Condition a card

Not sure what condition to choose? Answer one question at a time. If you are unsure, choose the lower grade or add photos.

Based on TCGplayer's public Card Conditioning Overview. This guide helps sellers, but it is not an official grading tool.

Step 1

What this checks first

Some problems matter more than normal wear. This guide checks those first, then walks up from Damaged toward Near Mint.

Food, liquid, mold, or sticky stuff means you should not list the card normally.
Tears, splits, bad bends, or real-card concerns mean Damaged.
Paint, signatures, stamps, writing, and clear changes mean Damaged.
Foil cards use the same grades, but curling and foil flaws still count.

Use this after the questions if you want a quick gut check. The right column is the caution trigger: if it matches your card, choose the lower grade.

Grade	Pick this when	Pick lower if
NM	It looks almost new. A few tiny flaws are okay.	You can easily see wear, whitening, dirt, a dent, or a bend.
LP	It has a few small flaws, but still looks clean in a sleeve.	The flaws stand out fast, cover several spots, or include a crease.
MP	It has clear wear, scratches, scuffs, or a small crease.	The wear is heavy, all over the card, or close to damaging the card.
HP	It has major wear but is still usable and easy to identify.	It is torn, split, badly bent, marked, or hard to trust.
DMG	It has serious damage, marks, paint, writing, or clear changes.	It has food, liquid, mold, or sticky stuff. Do not list normally.