Card condition: what Near Mint and Lightly Played mean

The condition grades come from the English-speaking trade and usually keep their English names in other languages too, for example in German. Near Mint means almost new and is the standard for cards sold as undamaged. Below that come Lightly Played, Moderately Played, Heavily Played and Damaged. Some marketplaces, such as Cardmarket, use their own scale with more steps instead. The difference between two steps can be large, and on older cards considerably more than that.

The scale

Mint, M	Flawless. Rarely used in the trade, since almost no card survives inspection.
Near Mint, NM	Looks unused. The odd barely visible mark is allowed. The standard for new cards.
Lightly Played, LP	Light wear: a slightly rounded corner, a little white on one edge, a small scratch.
Moderately Played, MP	Clear wear but the card is intact: white along the edges, visible scratches, a slight bend.
Heavily Played, HP	Heavy wear, creases, clear damage, but still readable and playable in a sleeve.
Damaged, DMG	Water damage, tears, creases across the card, writing or tape.

How to assess a card, step by step

1. Place the card on a table under a strong lamp.
2. Look at all four corners straight from above. Rounded or white corners lower the grade the most.
3. Follow the edges around the whole card and look for whitening or chips.
4. Tilt the card towards the light and look for scratches on the surface. Foil cards show everything.
5. Look along the card from the side to see if it is bent.
6. Turn it over and do it all again. The back counts just as much.

What brings a card down the most

Corners	Wear first and weigh most in the assessment
Edges	White along the edge shows immediately against dark backs
Surface	Scratches and fingerprints, especially on foil
Bend	Visible when the card lies flat. Counted as serious
Writing or tape	Drops it straight to Damaged

Centering is not condition

A card with an off-centre image is not worn, it was cut that way during production. Centering does not affect the condition grade in ordinary trade but is decisive in grading, where it is one of four assessed parts. That is why a card can be sold as Near Mint and still only get a 7 or 8 from a grading company.

Foil cards are judged more harshly

Foil shows everything: fingerprints, small scratches and the white specks on the edge that appear already in the printing press. A foil card and a regular card from the same pack can end up two steps apart in assessment without anything having happened to them. Keep that in mind when you buy foil described as Near Mint.

The price difference between the steps

NM to LP	A first, clear drop in price
LP to MP	Another big step down
MP to HP	Often a fraction of the NM price
DMG	Mostly sold as playing copies, a fraction of the value

The pattern is approximate and varies between cards. On modern common cards condition matters less, on old and rare cards it decides almost everything.

How condition should be described when buying and selling

• State condition per card, not per bundle.
• Show photos of both front and back in light that reveals the surface.
• Mention every single flaw, even small ones. The buyer will find them anyway.
• Better to grade one level too strictly than one too leniently.
• If a used card has no condition stated: ask before you buy.

Sealed products have no condition in that sense

An unopened box is instead described by the condition of the packaging, that is corners, edges, fading and whether the seal is intact. This matters a lot for the value, especially on older boxes. Read more in the guide to sealed boxes.

Frequently asked questions

• What does NM/M mean? A card in top condition, where the seller does not want to promise pure Mint.
• What does played condition mean? It depends on the scale. On Cardmarket, Played (PL) is a grade of its own, just above Poor.
• Can a card be improved? No. Cleaning or trimming counts as manipulation and destroys most of the value.
• Do I have to state condition when I sell? Yes, otherwise you get complaints. It is also the easiest way to build trust.
• Why does my Near Mint card only get an 8 in grading? Almost always the centering, which is not included in ordinary condition assessment.

What you need to assess

1. Daylight or a strong lamp, never dim room lighting.
2. A clean, soft surface to place the card on.
3. An identical card to compare with, if you have one.
4. Time. A card is assessed on both sides, at several angles.
5. Willingness to judge harshly. Whoever judges generously gets the complaint back.

Common mistakes

• Assessing the card through a sleeve. The sleeve hides scratches.
• Only looking at the front. The back reveals the most wear.
• Calling a card mint because it looks good from a distance.
• Photographing in dim light, which hides both scratches and bends.
• Confusing poor centering with wear. Centering is a cutting error from production, not condition.

Read more about grading, what a card is worth and how to protect your cards.

Shop: sleeves and toploaders at Bangerpack, which keep the condition where it is.

Written by us who run Bangerpack. Range and prices change continuously. What applies when you read this is shown in the category.