Card condition

TCG card condition guide

Condition affects value, buyer trust, and whether a card belongs in a binder, a deck, or a discount box.

Near mint

A near mint card should look clean at a glance and under normal inspection. It may have tiny imperfections, but it should not have obvious scratches, bends, dents, or edge wear.

Lightly played

Lightly played cards show minor wear. Small edge whitening or light surface marks may be present, but the card still looks respectable.

Moderately played

Moderately played cards have more visible wear. They may show several edge marks, scratches, or surface issues, but they should still be sleeve-playable in most casual settings.

Heavily played

Heavily played cards have obvious wear. They may be scuffed, whitened, scratched, or worn enough that a buyer should not expect collector-grade quality.

Damaged

Creases, bends, water damage, writing, peeling, tears, and major dents usually place a card in damaged condition. Price these cards carefully and describe the damage clearly.