Understanding Card Condition Imperfections: A Comprehensive Guide

Structure: The physical structure and stability of the card and its cardstock
Playability: The ability of the card to be used as a game piece
Authentication: The ability for the card to be verified as real using the manufacturer’s authentication markers

Peels

An imperfection in which the surface layer of the cardstock is peeling away from the rest of the cardstock along the edge of the card, but does not reveal the glue core or multiple layers of cardstock. Depending on the size/severity, peels are treated as Edgewear, a Fault, or Damage.

Total

In reference to scuffing: no 5x5mm square (25mm², or 2.5cm² area) on the face of a card being free of scuffing.

Bend

Explanation: A bend is an imperfection caused by a card being folded over itself. Its severity can be measured by the length, visibility, and presence of a Crease.

A crease is defined as a line or ridge produced by folding, pressing, or crushing. The presence of a crease drops the condition to Moderately Played at best.

Terms: Crease, fold

Slight - There is no “Slight” measurement for a Bend imperfection.
Minor - A Minor Bend is measured along the fold created by the imperfection and is no longer than 10mm and cannot have a crease. A Minor Bend cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Lightly Played.
- A Minor Bend is worth 2 points.
Moderate - A Moderate Bend is measured along the fold created by the imperfection and is no longer than 20mm and/or shows a crease. A Moderate Bend cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Moderately Played.
- A Moderate Bend is worth 4 points.
Major - A Major Bend is any bend >20mm with or without a crease. A Major bend cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Heavily Played. A bend which affects the structural integrity of the card is Damaged.
- A Major bend is worth 8 points.

Damage

Explanation: The extent to which a card exhibits one or more conditioning factors that independently or together result in a card being Damaged in condition. “Damaged” is both a condition and a factor to consider when evaluating a card's overall condition.

Terms: Foreign substance, non-manufacturing ink, tear, hole, sun damage, splits

Foreign Substance - Any visible substance or residue on the card that is not considered Grime
Non-Manufacturing Ink - Any ink on the card’s surface not from manufacturing
Tear - A rip through the card
Split - Separation of the card’s layers and/or exposure of the glue core; often on corners.
Sun Damage - Fading or yellowing caused by extreme or prolonged exposure to the sun
Hole - A puncture in any part of the card

These imperfections will reduce a card’s condition to Damaged:

Curling - More than 5mm of lift from flat surface at center
Defect - More than 10mm² of a card’s surface area*
- (Defects that impact a card’s integrity or ability to authenticate.)
Fault - More than 40mm² of a card’s surface area
- Liquid - Any liquid exposure that results in the structural integrity of the card being compromised.
- Peels - A peel that is more than 5mm in length.
Surface Wear - More than 40mm² of a card’s surface area

*Defects that impact cards integrity or ability to authenticate.

Defect

Explanation: A defect, or production error, is a deviation from the intended design of a card that occurs during or because of the manufacturing process. Examples include, but are not limited to, errors such as gloss errors, extra/missing ink, miscuts, crimping, missing/misplaced holofoil stamps. Defects may or may not affect a card’s integrity, and thus eligibility in Direct.

Defects that impact the card’s integrity – Ineligible for Direct

Defects that impact the integrity, function, or ability to authenticate a card are automatically considered Damaged. These cards are ineligible for Direct, and must be sold via Listings with Photos. When creating a Listing with Photo, the card can be categorized as the condition that it would qualify for if it did not have a defect.

Examples include, but are not limited to:
- Crimping
- Authentication Gem Issues
- Foil Bubbling (>1mm)
- Missing information (eg: Card Name, Mana Cost, Power/Toughness)
  - Unless known and acknowledged by WOTC

Defects that do not impact the card’s integrity – Evaluate to determine condition

Defects that do not impact the integrity of a card are evaluated based on their severity; the severity may still qualify the card as Damaged. Where available, Conditioning Release Notes will provide further information on how to evaluate these defects.

Examples include, but are not limited to:
- Ink errors
  - Faded or blurry text
  - Extra, missing, or shifted ink
- Speckled Foil
- Curling
- Gloss coating errors
- Miscuts
  - Square corners
  - Dull cuts
  - Shifting
- Roller lines/marks

Slight - Up to 2.5mm² of the card’s surface area contains a defect. Slight Defect is allowable at Near Mint.
- Each instance of Slight Defect is worth 1 point.
Minor - More than 2.5mm² and up to 5mm² of the card’s surface area contains a defect. Minor Defect cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Lightly Played.
- Minor Defect is worth 2 points.
Moderate - More than 5mm² and up to 10mm² of the card’s surface area contains a defect. Moderate Defect cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Heavily Played.
- Moderate Defect is worth 4 points.
Major - More than 10mm² of a card’s surface area contains a defect. Major Defect causes the card to be considered Damaged, and is ineligible for TCGplayer Direct.
- Major Defect is worth 8 points.

MISCUTS/SHIFTING:

A card may have up to 70/30 centering without impacting condition; the presence of a cut dot indicates shifting, but does not necessarily indicate >70/30 centering. If a card has greater than 70/30 centering, it is considered Damaged and is not eligible for Direct. The card can still be sold on the marketplace as Damaged, or as a Listing with Photo at the condition the card would be at if it was not off-center.

Exceptions

Errors that are sufficiently common (i.e. an error that appears on every copy of a card in a set or printing), or cannot be evaluated by the measurements provided (ex. roller lines/marks) may be evaluated differently. Rules for acceptance are defined in the quarterly patch notes, which can be found in the Appendix.

Examples of acceptable errors include but are not limited to:
- Intellectual Offering – Commander 2014
  - Extra Ink: pink “halo” to the right of the artwork
- Runesword – The Dark
  - Extra Ink: black hairline in the text box
- Shay Cormac (Foil Etched) - Universes Beyond: Assassin’s Creed
  - Typo: ‘county’ instead of ‘counter’
- Corpse Knight - Core Set 2020
  - Typo: Some printings have a P/T of “2/3" instead of “2/2”

Edgewear

Explanation: Loss of color, gloss, or material along edges, borders, and/or corners.

Note: Any edgewear that measures .5mm inwards from the edge is classified as Surface Wear - White bordered cards can be particularly difficult to diagnose; loss of the gloss layer and/or fraying of cardstock could be indicative of edgewear.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Gold-Border Cards - If the border is ‘flaking,’ removed and/or missing, then the imperfection is considered a Fault instead of Edgewear.
Dull Cuts & Rough Cuts - “Edgewear” due to a “dull” or “rough” cut during manufacturing is not considered an imperfection.
Peels - A peel that is <2.5mm in length can be counted as 1 instance of Slight Edgewear.

Terms: Border wear, fraying, nicks, rough edges

Note: “Contiguous” in the following cases means no more than 5mm between each instance.

Slight - A contiguous instance up to 20mm of the card’s edge has this imperfection. Slight Edgewear is allowable at Near Mint.
- Each instance of Slight Edgewear is worth 1 point.
Minor - A contiguous instance greater than 20mm and up to 80mm of the card’s edge has this imperfection. Minor Edgewear cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Lightly Played.
- Minor Edgewear is worth 2 points.
Moderate - A contiguous instance greater than 80mm and up to 160mm of the card’s edge has this imperfection. Moderate Edgewear cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Moderately Played.
- Moderate Edgewear is worth 4 points.
Major - A contiguous instance greater than 160mm of the card’s edge suffers this imperfection. Major Edgewear cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Heavily Played.
- Major Edgewear is worth 8 points.

Fault

Explanation: An imperfection that causes an expansion or splitting of the surface or material of a card but does not impact the integrity of the card. Imperfections due to liquid exposure are considered Faults.

Peels - A peel that is 2.5mm to 5mm in length can be counted as 1 instance of a Slight Fault.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Gold-Border Cards - If the border is ‘flaking,’ removed and/or missing, then the imperfection is considered a Fault instead of Edgewear.

Terms: Rippling, Drips/Drops, Fraying, Peels

Slight - Up to 2.5mm² in area. Slight Fault cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Moderately Played.
- Each instance of Slight Fault is worth 1 point.
Minor - Between 2.5mm² to 10mm² in area. Minor Fault cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Heavily Played.
- Minor Fault is worth 2 points.
Moderate - Between 10mm² up to 40mm² in area. Moderate Faults automatically default a card’s condition to Damaged.
- Moderate Fault is worth 4 points.
Major - Between 40mm² up to 160mm² in area. Major Faults automatically default a card’s condition to Damaged.
- Major Fault is worth 8 points.

Grime

Explanation: Grime is defined as dirt, smudges, or other substances that may be visible on a card due to regular play and handling. These substances should not stain or physically alter the card. A substance which leaves a visible stain, sticky residue, or otherwise could be considered a biohazard is treated as a Foreign Substance, which falls under the Damage imperfection and cannot be accepted in Direct at any condition.

Terms: Play dirt, dirt, smudge

The following are examples of Grime:
- “Play Dirt” - Small specks of dirt that accumulate on the surfaces of cards from heavy play without sleeves
- Smudges from oil on hands/fingers
The following are common examples of ‘Foreign Substance’:
- Food particles or residue (ie: crumbs, chocolate)
- Sticky residue (ie: glue, adhesive, soda)
- Bodily fluids
- Non-manufacturing ink (ie: pen, marker)
- Anything physically altering the card (ie: tape, paint)
- Mold

Slight - Up to 2.5mm² of the card’s surface area contains grime. Slight Grime cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Lightly Played.
- Each instance of Slight Grime is worth 1 point.
Minor - More than 2.5mm² and up to 13.75mm² of the card’s surface area contains Grime. Minor Grime cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Moderately Played.
- Minor Grime is worth 2 points.
Moderate - More than 13.75mm² and up to 27.5mm² of the card’s surface area contains Grime. Moderate Grime cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Moderately Played.
- Moderate Grime is worth 4 points.
Major - More than 27.5mm² of a card’s surface area contains Grime. Major Grime causes the card to be considered Damaged, and is ineligible for TCGplayer Direct.
- Major Grime is worth 8 points.

Indentation

Explanation: A dent or impression on the surface or edge of a card that does not puncture the card. If an indentation does puncture the card, that is Damage. Indentations caused by the Holofoil Authentication stamp are Defects. If an indent is linear rather than over an area of the card, those should be measured by length. See Linear Indents below.

Terms: Impression, Groove, Ding, Indent, Pockmarks

Slight - One pinpoint on the card’s surface area and does not show through to the other side of the card. A slight indent is allowable at Near Mint.
- Each instance of Slight Indentation is worth 1 point.
Minor - Up to 4mm² of the card’s surface area is indented but does not show through to the other side of the card. A minor indent cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Lightly Played.
- Minor Indentation is worth 2 points.
Moderate - More than 4mm² and up to 25mm² of the card’s surface area is indented and/or the indent shows through to the other side of the card. A moderate indent cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Moderately Played.
- Moderate Indentation is worth 4 points.
Major - More than 25mm² of a card’s surface area is indented. A major indent cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Heavily Played.
- Major Indentation is worth 8 points.

Linear Indents - A linear indent is a straight-line indent that cannot be easily measured by area. The measurement for these types of indents are:

Not acceptable at Near Mint
Minor - A linear indent up to 20mm in length and does not show through the other side of the card. A minor linear indent cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Lightly Played.
Moderate - A linear indent >20mm and up to 50mm in length, or any linear indent that shows through the other side of the card. A moderate linear indent cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Moderately Played.
Major - A linear indent >50mm in length. A major indent cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Heavily Played.

Scratch

Explanation: Typically a hairline mark on the surface of a card that is not a roller mark (see: Defect) and does not reveal material beneath the surface.

Terms: Score, gouge

Slight - Up to 20mm in length. Slight Scratch is allowable in all conditions.
- Each instance of Slight Scratch is worth 1 point.
Minor - More than 20mm and up to 40mm of in length. Minor Scratch is acceptable in all conditions.
- Minor Scratch is worth 2 points.
Moderate - More than 40mm in length. Moderate Scratch cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Moderately Played.
- Moderate Scratch is worth 4 points.
Major - No measurement for length listed. Major Scratch is acceptable at a condition no higher than Heavily Played.
- Major Scratch is worth 8 points.

Scuffing

Explanation: A group of scratches or abrasions on the surface of a card that may appear cloudy or buffed. Scuffing cannot reveal material beneath the surface layer, at which point the imperfection becomes Surface Wear. Scuffing is differentiated from scratching by the density of marks in the imperfection.

Terms: Scratch groups, Clouding, Binder/sleeve gloss, Buffing

Slight - 31.5mm² of the card’s surface area contains scuffing. Slight scuffing is allowable at Near Mint.
- Each instance of Slight scuffing is worth 1 point.
Minor - One instance of minor scuffing is counted as having a contiguous area of more than 31.5mm² of scuffing on the card’s surface area, up to 277.2mm² (up to 50% of a card’s side); two instances of minor scuffing is counted as having more than 277.2mm² but less than the entirety of the side’s surface area. A card may have up to two instances of minor scuffing per side, or four instances per card. Minor scuffing cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Lightly Played.
- Each instance of Minor scuffing is worth 2 points.
Moderate - One side of the card has “total scuffing,” defined as having no 5x5mm square (25mm², or 2.5cm² area) that is free of scuffing. Stated another way, the entire surface area of a side of the card has some amount of scuffing on it. Moderate scuffing cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Moderately Played.
- Moderate scuffing is worth 4 points.
Major - Both sides of the card have moderate scuffing, or “total scuffing.” Major scuffing cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Heavily Played.
- Major scuffing is worth 8 points.

Surface Wear

Explanation: Surface wear is when the color-containing layer of the card has been buffed or scraped away to such a degree that it reveals the base layer of cardstock. This imperfection is preceded by Scuffing or Scratching, and becomes Surface Wear when the depth of the imperfection exposes a layer of cardstock.

Note: Edgewear becomes Surface Wear when the imperfection encroaches further than .5mm from the edge of the card. What does exceed .5mm is measured as Surface Wear. White-bordered cards can be particularly difficult to diagnose; loss of the gloss layer and/or fraying of cardstock could be indicative of surface wear.

Terms: Whitening, speckling

Slight - Up to 2.5mm² of the card’s surface area contains the imperfection. Slight Surface Wear is not allowable at Near Mint and cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Lightly Played.
- Each instance of Slight Surface Wear is worth 1 point.
Minor - More than 2.5mm² and up to 10mm² of the card’s surface area contains the imperfection. Minor Surface Wear cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Moderately Played.
- Minor Surface Wear is worth 2 points.
Moderate - More than 10mm² and up to 40mm² of the card’s surface area contains the imperfection. Moderate Surface Wear cannot be accepted at a condition higher than Heavily Played.
- Moderate Surface Wear is worth 4 points.
Major - More than 40mm² and up to 160mm² of a card’s surface area contains the imperfection. Major Surface Wear causes the card to be considered Damaged.