How We Grade Card Conditions
At The Pika Stop, we believe transparency and consistency are key when evaluating the condition of trading cards. That’s why we strictly follow the TCGplayer Card Conditioning Standards, the industry’s most comprehensive framework for assessing imperfections. This guide helps us fairly evaluate and categorise every card we list — so you know exactly what to expect when you buy from us.
Our Commitment to Accuracy
We inspect each card based on a range of factors including edgewear, scratches, bends, grime, indentations, surface wear, scuffing, defects, and other imperfections. Each imperfection is assigned a severity level (Slight, Minor, Moderate, or Major), which is then used to determine the overall condition of the card.
“Images from TCGplayer Card Conditon PDF”
Our Condition Scale
We use a refined 8-tier scale that offers more nuance than standard categories. This helps communicate whether a card leans toward the better or worse end of a condition category. However, pricing always reflects the worse end of the indicated range to ensure you never overpay.
| Our Scale | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Near Mint (NM) | Almost perfect, with very minimal imperfections allowed (max 3 points) |
| Near Mint to Lightly Played (NM-LP) | Leans more toward NM, but has very slight signs of handling |
| Lightly Played (LP) | Light signs of play — small edgewear, scuffing, or minor indents (max 6 points) |
| Lightly Played to Moderately Played (LP-MP) | LP but with enough wear to indicate it’s close to MP |
| Moderately Played (MP) | Clearly played — noticeable edgewear, scuffing, or small bends (max 12 points) |
| Moderately Played to Heavily Played (MP-HP) | Shows wear leaning into HP, but not quite there |
| Heavily Played (HP) | Major imperfections, still intact and playable (max 24 points) |
| Damaged (DMG) | Extreme wear or damage — tears, holes, liquids, missing layers, etc. (over 24 points) |
“Images from TCGplayer Card Conditon PDF”
How We Evaluate Imperfections
Every imperfection is measured based on type, area/length, and how much it affects the card’s structure, playability, and authenticity. Here’s how we quantify the severity of each flaw:
| Severity | Points | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Slight | 1 | Minimal surface impact, often hard to notice |
| Minor | 2 | Clearly visible but doesn’t affect function |
| Moderate | 4 | Noticeable impact, beginning to affect aesthetics or use |
| Major | 8 | Substantial damage, serious visual or functional issues |
“Images from TCGplayer Card Conditon PDF”
The total point value determines the card’s final condition bracket. If a card has multiple imperfections, we add the points together. If the total points push it into a lower condition tier — we always round down and price accordingly.
Why This Matters
Grading can be subjective, but by following the TCGplayer Standard, we remove as much guesswork as possible. This means:
✅ You know exactly what you’re getting
✅ You never pay for better condition than what you receive
✅ You can confidently compare our listings to those on major marketplaces
Questions?
We’re happy to provide photos on request and work hard to describe imperfections transparently, you can email us on hi@pikastop.co.za. Our goal is to give you peace of mind and keep your collection thriving!