Card Conditions Explained: NM to DMG

NM (Near Mint): minimal to no wear. Sharp corners. Clean surface. This is the standard for value cards.

LP (Lightly Played): slight edge wear or light scratches. Playable but not pristine. Worth 70–85% of NM.

MP (Moderately Played): visible wear on corners, edges, or surface. 50–65% of NM.

HP (Heavily Played): significant wear throughout. Played hard. 25–40% of NM.

DMG (Damaged): creases, tears, water damage, writing. Collector value only for extremely rare cards.

Hold the card at a 45-degree angle under light. Scratches and silvering on corners show up immediately.

Check all four corners first. Then edges. Then surface. Then back.

Whitening on the back corners is the most common issue. It drops NM to LP instantly.

NM to LP is a 15–30% price drop for most cards. On a $200 card, that's $30–60.

NM to MP is 35–50% down. On expensive cards, condition is the biggest variable in price.

For grading: only NM and LP cards are worth submitting. MP cards rarely hit PSA 9. HP and DMG almost never do.

Penny sleeve immediately after purchase or pull. Every time. Without exception.

Then into a top loader or rigid sleeve. Side-loading binder pages for long-term storage.

Cards that are stored correctly retain grade. Cards that aren't lose value invisibly until you try to sell them.