Card conditions.

Raw (ungraded) cards

We use a five grade scale for raw cards. There is intentionally no “Mint” grade: a flawless raw card is Near Mint. If you want a guaranteed grade above that, the card needs to be in a slab from a grading company.

• NM

  Near Mint

  Pack-fresh or close to it.

  The top raw grade on the floor. Crisp corners, clean edges, a flawless or near-flawless surface, and good centering. Minor factory wear is acceptable but there should be no visible whitening, scratching, or handling. There is no grade above NM for a raw card here, so a perfect copy is still NM.

• LP

  Lightly Played

  Minor wear, still sharp.

  Light handling visible on close inspection: slight edge whitening, a touch of corner wear, very light surface scuffing, or off-center printing. No creases, no major flaws. A clean card that has clearly been out of the pack but was cared for.

• MP

  Moderately Played

  Obvious wear, no structural damage.

  Noticeable wear at arm's length: moderate edge and corner whitening, surface scratching or scuffing, light bends, or minor border wear. The card is intact and displays fine in a sleeve, but the play is evident.

• HP

  Heavily Played

  Significant wear, still complete.

  Heavy whitening, creasing, scratching, or surface damage, but the card is whole and not falling apart. A playable, ownable copy for a collector who wants the card over the grade. Always disclose the worst flaw clearly.

• DMG

  Damaged

  Major flaws or structural damage.

  Serious creasing, tears, water damage, writing, indentations, or any structural problem. Often the cheapest way into a chase card. Photograph the damage plainly so the buyer knows exactly what they are getting.

Graded slabs

A graded card has been sent to a third-party company, authenticated, assigned a numeric grade, and sealed in a tamper-evident holder (a “slab”) with a unique certificate number. The grade and the slab travel with the card, so condition is no longer a judgment call. Daily Card Show supports the major graders:

• PSA

  Professional Sports Authenticator

  1 to 10, with PSA 10 (Gem Mint) the benchmark for most modern cards.

• BGS

  Beckett Grading Services

  1 to 10 with half points and four subgrades; BGS 9.5 and the rare black-label BGS 10 sit at the top.

• CGC

  Certified Guaranty Company

  1 to 10 with half points; CGC 10 (Pristine) and CGC 9.5 (Mint+) lead.

• TAG

  Technical Authentication & Grading

  1 to 10 with a computer-vision report behind each grade; a newer entrant gaining traction with modern collectors.

When a slab is listed, the seller must include a valid certificate number that matches the item and the grading company shown. As a buyer, look that number up on the grading company's website to confirm the grade, the card, and that the cert has not been reported stolen or cracked. A cert that does not verify is a red flag worth walking away from.

Sealed product

Booster boxes, elite trainer boxes, collection tins, and other factory product are described as Sealed (new) when the original factory seal is intact and untouched, or Sealed (used) when the outer shrink has wear, a price sticker, shelf marks, or other signs of handling while still being sealed. Resealed, weighed, or searched product is strictly prohibited. See the Prohibited Items Policy.

Alterations must be disclosed

Trimmed, recolored, restored, cleaned, or otherwise altered cards must be described as such, clearly and up front, regardless of how good they look. Passing off an altered card as original is grounds for removal and account action. When in doubt, disclose.