TCID Registry API
The TCID Registry API provides programmatic access to the Trading Card Identification Number registry. The API returns structured metadata for every registered card type, keyed by its permanent TCID identifier.
The TCID identifier itself is always free to reference. API membership unlocks enriched metadata, batch processing, and commercial use rights.
Authentication
All API requests require a Bearer token passed in the Authorization header. API keys are issued per organization at the time of membership enrollment.
Authorization: Bearer tcid_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxFree tier lookups (up to 1,000/month) do not require authentication. Include the header to track usage against your key and avoid rate limiting.
Base URL
https://api.api.tradingcardid.org/v1
All endpoints are versioned. The current version is v1. Breaking changes will be introduced in a new version with a minimum 90-day deprecation notice.
Access Tiers
TCID API access is governed by annual membership tier. All tiers include the right to reference TCID identifiers in your own systems.
| Tier | Lookups / Month | Batch | Full Metadata | Commercial Use | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 1,000 | No | Basic | No | $0 |
| Silver | 50,000 | Up to 500/request | Full | Yes | Contact Us |
| Gold | Unlimited | Unlimited | Full + Images | Yes | Contact Us |
Endpoints
Returns full metadata for a single card type identified by its TCID.
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| tcid | string | The TCID to resolve (e.g., SC-4X7KQ29R3A) required |
GET https://api.api.tradingcardid.org/v1/cards/SC-4X7KQ29R3A Authorization: Bearer tcid_live_xxxx
{
"tcid": "SC-4X7KQ29R3A",
"sport": "Baseball",
"manufacturer": "Topps",
"season": "2025",
"product": "Topps Series 1",
"card_number": "27",
"player": "Shohei Ohtani",
"team": "Los Angeles Dodgers",
"card_type": "Base",
"parallel": null,
"print_run": null,
"autograph": false,
"relic": false,
"namespace": "SC",
"registered": "2026-01-15"
}Search the registry by player, product, manufacturer, or sport. Returns paginated results.
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| player | string | Player name (partial match supported) |
| sport | string | Baseball, Football, Basketball, Hockey |
| manufacturer | string | Topps, Panini, Leaf, Upper Deck |
| season | string | e.g. 2025, 2024-25 |
| product | string | Product name (partial match supported) |
| autograph | boolean | Filter to autograph cards |
| page | integer | Page number (default: 1) |
| per_page | integer | Results per page (default: 25, max: 100) |
GET https://api.api.tradingcardid.org/v1/cards/search?player=Ohtani&sport=Baseball&autograph=true Authorization: Bearer tcid_live_xxxx
Resolve up to 500 TCIDs in a single request. Silver tier: 500/request. Gold tier: unlimited.
{
"tcids": [
"SC-4X7KQ29R3A",
"SC-7B2MN58P1K",
"SC-9K3QR72A8D"
]
}Data Fields
Every TCID record contains the following fields. Fields marked with an asterisk are available on all tiers; remaining fields require Silver or above.
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| tcid * | string | The permanent TCID identifier |
| sport * | string | Sport (Baseball, Football, Basketball, Hockey) |
| manufacturer * | string | Card manufacturer |
| season * | string | Product season or year |
| product * | string | Product name |
| card_number * | string | Card number within the set |
| player | string | Player name |
| team | string | Team at time of card production |
| card_type | string | Base, Parallel, Autograph, Rookie, etc. |
| parallel | string | null | Parallel name, if applicable |
| print_run | integer | null | Numbered print run, if applicable |
| autograph | boolean | Whether the card includes an autograph |
| relic | boolean | Whether the card includes a memorabilia relic |
| namespace | string | Registry namespace prefix (SC = Sports Cards) |
| registered | date | Date of TCID registration |
Error Codes
| HTTP Status | Code | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 400 | invalid_tcid | Malformed TCID format |
| 401 | unauthorized | Missing or invalid API key |
| 403 | tier_restricted | Endpoint not available on current tier |
| 404 | not_found | TCID not found in registry |
| 429 | rate_limited | Monthly lookup limit exceeded |
| 500 | server_error | Internal server error |
Rate Limits
Limits are enforced per API key per calendar month. Concurrent request rate is capped at 10 requests/second across all tiers. Rate limit status is returned in response headers.
X-RateLimit-Tier: silver X-RateLimit-Limit: 50000 X-RateLimit-Remaining: 48312 X-RateLimit-Reset: 2026-07-01T00:00:00Z
Licensing
TCID identifiers are published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). You may reference, store, and redistribute TCID identifiers in any system, commercial or otherwise, provided attribution is maintained.
API access is governed by the TCID API Terms of Service. Commercial use of enriched metadata (player names, product details, images) requires Silver or Gold membership and compliance with manufacturer data terms.