What are digital collectible cards

Digital collectible cards are the modern version of the cards many of us collected as kids: numbered images, grouped in series, kept in an album. The difference is that everything happens online, in your account, with no drawer space needed. This guide explains in plain language what they are, how a collection is organised and what you can do with them on GIA Connect.

What a digital card actually is

A digital card is a collectible image linked to your account. Every card has a number, a name, a rarity and a sheet of specifications. Once you receive it, you can see it in your album, browse it, show it to other collectors or offer it in a trade.

As with classic collections, what matters is what appeals to you: the design, the imagined vehicle, the satisfaction of completing a series or the pleasure of finding a card that is harder to come by. Think of it as a hobby, not as an investment.

How the FTR 2050 collection is organised

FTR 2050 is the first collection on GIA Connect. It features 500 vehicles imagined for the future, created by 40 brands. All brands, models and specifications are invented: there are no real manufacturers or vehicles in the collection.

Each card has a number in the series, and the series is completed in the album. The vehicles are split into 4 rarity levels: Common, Rare, Epic and Legendary. The higher the rarity, the less often a card turns up in packs.

How you receive cards

Cards come in digital packs. One pack contains 10 cards, each with a different number, and you only see what is inside when you open it. Besides packs you buy, your account can also receive cards through the free perks that are active at that moment, which are described on the home page.

New accounts that meet the terms of the active offer receive, once the email is verified, a free pack of 10 cards. The full rules are in the account perks.

What you can do with them

• Build an album. The album shows what you have and what is missing, by page, rarity and manufacturer.
• Trade. You swap card for card with other collectors, never for money. The app shows who has what you are missing.
• Compare. Each card page lists specifications, model year and the fictional brand it belongs to.
• Measure up. The leaderboard shows who has the most advanced collection.

If nobody has the card you are looking for, you can swap 5 duplicates of the same rarity with the platform for one missing card of that rarity.

What numbering and rarity mean

Numbering tells you where a card sits in the series, just as in a printed collection. Rarity shows how often a card appears in packs. It is not a promise of value; it is a way to organise the collection and make it more interesting. For the levels in detail, read the guide FTR 2050 rarities.

How to begin

You can browse the catalog for free to see what the cards look like. When you are ready, you create an account and start your album. The steps are described briefly in the guide How to start a digital collection. The platform is intended for people aged 18 and over.

How it differs from a printed collection

There are many similarities: numbering, series, completion, the pleasure of finding the card you were missing. The differences come from everything being digital. Cards take no space, do not bend and do not get lost between pages, and the page of each one can be sent with a simple link. Trades happen in the app, with no trips and no postage.

On the other hand, as in any collection, part of the charm comes from patience. The album fills in over time, and every pack you open brings something new to put in its place.

What a card page looks like

Each card has its own page in the catalog. There you see the image, the number in the series, the vehicle name, the rarity level, the model year, the fictional brand and a sheet of imagined specifications. The pages are linked together: you can move to the previous or next card, to other models of the same brand or to cards of the same rarity.

What “series” means

A series is a closed set of cards with its own numbering. FTR 2050 is organised in series, and your album tracks progress on each of them. If you complete a series, the collection is whole, and the platform can issue you a publicly verifiable certificate.