Sticker autograph

In more detail

The player signs a sticker or label, and the maker applies it to the card's surface after the card is printed. A 2009 beginner's glossary on Upper Deck's site describes the label as clear and the signature on it as certified, so the signature is genuine; what differs is where it sits.

The method solves a timing problem. CGC's glossary says stickers let a maker have autographed cards ready for a product's release, the same problem that otherwise leaves redemption cards in packs when signed cards come back late. The cost is demand, since CGC calls sticker autographs less desirable than on-card ones.

The difference is where the ink sits. A listing should say sticker or on-card, and when you compare sales keep the two apart, since collectors price them differently.