Pokémon Card Condition Guide
Condition is the single biggest driver of a card's resale value. Here's the standard scale used by most marketplaces and dealers worldwide.
The standard scale
Inspect under bright, angled light. Check all four corners, both edges, the surface, and the back.
- Mint (M) — looks freshly pulled, no flaws under magnification.
- Near Mint (NM) — minor wear allowed, sharp corners, no scratches.
- Lightly Played (LP) — minor edge wear or a tiny scratch.
- Moderately Played (MP) — visible whitening, small scuffs.
- Heavily Played (HP) — clear creases, edge damage, or surface wear.
- Damaged (DMG) — bends, tears, water damage, or writing.
What buyers actually care about
Centering, corner sharpness, and surface scratches matter most. A whitened edge on the back will drop a card from NM to LP fast.
Centering is the balance of left/right and top/bottom borders. Anything worse than roughly 60/40 is considered off-centre.
How to inspect properly
Hold the card under a single bright light source, tilted at about 30 degrees. Slowly rotate it. Surface scratches that hide under flat overhead light jump out at this angle.
Use a magnifier or your phone's macro mode on all four corners. Tiny white dots that look 'fine' to the naked eye often drop the grade.
- Grade under bright angled light, not your desk lamp.
- Centering is invisible to beginners and obvious to graders.
- Be honest in listings — returns cost more than the price bump.
Educational content only. Prices, market conditions and grading outcomes vary — always verify with multiple sources before buying or selling.