Die Cut

Die-cut: A card that has been cut mechanically (on purpose) in a shape other than the standard 2.5" x 3.5" rectangle. Originally appearing in the early part of the century in sets like Batter-Ups, where the card around the player was cut and the background folded back so the card could stand, die-cutting periodically resurfaced in sets like the 1969 Topps Deckle Edges. In the '90s, usually as a form of parallel set or simply as a design element, die-cutting returned in full-force. The first of this particular era being the 1993 SP baseball Platinum Power inserts. Die-cuts are now commonplace, and it could be argued that some companies, like Pacific, have gone a little over board with the die-cutting.