Card Condition & Era Guide

Our cards are sold raw and ungraded unless a listing explicitly says otherwise. A condition label is a description, not a professional grading score or a promise about a future grade. Review the actual listing photographs and ask about anything you cannot see clearly.

Shop by condition

  • Mint: a raw card individually assessed as having no visible wear or defects on inspection. Mint is separate from Near Mint and does not promise a professional grade, perfect centring or a future grading result.
  • Near Mint: the listing's Near Mint or Better condition. Minor imperfections can still be present; this does not guarantee a perfect card.
  • Lightly Played: the listing's Lightly Played (Excellent) condition. Expect some visible wear.
  • Moderately Played: the listing's Moderately Played (Very Good) condition. More noticeable wear may be present.
  • Heavily Played: the listing's Heavily Played (Poor) condition. Review the photos carefully for significant wear or damage.

Individual listing notes and photographs matter. Different copies of the same card may be listed separately with different conditions and prices.

Pokémon era categories

These are Merchant Mew's browsing categories. Other games have different release histories; Pokémon boundaries should not be assumed to apply to every game. Cards are assigned only when their release information can be confirmed.

A card can appear in several collections while remaining the same inventory item. Category membership does not create additional copies.

Ask a question about a card before ordering if its condition, language, edition or contents are unclear.

How our card images are made

Scan images are made with our Ricoh fi-8170 scanner. Photos taken from a distance are taken with an iPhone. Scans and camera photos can show colour, foil and surface reflections differently. Please review all available images and contact us if you would like a closer look at a card.