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🔍 Card conditions explained: Near Mint to Damaged
What Near Mint, Lightly Played, Moderately Played, Heavily Played and Damaged mean, how to check a card's corners, edges and surface, and how condition changes what a card is worth.
Condition makes a big difference to what a card is worth. Buyers and sellers use a short scale, from Near Mint for a card that looks fresh out of the pack down to Damaged. Here's what each grade means and how to judge your own cards.
The scale
| Condition | What it looks like | Rough value* |
|---|---|---|
| Near Mint (NM) | Looks fresh from the pack. Sharp corners, clean edges, no scratches you'd notice without looking closely. | 100% |
| Lightly Played (LP) often called Excellent in the UK | A little wear: a few tiny white specks on the edges, a slightly soft corner or very light scratches. | about 85% |
| Moderately Played (MP) | Clearly used: noticeable edge whitening, worn corners, scratches or light scuffs across the card. | about 65% |
| Heavily Played (HP) | Lots of wear: heavy whitening, rounded or fraying corners, obvious scratches or marks. No major structural damage. | about 45% |
| Damaged (DMG) | Creases, bends, tears, water damage, writing or anything that changes the card itself. | about 30% |
*Of the Near Mint value. These are the multipliers TCGDealDigger uses; real prices vary by card, and the rarest cards can hold their value better even when worn. Some sites, including Cardmarket, use extra steps such as Mint, Excellent, Good and Played, but they map closely onto this scale.
How to check a card
Use a bright light (a desk lamp or your phone's torch) and tilt the card so light runs across the surface.
- Corners: are they sharp and square, or soft, rounded or peeling?
- Edges: look at the back. White specks or a white line along the blue border ("whitening") are the most common wear.
- Surface: tilt the card to spot scratches, scuffs, dents, fingerprints or print lines on the holo.
- Bends and creases: lay it flat on a table and look from the side. Any crease makes it Damaged.
- Centering: uneven borders don't change the condition grade, but buyers notice and graders care a lot. Our centering checker measures it from a photo.
Buying and selling tips
- Describe honestly. If you're torn between two grades, list the lower one. Happy buyers leave good feedback; unhappy ones open returns.
- Photos beat words. Show the front, the back and close-ups of any wear.
- Pack-fresh isn't always Near Mint. Modern cards can come out of packs with whitening or off-centre printing.
- Protect what you have. Penny sleeve and top loader for anything valuable; keep binders upright and out of damp.
In TCGDealDigger
Set a card's condition when you add it to your collection and its value adjusts automatically. In Deals, listings that state a condition in the title are valued for it.
Quick answers
What does Near Mint mean?
A Near Mint card looks fresh from the pack at a glance: sharp corners, clean edges and no scratches or marks you'd notice without looking closely.
How much less is a played card worth?
It varies by card, but as a rough guide TCGDealDigger values Lightly Played at 85% of Near Mint, Moderately Played at 65%, Heavily Played at 45% and Damaged at 30%.
Is Excellent the same as Lightly Played?
Close to it. UK and European sellers often say Excellent for a card with light wear, roughly the same as Lightly Played.