Pokémon Card Conditions and Definitions

Assigning a condition to a Pokémon card has always been (and might always be) an issue of contention among collectors. Every person, company, collector and even continent has a different idea of what mint, light play and more means. I have put together a short guide for you below to show what my standards are, and what you can expect to receive. 

Before we get into conditions, all listings should state what condition the card is in, if it is damaged, the listing should contain detail as to how it is damaged. The card you see in the picture is normally the card you will receive. The exception being, if there are multiple cards available, you will receive a card in the condition listed. For bulk and energies, this is most likely the case. 

Card Conditions on Radam’s Poké Stop: 

Near Mint (NM): No cards on the site are listed as Mint, meaning most Near Mint cards have no defects, however with Near Mint you should allow for small allowances. It should appear that it has never been played without sleeves on. 

The border can have a small number of white spots, but not many, and very small. The surface will be clean, it can allow for some minor spots, but no scratches. 

PSA and other grading companies consider NM grades as 7 and above for reference. 

Excellent (EX): It will be visible to the naked eye that the card is not in perfect condition, however the issues are of a minor concern. There may be white spots around corners, or the border. Minor surface scratches, but not deep. There may be minor imperfections on the card that can be seen with a close inspection. 

This is considered similar to the US standard of “Light play” or a PSA grade of 5/6

Light Play (LP): These Pokemon cards will show signs of wear all around the card. Edges and corners will have white spots, the surface may have scratches and there may be dirt on the edges and discolouration in older cards. There will be no major damage such as creases, cuts, rips etc. These cards would not be considered legal for play as may be considered “marked”. Light Play cards make great binder additions as the backs are usually in worse condition than the front of the card. 

The US would consider these cards as “Moderately played” or “VG” on PSA, about a grade 3. 

Moderate Play (MP): Is considered in very bad condition, the card will any combination of noticeable defects such as scratches, wear, bends, creases and other light damage. If it is damaged in any way, the rest of the card may be in a good condition. These cards would be considered very illegal to play in a tournament as they can be considered “marked”. 

MP would be considered a US “heavy play”, or PSA 1/2. 

Heavy Play (HP): A card in HP condition is damaged and considered almost destroyed, it may have multiple creases, rips, bends, discolouration, writing, stains and more. A Heavy Play card may have parts of the card missing.

A HP card would be similar to an American “poor” or  PSA 1 or ungradeable.

Disclaimer: All cards are sold as seen, for all cards where only 1 card is available, the listing shows the exact copy of the card being purchase, please check photos to ensure you are happy with the condition of the card.