Our Card Condition Guide
At Top Dog Decks, we want you to feel confident about the condition of the cards you purchase from us. Please understand that all our cards are graded in-house by our experienced Top Dog Decks staff. While we are passionate collectors and take great care in assessing each card, our grading is based on careful visual inspection under well-lit conditions and is not professional grading.
To ensure transparency and consistency, we adhere to the grading standards provided by Cardmarket. You can find detailed information about these standards here: https://help.cardmarket.com/en/CardCondition
Below is a breakdown of the conditions we use, along with explanations and examples to help you understand our grading process:
Mint (MT)
Expression Used: Mint, MT
Description: A Mint card is in perfect condition. It looks flawless, as if it has just been pulled from a pack and has had no handling.
Examples:
- No scratches or blemishes on the surface or edges.
- Perfectly sharp corners.
- Original gloss and colour are fully intact.
- Centreing appears to be excellent.
Near Mint (NM)
Expression Used: Near Mint, NM
Description: A Near Mint card is in excellent condition with only minor imperfections that are barely noticeable. It looks very close to being Mint.
Examples:
- There may be one or two very minor surface scratches that are only visible under close inspection.
- Edges may have slight imperfections, but no significant wear.
- Corners may be very slightly soft, but still sharp.
- Original gloss and colour are fully intact.
- Centring is generally good.
Excellent (EX)
Expression Used: Excellent, EX
Description: An Excellent card shows some minor wear from handling, but is still in overall great condition.
Examples:
- May have several minor surface scratches or scuffs that are visible.
- Edges may show slight wear, such as a few small nicks.
- Corners may have slight rounding or softening.
- Slight loss of gloss may be present.
- Centring may be slightly off.
Good (GD)
Expression Used: Good, GD
Description: A Good card shows more noticeable wear and handling. It is still in playable condition but has visible flaws.
Examples:
- May have numerous surface scratches or creases that are visible.
- Edges will likely show noticeable wear with some nicks or whitening.
- Corners will show rounding and may have some wear.
- Noticeable loss of gloss may be present.
- Centreing may be significantly off.
Light Played (LP)
Expression Used: Light Played, LP
Description: A Light Played card exhibits significant wear and tear, but is still considered playable without sleeves.
Examples:
- Will have numerous scratches, scuffs, and potentially minor creases.
- Edges will show significant wear, including whitening and nicks.
- Corners will be noticeably rounded and may have some damage.
- Obvious loss of gloss.
- Centreing can be significantly off.
Played (PL)
Expression Used: Played, PL
Description: A Played card shows heavy wear and damage. While it can still be used in a sleeve, its condition is significantly diminished.
Examples:
- Will have severe scratches, creases, and potential damage to the surface.
- Edges will show extensive wear, including significant whitening and damage.
- Corners will be heavily rounded or damaged.
- Little to no original gloss remaining.
- Centreing can be very poor.
Poor (PO)
Expression Used: Poor, PO
Description: A Poor card is in very bad condition with significant damage that may hinder playability even in a sleeve.
Examples:
- There may be tears, water damage, or significant creasing that affects the card's integrity.
- Heavy wear and damage to all surfaces, edges, and corners.
- Significant discolouration or other forms of damage.
We strive to grade our cards accurately and consistently based on these guidelines. However, please remember that grading can be subjective, and our in-house assessment may differ from professional grading services. By purchasing from Top Dog Decks, you acknowledge that our grading is final.
If you have any questions about the condition of a specific card, please don't hesitate to contact our customer support team before making your purchase.