Card Condition Guide

The purpose of this guide is to provide a general reference on how to correctly set the conditions of cards sold on CardTrader, based on the quality and quantity of imperfections of an item.

We chose to use a simple and convenient guide in order to avoid ambiguous or misleading situations.
We are aware of how many grading systems leave room for errors.
Grading cards correctly is the key to being a good card trader: choosing the appropriate condition is a key element of this market when pricing a card, and should never be underestimated.

Before you start selling and buying on CardTrader you should become familiar with the following information, based on the experience of our team.
NM

Near Mint

Minor imperfections, the card looks nearly unplayed with no major defects.

• Cards in Near Mint conditions show minimal wear of handling and can have a nearly unmarked surface, crisp corners and unblemished edges outside of a few slight flaws.

• A Near Mint card may have slight edge wear or a scratch or three, but overall looks nearly unplayed with no major defects.

• The acceptable range of cards within the Near Mint condition includes both cards with no imperfections and cards with a few slight imperfections.
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NOTE: The definition of "MINT" indicates a level of condition that surpasses the current market standards. It represents a theoretical degree of perfection where the surface and corners are impeccable, the colors vibrant, and the centering perfectly distributed. For this reason, our system excludes this condition, as it is essentially a conceptual standard that is rarely achieved.

SP

Slightly Played

A few minor and noticeable imperfections but no major defects.

• Cards in Slightly Played (SP) conditions may have minor border or corner wear, scuffs or light scratches.
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• Major defects such as grime, bends or issues with the structural integrity of the card are not present.

• Noticeable imperfections are okay, but none should be too severe or at too high a volume.The acceptable range of cards within the Slightly Played condition includes both cards with few or a handful of minor imperfections.

MP

Moderately Played

Different Imperfections, noticeable defects on small areas.

• Cards in Moderately Played (MP) conditions may present border wear, corner wear, scratching or scuffing, creases or whitening or any combination of moderate examples of these flaws.

• A Moderately Played card may have some form of imperfection impacting a small area of the card from mishandling or poor storage, such as creasing that doesn't affect card integrity, in combination with other issues such as scratches, scuffs or border/edge wear.

• A Moderately Played card has no structure damage, the overall look is still fine with no major structural damage.

PL

Played

Major amount of damage, bad overall looking, but still playable.
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• Cards in Played (PL) conditions show a major amount of wear.

• Cards can show a variety of moderate and major imperfections along with creasing, whitening and bends.

• Played cards can have flaws that impact the integrity of the card, but the card is still sleeve playable in tournaments.

PO

Poor / Damaged

A Poor card shows major defects and might not be playable or tournament legal.
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• Poor cards (PO) show wear or imperfections beyond the standards for other conditions.

• Cards in Poor condition can also exhibit imperfections or damage that may make the card illegal for tournament play, even in a sleeve, for example a major bend, noticeable through the plastic.

• Cards in Poor condition may have major border wear, corner wear, scratching or scuffing, as well as folds, creases, tears or other damage that impacts the structural integrity of the card.

Misprints & Print Errors

Understanding Card Misprints and their Impact

[ Click on card pictures to zoom in details]
In the world of trading card collecting, understanding the nuances of misprints and print errors is crucial for both buyers and sellers. Misprints such as miscuts, crimps, ink errors, stamping errors, and other notable misprints are considered significant flaws. These errors can drastically affect a card’s appearance and its market value, as they deviate significantly from the intended design.

On the other hand, minor printing errors like off-center cards and print lines are typically seen as minor imperfections. Off-center cards have misaligned designs, resulting in uneven borders, but do not indicate actual damage. Similarly, print lines, which occur where consecutive print sheets meet, are common, especially on foil cards. These lines do not affect the card’s condition or value significantly, as they are viewed as part of the normal printing process.

For users of a trading card marketplace, it’s essential to recognize that while severe misprints and errors can impact a card’s sale condition, minor off-center errors and print lines generally do not. This understanding helps in accurately assessing and listing cards, ensuring a fair and transparent marketplace for all collectors.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Always mark your "misprinted" or "altered" cards and add a photo. To properly mark a card as a misprint, simply select the "misprint" checkbox while creating your listing. This step ensures that buyers are fully informed about the card’s condition and any unique characteristics it may possess. By accurately marking misprints, you help maintain a fair and honest marketplace, benefiting both sellers and collectors.
Here's an example on how an altered or misprinted card should look like once listed correctly.

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Does Not Affect Conditions

Minor printing errors, such as off-center cards and print lines, do not affect the card's overall condition.
You can list these cards without selecting the "misprint" checkbox. While these minor imperfections are generally acceptable, it’s advisable to consider these cards as less than Near Mint (NM) to ensure buyer satisfaction and maintain transparency in your listings.
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OFF-CENTER CARDS
Off-center cards result from misaligned printing, leading to uneven borders. While these cards may lack visual balance, they are not considered damaged and generally do not affect the card's overall condition or value.

PRINT LINES
Print lines appear where consecutive print sheets meet. These lines are minor printing imperfections and do not constitute damage, thus having little to no impact on the card's condition or value.

Affects the Card Condition

When selling misprinted cards on our marketplace, it's essential to accurately indicate any severe misprints that affect the card's condition. Misprints such as miscuts, crimps, ink errors, and stamping errors can significantly impact a card's value and must be clearly identified.

To ensure transparency and maintain marketplace integrity, always select the "altered/misprint" checkbox when listing a misprinted card. This step is mandatory; cards listed without this designation will not be accepted by the Cardtrader Zero system. Including a photo of the card is also crucial for providing potential buyers with a clear understanding of the misprint.
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MISCUTS
A miscut card is the result of an improperly aligned sheet during the cutting step. Miscuts are one of the most common types of errors, but that doesn't mean they aren't valuable. The card's value can be influenced by the card it’s on and the severity of the miscut.

CRIMPING
Crimping occurs when a card is caught in the packaging machinery, resulting in a wrinkled or indented edge. This type of error is generally considered significant damage, affecting both the card's appearance and value. Crimped cards must be listed as Poor (PO).

INK ERRORS
Ink errors include missing, smudged, or misaligned ink, which can obscure parts of the card's design or text. These errors are usually noticeable and can considerably reduce a card's desirability and value.

STAMPING ERRORS
Stamping errors involve issues with the card's stamp, such as missing, off-center, or double-stamped elements. These mistakes are often considered major flaws, impacting the card’s value.

OTHER NOTABLE MISPRINTS
This category includes various other errors, such as wrong backs, wrong fronts, or double prints. These notable misprints are typically rare and can either detract from or enhance the card's value, depending on their uniqueness and appeal to collectors.

All other card imperfections explained in detail

All additional information you need in one place!

[ Click on card pictures to zoom in details]

ALTERATIONS
A card is considered altered when it's been altered as a means of personalizing the card in a way that has some artistic merit.
An altered card should only be offered with a scan. Any additional information is important, so be sure to point out whether it’s a full alteration, and who did it.

BENDINGA card is bent if the structure of the paper has been damaged due to excessive bending.
Any bend set a card condition to Played at least. Foils tend to curl, we consider it as no damage as long as the curl it's less than 5 millimeters total in height.

INKINGInking a card is mainly an action of destroying its value in an attempt to improve its looks. An inked card should be considered at least 'Played', but if this condition is used, it must be explicitly stated in the description as 'inked', regardless of its overall condition.

CLOUDINGSet card grading to Slightly Played or worse. The card looks a bit dull in specific spots. This is due to microscopical damages to the card surface, that might add up over time. Foil cards particularly suffer this issue.

SCRATCHINGA scratch on the surface of the card. It can be light or severe due to the source that caused it. Foil are much more sensitive to scratches due to the glossy finish, and are often already scratched when opened: minor scratches on foil cards are not considered when evaluating their grading.
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WATER DAMAGEDamage due to water exposure or excess of humidity. This kind of damage can't be restored and the card results in being wavy.

STAMPED CARDSSet card condition to Played or worse. During events, the cards obtained where marked with a stamp to avoid cheating. This is an alteration that reduces the card value and should always be pointed out.

INDENTATIONA notch, groove, or indentation on the edge or surface of the card that creates a three dimensional imperfection. The most common indentation is the one created by the rings of a binder.

GRIMEMaterial left on the card that comes from handling,use, or poor storage on dirty or dusty places.

Tournament Legality

You have to be aware that card condition could impact a card being tournament-legal or not.

You’ll hear statements like “A Poor-graded card is not legal in a tournament” or “This full alter is totally fine, just buy it and put it into a sleeve”. Unfortunately there’s no “Poor equals not playable” or “Played equals being playable” thing.

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Thus here are the main facts you need to know: the card is legal if not damaged or modified in a way that might make it recognizable.

Significantly creased cards can be distinguished from other cards in a deck, even sleeved. Also, altered cards may be thicker than the other cards in the deck, depending on the method used to alter them.

If any cards can be distinguished from the other cards in the deck without viewing its front face, then those cards are marked and not legal for tournament play.

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If you are not sure about whether a card is going to cause a problem in a tournament, you should take the deck to the Head Judge to inspect it.

If you have any doubt about a card you are about to buy, you can contact us or the community: we are here to help!

Here’s the official link if you are interested in all details related to tournament legality.

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