• A7 – The cel’s sequence number that is placed in a scene. B7 & C7 means there are multi-layers in the cel which are almost always stuck together (not necessarily a bad thing.). A1, B1, etc. are usually KEY cels.

• Background – refers to the background picture that the cels sequence were placed on. Backgrounds are usually done in water color and depending on materials, will not vinegarize. They are in a sense more rare than cels and greatly enhance the value of a sequence.

• Bank = The cel was used over and over again for multiple scenes, such as what you would see in a Sailor Moon transformation.

• Celga (セル画) – The Japanese term for animation cels.

• Genga (原画) – Sketches of important scenes drawn by senior animators that are the base for other animators to create the “douga”. As they are essentially first drafts for the final animation, genga are usually not available for sale and therefore more rare.

• Douga (動画) – Blueprints that are used to create the final animation cels. They often have notes instructing the animator for the next steps of animation. Some douga have simple outlines, while others have more detailed shading.

• Doujin Cel (同人セル) – Fan-made cels and if not denoted as such, counterfeits. Artists are often commissioned to reproduce a particular scene in a cel-style, or sometimes create their very own images. It’s best to double check whether or not a cel is a doujin cel before buying as they are not considered “official” items by collectors and are far less value.

• End – The cel is an end cel, which is the end of the sequence, it’s also a KEY cel.

• Key Cel – Key cels are cels drawn by “key animators” – the artists who draw the pivotal moments within the animation sequence. You can identify key cels by a circle around the sequence number (often A1) accompanied by the words “key” or “end.” As key cels are created by experienced animators, they tend to be of better quality and more sought after by collectors.

• Laser Copy – Machine-made cels. Laser copies are not hand-painted and therefore are not as valuable on the second-hand market.

• Matching Sketch – The cel has a matching sketch. If stuck, it will be mentioned. There are sometimes a few sketches per cel, especially those that have more than one layer. (Partial= Partial Sketch) (Stuck= Sketch is stuck to the cel)

• NFS – Not For Sale (Unless you can make an offer I can’t refuse.)

• Opening – The cel was used in the opening sequence of the anime. These are rare cels generally and if in good condition, worth a lot.

• Oversized – Cel is bigger than most cels. This could be width or length and may have been used in pan shot.

• Pan – The cel was used in a pan shot.

• Sericel or Reproduction cel – Sericels are promotional cels which are created as a collector’s item and were not actually used in the animation process. Sericels are more affordable than cels that were used in the production of an anime. Sericels are often produced in limited runs, meaning popular sericels can sometimes fetch a pretty penny!

• Sketch – The cel has a sketch but it doesn’t match perfectly with sequence number.

Sources: AnimationSensations, FromJapan, Sakura Anime Cels