Pokémon Card Condition Guide: NM, LP, MP, HP & Damaged
Condition is the difference between the price you see online and the price your card actually gets. This guide defines the five standard grades the way buyers apply them, shows what each step down costs, and maps raw condition to PSA grades so you know what's worth slabbing.
Near Mint (NM) — no visible wear at a glance, full price. Lightly Played (LP) — minor edge wear or faint scratches, roughly 75–90% of NM. Moderately Played (MP) — obvious wear, whitening, small dings, roughly 50–75%. Heavily Played (HP) — major wear or light creasing, roughly 25–50%. Damaged (DMG) — creases, tears, water damage, or ink, roughly 10–25%. Grade conservatively: buyers grade down, not up, and comps only mean something at the right condition.
Contents: Quick chart · The five grades · How to inspect a card · Condition vs. PSA grades · Pricing by condition · FAQ
Quick reference chart
| Grade | Abbrev. | Typical value vs. NM | One-line test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near Mint | NM | 100% | No wear visible at arm's length; passes the tilt test |
| Lightly Played | LP | ~75–90% | You have to hunt for the flaw |
| Moderately Played | MP | ~50–75% | You see the wear immediately, but no creases |
| Heavily Played | HP | ~25–50% | Wear everywhere, possible light crease |
| Damaged | DMG | ~10–25% | Crease, tear, water damage, or ink — any one qualifies |
The percentages are market habits, not rules — liquid modern cards hold value better in played grades than volatile vintage, and a crease on a $1,000 card costs proportionally more than on a $10 card. Always confirm with sold comps at the actual condition.
The five grades in detail
Near Mint (NM)
The card looks unplayed. Sharp corners, clean edges front and back, no scratches under normal light, no whitening. Minor print-line or factory imperfections don't break NM — condition grading is about wear, not printing luck. Almost every online price you see quoted (TCGplayer Market, most eBay comps) is an NM price, which is exactly why over-grading your own cards leads to disappointment at the selling table.
Lightly Played (LP)
The first honest step down. A fleck of whitening on one or two corners, faint surface scratches you only catch under direct light, or a barely-there edge nick. The card still displays beautifully in a binder. Most cards that lived in sleeves their whole life but got shuffled land here.
Moderately Played (MP)
You notice the wear before you look for it: rounded corners, whitening along edges rather than just at corner tips, visible surface scratches, maybe a small ding or indentation. No creases — a crease ends the MP conversation. MP is where unsleeved-but-cared-for childhood cards usually land.
Heavily Played (HP)
The card was played, unsleeved, for a long time: heavy corner rounding, whitening on most edges, scratching across the surface, possible light creasing that doesn't break the card's surface. HP cards are binder-filler at low value — unless the card is scarce enough that any copy is worth owning.
Damaged (DMG)
One qualifying defect is enough: a crease or fold, a tear, water damage or staining, ink or pen marks, a peeled surface. A single crease on an otherwise-NM card makes it Damaged, not "NM with a crease" — this is the grading mistake that causes the most disputes between sellers and buyers.
How to inspect a card in 30 seconds
- Corners first. All four, front and back. Corner whitening is the most common flaw and the easiest to miss on the front.
- Edges under light. Run the card's edges under a bright light — whitening shows hardest against the dark back border.
- The tilt test. Hold the card at a 45° angle under a direct light source and rotate it. Surface scratches and holo scratches that are invisible face-on light up at an angle. This single test separates most NM claims from LP reality.
- Check the back. The back is half the card and where wear concentrates. A pristine front with a scuffed back is not NM.
- Flex check for creases. Under angled light, look across the surface for pressure lines. Never actually flex a valuable card.
- Grade conservatively. When you're between grades, take the lower one. Buyers will.
Raw condition vs. PSA grades: what's worth slabbing
Raw condition grades and grading-company scales measure the same wear with different resolution. The rough crossover:
| Raw grade | Realistic PSA range | Worth grading? |
|---|---|---|
| NM (strong, well centered) | PSA 8–10 | Yes, if the PSA 9/10 comp clears the raw price plus grading fees |
| NM (typical) | PSA 7–8 | Only for high-value cards; an 8 often prices near raw NM |
| LP | PSA 5–6 | Rarely — mid slabs of modern cards usually sell below raw NM |
| MP | PSA 3–4 | Almost never, except scarce vintage |
| HP / DMG | PSA 1–2 | Only for cards where any graded copy carries a premium |
Two things raw grading mostly ignores decide slab grades at the top: centering (border symmetry — the usual gap between a 10 and a 9) and surface print quality. Before paying a grading fee, comp the card at its realistic grade, not its hoped-for grade.
Pricing a card at its actual condition
Condition grading only matters because it selects which comps apply. The workflow that keeps you honest:
- Grade the card with the checklist above.
- Scan it — Double Holo identifies the exact card in 0.44 seconds, through sleeves and cases, and pulls eBay sold sales, live listings, and TCGplayer comps.
- Read the comps at your condition. On eBay sold listings, played-condition sales are usually flagged in the title or item specifics; the gap between them and NM sales is your card's real discount curve.
At a show, this whole loop happens standing at the table: grade with your eyes, scan with the camera, comp before you negotiate. It's the same loop vendors run across a whole case at a time.
Grade with your eyes. Price with real comps.
0.44-second identification · eBay sold + TCGplayer comps · free to get started
FAQ
What does LP mean for Pokémon cards?
Lightly Played: minor edge or corner wear, or faint surface scratches you have to hunt for. Typically sells for about 75–90% of the Near Mint price.
Does a crease automatically make a card Damaged?
Yes, by common market standards. A creased card is DMG regardless of how clean the rest of it is — price it accordingly or expect the return request.
What is whitening?
The white paper core showing through worn edges or corners, most visible against the dark back border. Corner flecks suggest LP; full-edge whitening suggests MP or below.
Are online prices NM prices?
Almost always. TCGplayer Market and most quoted eBay comps assume Near Mint — apply the discount curve above before pricing a played card, or read played-condition sold comps directly.
Can an app grade my card's condition?
Apps identify and price; your eyes grade. Grade with the 30-second checklist, then scan to comp at that condition — the combination is faster and more honest than either alone.