Documenting the earliest known cards from non-sport icons

A Debut Dard is the earliest known and verified card featuring a non-sports icon, character, franchise, or intellectual property.

It is not a claim of absolute firstness for all time. It represents the earliest example we have been able to confirm through research at the time of publication. As new evidence surfaces, the Debut Card for an entity can (and sometimes does) change.

We generally include:

• Traditional trading cards and insert cards
• Trading Card Games
• Stickers issued in card form
• Card games and Playing cards
• Promotional cards and giveaways
• Test issues, regional variants, and limited-distribution releases
• Other small collectible card-stock items that feature the subject and were produced for, playing collecting or promotional purposes

We evaluate borderline items on a case-by-case basis, focusing on whether collectors reasonably treat them as part of the card-collecting hobby and whether they help document the subject’s earliest appearance in card form.

The emphasis is always on verifiable physical items rather than digital-only or purely ephemeral media.

Unlicensed, fanmade, and custom cards are not acknowledged 

We follow a consistent research process that includes marketplace data, card databases, social media archives, general web searching, and multi-source verification. Full details are available on our Research Methodology page.

Use our submission page. Include the entity name, details of the card, and any supporting evidence (links, photos, sales records, etc.). The more complete the information, the faster we can review it.

New discoveries and updates are added as research is completed and verified. There is no fixed schedule.

Follow along on Instagram for the latest discoveries before I publish here