Pokémon Card Condition and Grading Guide

What does condition mean on a Pokémon card?

Condition indicates how worn or damaged a Pokémon card is. These terms are used on Cardmarket and across the wider Pokémon community, giving buyers and sellers a shared basis for assessing cards.

The scale runs from Mint to Poor and is used for ungraded cards. These are cards that have not been assessed and encapsulated by a grading company such as PSA, CGC or Beckett.

Condition is assessed across the entire card. An attractive front is not enough if the back shows clear edge wear, scratches or other marks. A card’s age does not lower the standard either. An older vintage card must meet the same fundamental condition requirements as a newer card.

Borderline cases can occur because condition is not a mathematical measurement. Clear product photos and specific notes are therefore particularly important for older, more valuable or heavily worn cards.

The condition scale at a glance

Mint (M)

A Mint card should appear as close to flawless as possible. The front and back must be clean, and the edges and corners must be sharp. There must be no visible scratches, white marks, clouding, creases, pressure marks or other signs of wear.

Mint should be used very rarely. A card is not automatically Mint simply because it came straight from a booster pack. Minor defects can already be present from production, packing or transport.

For many newer ungraded Pokémon cards, Near Mint will therefore be the highest condition grade normally seen in everyday trade.

Near Mint (NM)

A Near Mint card should appear almost new. At most, it may show a very small number of minor signs of handling, such as one tiny white mark along an edge or corner.

The card must not have obvious surface scratches, significant edge wear, creases, bends or visible dullness on the surface. A dull or slightly hazy surface is often called clouding by collectors.

Always check both the front and the back. An almost flawless front does not make a card Near Mint if the back has clear white wear marks or other signs of handling.

Excellent (EX)

An Excellent card has light but visible signs of wear. These may include a few small white marks along the edges or minor wear on a corner.

The surface should still look clean and must not have obvious scratches. Minor marks may be visible on closer inspection, but the card should appear well cared for overall.

Heavy edge wear, obvious scratches, creases, kinks or larger areas of damage will normally place the card below Excellent.

Good (GD)

A Good card is clearly used. The edges and corners may show several white wear marks, and the surface may have visible scratches, dull areas or other marks.

Good therefore does not mean that the card looks almost new. It is a card with visible wear that can still be a suitable choice for a binder or for filling a missing slot in a set.

The card should not have severe damage such as large tears, major water damage or extensive creasing. Damage of that kind will normally result in a lower condition grade.

Light Played (LP)

A Light Played card shows significant wear. It may have extensive whitening along the edges, several visible scratches, worn corners and minor creases or bends.

Whitening is the term many collectors use for the white marks that appear when colour wears away from a card’s edges or corners.

The card can still be used in a binder, but it will look clearly worn. More extensive creases, bends, water damage or other serious damage will normally place the card in Played or Poor condition.

Played (PL)

A Played card is heavily worn. It may have extensive edge wear, obvious or deeper scratches, creases, bends, discolouration and other damage that affects the card’s overall appearance.

The card may still be complete, but it no longer appears to be an attractive collector’s copy. The most significant damage should therefore be clearly shown in the photos or product description.

Played can be relevant when you mainly want the card for its artwork, nostalgia or a missing slot in your collection and accept a substantially lower condition grade.

Poor (PO)

A Poor card is severely damaged or intentionally altered. It may, for example, have large creases, tears, holes, missing sections, major water damage, writing or edges coloured with pen or marker.

Poor covers many different types of damage, so two Poor cards can look very different. Always review the product photos and any notes before buying a card in this condition.

How we assess the entire card

A card should be examined in good, neutral lighting. Holding it at several angles makes scratches, pressure marks and dull areas easier to see.

The assessment should cover the following areas:

1. Front: Look for scratches, pressure marks, dirt and dull or hazy areas on the card’s surface.
2. Back: Look for scratches, discolouration, marks and whitening.
3. Edges: Look for edge wear, small chips and white marks.
4. Corners: Look for wear, rounding, pressure marks and bends.
5. Card shape: Check whether the card lies flat or has warping, creases, water damage or a permanent bend.

Condition is not calculated as an average. A clear defect on the back or one serious issue can lower the overall grade even if the rest of the card looks attractive.

Special factors to be aware of

Holo and Reverse Holo cards

Scratches, creases and dull areas can be particularly visible on Holo and Reverse Holo cards. Examine the entire reflective surface by holding the card at several angles.

Collectors often have higher expectations for reflective cards because the finish is an important part of the card’s appearance and value.

Production defects

Off-centering, print lines and other production defects are not the same as normal wear. Collectors often refer to them as off-centering and print lines.

On Cardmarket, a production defect does not necessarily affect the card’s condition grade by itself. However, the defect should still be described and shown in photos so the buyer knows exactly what they are purchasing.

Curving and bends

A card can be slightly curved without having an actual kink. This occurs with some Holo and foil cards. Slight curving does not necessarily have a significant effect on condition.

A heavily or permanently bent card will, however, receive a lower assessment. A clear kink or crease must always be included in the overall condition grade.

Water damage

Water damage can cause warping, discolouration, a rough surface or changes to the card’s shape. On Cardmarket’s scale, a water-damaged card will normally be assessed from Light Played to Poor depending on the severity of the damage.

Water damage should always be clearly disclosed in the product description and photos.

Writing and altered edges

Writing, drawn markings and edges that have been coloured or touched up with pen or marker are not ordinary signs of wear. Alterations of this kind will normally place the card in Poor condition.

Which condition should you choose?

The right condition depends on how you plan to use the card and how much wear you are willing to accept.

• A very clean card for your collection: Near Mint is usually the relevant choice. An attractive Excellent card can also be a good option if you accept a small amount of wear.
• Binder or set completion: Excellent or Good can offer a good balance between appearance and price.
• A more affordable copy: Good, Light Played or Played may be suitable if you accept clear signs of wear.
• Vintage and more valuable collector cards: Always review photos of the actual card and read any notes about defects or damage.

Only compare prices for cards with the same set, language, variant and condition. A cheaper card is not necessarily a better purchase if it is a different version or has significantly more wear.

Sources

This guide is based on Cardmarket’s official condition scale and is written for Pokémon collectors and buyers. The terms Mint, Near Mint, Excellent, Good, Light Played, Played and Poor have been retained because they are the labels most commonly used on Cardmarket and across the Pokémon community. View Cardmarket’s official condition guide →