWBMT', and 'MWMT'.

MWBMT (Mint with both mint tags): Descriptive term for a MINT Puffkin with both MINT tush tag and swingtag (that are attached to the Puffkin). Also see 'MINT', 'MWBT', 'MWMT'.

MWMT(Mint with mint tags): Descriptive term for a MINT Puffkin with mint tush tag and swingtag (that are attached to the Puffkin). Also see 'MINT', 'MWBMT', 'MWBT'.

ODDITY: I refer to an 'oddity' as an unintentional change, or a manufacturing defect such as the eye color on Tipper or the color or texture of Fetch's nose.
There are many oddities out there on Puffkins. Be aware that some oddities such as nose stitching (or lack of) or the wrong color of stitching on a Puffkin can be easily altered by anyone! These types of oddities shouldn't effect that particular Puffkin's value.

P/N (Pink-nosed): Refers to the pink nose on the later release of the now retired Snowball and on the current Tasha.

RETIRED(S): Puffkins that are no longer in production by Swibco. (In the case of Dinky, Drake and Pickles Swibco has continued to ship retireds to the stores after retirement). Swibco announces all retirements in the Puffkin Press which is located on the Official Puffkins Website. Retired Puffkins are considered more valuable on the secondary market. The value of retired Puffkins depends on when they were retired (generally the older they are, the more valuable they are), how many were produced, how many are available on the market, and the condition of the Puffkin and its tags.

REVERSED FUR: Refers to the fur on ARMOUR the ARMADILLO. The fur on Armour's back is considered reversed when the nap is brushed up instead of down.

'SHE' CASEY: Refers to the swing tag poem on Casey the Cardinal. The poem on the first production run of Casey refers to Casey as a 'she'. Since only male Cardinals are bright red in color all subsequent production runs of Casey have a corrected poem which refers to Casey as a 'he'.

SWIFTACHER: The small plastic strip which attaches the heart swingtag to the Puffkin. It is approximately 1" long and clear in color.

SWING TAG: The heart-shaped paper tag attached with a plastic tag-attacher (swiftacher) to the left ear, head area, or body of the Puffkin. There are several versions, or 'generations' of swingtags. A Puffkin without a swing tag can lose some of its value. Also see 'GENERATION'.

TAGS: Every Puffkin comes with two kinds of tags: the 'tush' tag, which is a fabric tag sewn into the left side of the Puffkin's tush, and the swingtag, which is the heart-shaped paper tag attached with a plastic tag-attacher (swiftacher) to the left ear, head area, or body of the Puffkin. There are several versions, or 'generations' of swingtags. A Puffkin without a tag can lose some of its value. Also see 'GENERATION'.

TUSH TAG: The fabric tag sewn into the left side of the Puffkin's tush. There are currently two versions of tush tags, folded and non-folded. The information on both versions is the same.

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