How We Grade

Condition & Grading Guide

We use the same five-point condition scale as the wider secondary market — the standard TCGPlayer scale — to assess buylist submissions and our own listings. Knowing where your cards land helps you set expectations before you submit a buylist, and tells you exactly what you're getting when you buy from us.

Near Mint

Fresh out of the pack, or close to it. No creases or bends, no visible scratches, and edges/corners show little to no wear. This is the top of the scale and the condition most buyers expect when a listing doesn't say otherwise.

Lightly Played

Minor wear from normal handling — a little edge or corner wear, maybe a faint scratch that only shows under good light. No creases, no visible damage to the card face. Still a great card to play or display.

Moderately Played

Noticeable handling wear: light scratching, some border fraying, minor edge whitening, or a slight crease. Foil cards may show light scuffing on the foil layer. Still fully playable, just visibly used.

Heavily Played

Significant wear — deeper creasing, heavier scratching, noticeable border fraying, or discoloration. Foil cards may show heavier peeling or scuffing. Usually still identifiable and playable, but not tournament-legal by most standards.

DMG

Damaged

Major structural damage — deep creases, tears, water damage, warping, staining, or writing on the card. Still recognizable, but well below playable condition for most collectors.

A note on grading: Condition is one of the biggest factors in what we can offer for a card, alongside current market pricing. When you submit a buylist, we review your collection ourselves once it arrives — our goal is always to grade fairly and explain any adjustment, not to lowball. If a final grade comes in different than expected, we'll always reach out before finalizing anything.

Authentication

High-value cards get checked under magnification

For higher-value singles, we take a closer look before grading or listing. Genuine printing has a consistent halftone dot pattern and clean, sharp registration — the kind of detail that's easy to check under magnification but nearly impossible to fake. It's the same close look that lets us catch fine wear the naked eye would miss when we're setting a condition grade.

Lorcana ink symbol under macro magnification, showing the halftone dot printing pattern

An ink symbol under magnification — a clean, even dot pattern is a strong sign of genuine printing.

A green symbol under macro magnification, showing color layering and dot registration

Checking color registration on a foil/symbol element — layers should line up crisply, without smearing or drift.

The MTG "T" teeth test under macro magnification, showing a crisp, smooth left edge with no jagged teeth

The "T" teeth test on a Magic card — the left edge of the T should be crisp and smooth, with no jagged teeth. That clean edge is very hard to replicate and a strong sign of an authentic print.