Every single card we sell is graded by hand before it goes on the shelf or online. This page explains what each grade means, so you know exactly what you are buying.

Our grades are opinions formed by eye, under shop lighting, at the time the card is listed or priced. They are not third-party professional grades, and they are not a prediction of what PSA, BGS or CGC would award if you submitted the card. If you need a numeric grade, the card needs to go to a grading company.

How we grade

We look at four things on both faces of the card: corners, edges, surface and centring. A card is graded on its worst feature, not its average. One badly dinged corner drops a card even if the rest of it is flawless.

We use a countable standard rather than a vibe. A single instance of minor wear means one visible mark: one small edge nick, one corner with slight whitening, one light surface scratch. Counting them is what keeps grading consistent between staff and between days.

The grades

Near Mint (NM)

Looks like it was just pulled from a pack, or close to it. Sharp corners, clean edges, a clear surface.

Up to three instances of very minor wear still count as Near Mint: slight edge whitening visible only on close inspection, a tiny corner nick, a faint surface scratch that does not catch the light. Beyond three, or if any single mark is more than very minor, the card is Lightly Played.

Lightly Played (LP)

Light wear that is visible when you look for it, but the card still presents well. Minor edge whitening along one or more sides, slightly softened corners, or a few light surface scratches.

An LP card is a good playing copy and a perfectly reasonable collection card at the right price. It is not expected to look Near Mint, and ordinary wear at this grade is not a fault.

Moderately Played (MP)

Wear you notice immediately without looking for it. Consistent whitening along the edges, moderate corner wear, visible scratching, minor scuffing, or light creasing that does not break the card surface.

Still a solid playing card in a sleeve. Not a display copy.

Heavily Played (HP)

Significant, obvious wear. Heavy edge and corner whitening, deep or widespread scratching, noticeable creasing, scuffing or minor bends. The card is intact and legal in a sleeve, but it looks well used.

Damaged (DMG)

Wear beyond Heavily Played. Tears, water damage, heavy creasing that breaks the surface, writing or inking, or anything else that affects the structure of the card.

Damaged cards are sold as-is, with the specific problem described in the listing or on the ticket. Because the fault is disclosed before you buy, a disclosed fault cannot later be the basis of a claim that the card is not as described.

Foils

Foils are graded on the same scale, with one difference: curl is normal and is not damage. Modern foils bow slightly by design, and the amount varies by set and by humidity. A foil that curls is not faulty, and we will not grade it down for it.

What we do grade on a foil is clouding, scratching to the foil layer, and edge or corner wear, exactly as we would on a non-foil.

What we do not treat as damage

Some things look like faults but are how the card left the factory. None of these affect the grade, and none of them are a basis for a claim:

• Foil curl
• Print lines, print dots and "snow" in the card surface
• Off-centre borders, unless the listing specifically described the card as well centred
• Natural variation in the holographic pattern
• Set-typical manufacturing quirks

Wizards of the Coast prints millions of cards, and a card with a factory print line is not a damaged card. It is a normal card.

Sleeve playability

Every card we grade Near Mint through Heavily Played is tournament legal in an opaque sleeve. Cards graded Damaged may not be, depending on the fault, and you should check with your event organiser before relying on one.

Buying online

The grade shown on a listing is the grade of the card you will receive. Where a listing carries a photograph of the specific card, that photograph is the better guide. Where it carries a stock or representative image, the written grade is what governs.

Please read the grade, set, collector number, language and foil status before checking out. Those five details are what separate two otherwise identical listings.

If you think we got a grade wrong

Tell us. We would rather fix it than have you sit on a card you are unhappy with.

Get in touch within 48 hours of collection or delivery, with your order number and clear photographs of the front, back, all four corners and edges, and anything specific you are concerned about. We will compare the card against the listing, our condition guide and any photographs we took before it shipped.

Grading is a judgement made by a person, and people occasionally get it wrong. Where we have, we will make it right. The full detail of how claims work is in our Refund Policy, and nothing on this page takes away your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.