Pokémon card condition and grading, explained
Two copies of the same card can be worth very different amounts. Here's what the condition names mean and when grading is worth it.
The five raw conditions
| Condition | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Near Mint (NM) | Looks fresh from the pack. Maybe a tiny white speck on an edge under close inspection, but no creases, scratches or bends. |
| Lightly Played (LP) | Small amounts of edge or corner wear, light scratches visible at an angle. Still looks good in a binder. |
| Moderately Played (MP) | Clear wear: whitening along edges, scuffs on the surface, maybe a small crease. |
| Heavily Played (HP) | Lots of wear, creases or surface damage, but the card is complete. |
| Damaged (DMG) | Tears, water damage, big creases, writing or missing pieces. |
How much each step down costs depends on the card. For a common modern card the difference might be a dollar or two. For a vintage holo or a chase card from a new set, a Lightly Played copy can sell for well under the Near Mint price. That's why AusTCGpricer prices each condition from sales that say that condition, instead of applying a fixed percentage.
Checking a card's condition
- Look at the back first: edge whitening shows up most clearly on the blue border.
- Tilt the front under a light to catch scratches and print lines on holo cards.
- Run a finger lightly along the edges and check for bends by sighting along the card.
- Check centring: borders that are much wider on one side lower the grade a card can get.
Graded cards
A graded card has been checked by a grading company and sealed in a plastic slab with a grade from 1 to 10. The three you'll see most in Australia:
- PSA grades in whole numbers (and some halves). A PSA 10 Gem Mint is the most traded slab for modern cards.
- BGS (Beckett) uses half grades and sub-grades. A BGS 10 Black Label, where every sub-grade is a 10, sells above a normal BGS 10.
- CGC also uses half grades, and labels its perfect cards "Pristine 10".
The same grade from different companies doesn't always sell for the same price, so AusTCGpricer only compares a PSA 9 with other PSA 9 sales, not with BGS 9s or CGC 9s.
Is grading worth it?
Grading costs money and takes weeks to months, including postage both ways. It usually pays off when three things line up:
- The card is genuinely Near Mint with good centring, so a 9 or 10 is realistic.
- The graded price, minus fees and postage, is clearly above the raw Near Mint price.
- The PSA 9 price still beats the raw price, because most cards that are sent in don't come back a 10.
In the app, open a card and use "Grading worth it?" to compare raw, PSA 9 and PSA 10 sales side by side from Australian sellers.