“QSL” is a telegrapher’s shorthand for: “I acknowledge receipt of your message or transmission”.
A QSL card is a written confirmation or acknowledgment of a contact. So QSL is actually shorthand for “confirmation of contact” in Amateur Radio.

Why Do I Want a QSL Card?

• Courtesy – Sending a QSL card is the final handshake of a contact.
• Awards – QSL cards serve as proof of a two- way contact needed for certain awards.
• Tradition – Exchanging QSL cards has been a long tradition in Ham Radio and it is fun to get cards from other contacted hams.
• Collectors item – Paper QSL-cards are kind of a cool thing, a genuine paper QSL-card can be considered as a collector item.

Nowadays more and more QSL are sent digitally via the Internet, although a genuine paper QSL card stays that cool and sometimes even exotic thing in the palm of your hand.