Once created, ATC’s are signed, dated and titled on the back. They are then traded with other ATC artists. The concept of ATC is the person-to-person trade, as well as trading by mail. The most fun is to trade person-to-person though. The basic idea is the card-for-card trade. Money is not intended to be exchanged for ATC’s.
ATC’s are a relatively new art form which formally began in 1996. The concept was created by Swiss artist M. Vanci Stirnemann.
The Rules of ATC’s:
-
Trading - An ATC mustn't be sold, only exchanged. The whole essence of these tiny works of art is about artists meeting and exchanging their works, thus meeting many artists and being exposed to many personal styles.
-
Size - ATC's must be 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" (64 x 89mm). This is the standard size for sports trading cards (such as baseball and football trading cards). You can create your ATC's over top of regular playing cards, baseball cards, other collector cards, or use your own cardstock. Your cards can be 2 or 3 dimensional. Your design should be flat enough to fit into a standard trading-card sleeve. The sleeves are useful in protecting the cards. Also, many traders collect their cards in the heavy plastic card sheets that fit in 3 ring binders.
-
Contact Information - Typically ATC's are traded so it is important to sign your ATC's on the back, date it and include any other contact information you want to give like an email address or snail mail address. If your ATC is part of a limited edition (one of a set of identical ATC’s), you should number them (1/10, 2/10, etc.). Unique ATC’s are called originals. Sets of ATC’s that are based on one theme but are different are called series.
What is the difference between an ATC and an ACEO?
While an ATC is an Artist Trading Card, an ACEO (Art Card, Editions and Originals) is intended to be sold rather than traded. Other than the intended use, they are the same size, contain the same information, and are also an form designed by the imagination of the artist with whatever mediums he or she chooses.
ATC's are changing all the time and many artists have used unusual materials to create their ATC's like polymer clay, acrylic, wood, metal, and fabric. ATC's are for everyone!
