Pokémon card condition: what NM, LP, MP, HP and Damaged mean

Condition is the word that decides what a raw card is worth, and it’s the word buyers and sellers argue about most. This guide uses the scale most US sales run on, TCGplayer’s, with its official limits for each flaw. Then it puts real prices on each step, shows roughly where each condition lands on the PSA scale, and walks through checking a card before you buy, sell or grade it.

What are the Pokémon card conditions?

TCGplayer lets sellers list cards in five conditions, from Near Mint down to Damaged, and it doesn’t sell cards as Mint or Gem Mint at all. Each step allows more flaws, or worse ones, than the step above.

Two rules surprise people. Factory flaws count: TCGplayer treats crimping, and a miscut worse than 70/30, as Damaged even on a card straight from the pack. And alterations count too, so a card with a pen mark, a stamp or a signature is Damaged however clean it is otherwise.

eBay uses its own four steps for raw cards: Near Mint or better, Excellent, Very Good and Poor. Its rule is that the worst flaw anchors the condition, and it asks sellers to err on the safe side. TCGplayer adds flaws up instead, so a card with several small problems can drop a step even when none of them would on its own.

What does HP mean on a Pokémon card?

In a listing, HP means Heavily Played, not hit points. An HP card is worn all over, often with creases and whitening, but it’s in one piece and can still be shown to be genuine. It’s a binder or play copy, priced well under near mint.

What does Near Mint mean on a Pokémon card?

A Near Mint card looks unplayed, but it doesn’t have to be perfect. TCGplayer’s Near Mint range covers everything from flawless cards to cards with a few slight flaws, and its measurements say exactly how slight:

• Edge wear in stretches of up to 20 mm along the edge.
• Light scratches up to 20 mm long, and a small patch of scuffing (about 31.5 mm², a square under 6 mm across).
• One pinpoint dent that doesn’t show through to the other side.
• No bends, no creases, and no wear that eats more than 0.5 mm into the card.

So two Near Mint copies of the same card can be quite different. One is flawless and might grade a 10; the other has a scuffed back edge and a light scratch on the holo and won’t come close. If you’re buying a raw card to grade, Near Mint is where the work starts, not where it ends.

How much does condition change a Pokémon card’s price?

On vintage cards, a lot: a Heavily Played Base Set Charizard sells for about a quarter of a near mint one. On modern chase cards the gaps are smaller, and on some they almost vanish. Here are recent TCGplayer sales for three cards at every condition.

The Base Set Charizard (the unlimited printing from 1999) shows the classic curve: Lightly Played sells for a little over half of near mint, Moderately Played for about 40%, and Heavily Played for about 25%. Clean vintage copies are scarce, so buyers pay up for them.

The 2021 Umbreon VMAX alt art from Evolving Skies, the card collectors call Moonbreon, holds up better: Lightly Played copies sold for about 72–77% of the market price. The Charizard ex from Scarlet & Violet 151 barely moved at all, with played and even Damaged copies selling close to near mint. Sales data alone can’t tell you why. Part of it is how few played copies sell (only two Heavily Played sales show since July), and part may be that TCGplayer files factory miscuts under Damaged, so a “Damaged” modern card can be a clean card with a factory flaw. Treat the low rows as anecdotes, and check sales for your own card.

How do raw conditions line up with PSA grades?

Only roughly. TCGplayer and PSA use different words for different things, and the same Near Mint card can come back anywhere from a PSA 7 to a 10. The table is our reading of the two scales side by side, not a rule from either company.

Watch the name clash. PSA’s label for a 7 is “Near Mint,” and its 8 is “Near Mint-Mint,” while TCGplayer’s Near Mint is just the top raw step. A seller calling a raw card “NM” is not promising anything like a PSA 7. And on most modern cards only the 10 carries a big premium, so the difference between a 9 and a 10 matters more than the raw label. The PSA grading scale has every grade’s definition, and PSA 9 vs PSA 10 covers that last step.

What flaws lower a Pokémon card’s condition?

Whitening, scratches, scuffs, dents, bends and creases cause nearly every condition drop. Factory flaws like print lines and off-centering count too. Here is how TCGplayer limits each one, and what it usually costs at grading.

What is whitening on a Pokémon card?

Whitening is the white card stock showing through where the ink has worn off an edge or corner. It shows most on the dark blue back, which is why you should always check the back first. TCGplayer treats it as edge wear while it stays within 0.5 mm of the edge, and as surface wear, which no Near Mint card may have, once it spreads further in.

Some whitening comes from the factory. Pack-fresh cards often have a thin, even line of white along an edge from a dull cutting blade. TCGplayer ignores that unless it changes the card’s shape. Graders don’t, which is how a card that is honestly Near Mint raw can still miss a 10. Don’t color whitening in with a marker: PSA returns recolored cards without a grade, and TCGplayer counts marker as an alteration.

Is a bent Pokémon card ruined?

Not always. A bend without a crease is a step or two down, not the end: up to 10 mm along the fold is Lightly Played on TCGplayer. A crease is the line that doesn’t go away, and it caps the card at Moderately Played. Holo cards also curl in humidity; TCGplayer only counts that against a card once the middle lifts more than 5 mm off a flat surface. What you shouldn’t do is press a crease out. PSA lists crease and wrinkle pressing as altered stock and won’t give the card a number grade.

How do you check a Pokémon card’s condition?

Use one bright light, tilt the card through it, and look at the back first. Most flaws hide when a card is lit straight on and show the moment light skims across the surface.

1. 1Start with the back. Whitening shows plainly against the blue border, and it’s often worse than on the front.
2. 2Look at the corners and edges under a 10x loupe. Check for white specks, fraying and soft corners. CGC’s Gem Mint 10 is judged at that magnification.
3. 3Tilt the card slowly under a single lamp. Scratches, scuffs, dents and print lines appear in the reflection, especially on holo foil.
4. 4Sight along the card at eye level. Hold it edge-on: bends and waves show as a curve in the reflection.
5. 5Measure the centering. Compare the borders left to right and top to bottom, front and back. Our centering guide shows how.
6. 6Note the worst flaw, then count the rest. The worst one sets the ceiling, and several small ones can pull the card a step lower.

How do you avoid condition disputes when buying raw cards?

Buy from photos of the actual card, ask for the back and the corners, and know your deadline: both TCGplayer and eBay give you 30 days from the delivery date to report a card that doesn’t match its listing. Most disputes start with a stock photo and a generous “NM.”

1. 1Buy from listings with real photos. On TCGplayer that’s a Listing with Photo; on eBay, avoid stock images for anything over a few dollars.
2. 2Ask for the shots that matter. The back, close-ups of all four corners, and the front tilted under a light. A seller with a clean card won’t mind.
3. 3Be wary when the price doesn’t fit the label. A “Near Mint” card priced like Lightly Played usually is Lightly Played.
4. 4Record yourself opening the package. If the card arrives worse than described, a video of it coming out of the mailer settles a lot of arguments.
5. 5Contact the seller first, and fast. TCGplayer Safeguard covers cards not as described if you reach out within 30 calendar days of the estimated delivery date. eBay’s Money Back Guarantee gives you 30 days from delivery, or the seller’s return window if longer.

Don’t alter or regrade the card while the claim is open; send it back exactly as it came. And if you suspect the card isn’t just worn but fake, that’s a different claim: TCGplayer has a separate counterfeit process, and our guide on how to tell if a Pokémon card is fake covers what to check.

How should you describe condition when you sell?

Call it one step lower when you’re unsure, and show the flaws in your photos. eBay asks sellers to be conservative and err on the safe side. A buyer who gets a better card than expected leaves good feedback; one who gets a worse card opens a return.

Photograph the back, every corner, and the front under angled light, and mention any crease or dent in words. Our guide to where to sell Pokémon cards compares the fees and buyer protections on each marketplace.

How do you keep a Pokémon card in Near Mint condition?

Sleeve it the day you pull it, keep it in a toploader or a side-loading binder, and store it flat somewhere dry and out of the sun. TCGplayer counts sun fading and liquid exposure as damage, and neither can be undone.

Don’t try to repair a card either. PSA returns cards without a number grade when it finds cleaning, pressed creases, removed scratches or added gloss. Our guide on how to store Pokémon cards covers sleeves, toploaders and binders in detail.