Guide to trading card grading

The condition of your trading cards is very important to their value. Trading cards are usually graded as follows:

Mint:
A card with no defects which looks as though it has just come straight from a pack. A mint card has perfectly square corners, no printing flaws and has all of its original gloss.

Near mint:
A card which has a very minor defect, such as wear on one edge or round one corner. May be missing a very small amount of its original gloss.

Excellent:
A card with several minor visible defects, such as slight wear on edges and corners.

Very Good:
A card which has been handled a great deal and has slight creases, rounded corners and wear at the edges.

Good:
A card with heavy creases, rounded corners and wear at the edges. A great deal of the original gloss has been lost.

Poor:
The lowest possible grade. Cards are generally not collected below 'good'. A poor card may be torn, have holes in it, have writing on or have water damage.