Guide and understanding of the condition of the cards (Pokemon...)

Following some recurrent questions we receive by email; we think it's high time to write a little guide to help you understand the rating criteria of the Pokémon cards (and other licenses) we offer for sale individually. 

On our site, the majority of new cards have a single visual used to group several identical cards on the same product sheet. We estimate their condition to be : Near Mint.

Indeed, you have to be aware that even directly out of the booster and protected by us, a card can present defects such as a micro scratch, a white spot or a slight cut mark.

For cards with more imperfections, we write an individual product sheet (like here). As a general rule, we take a photo and/or video of the card on a black background, making the defects visible. For some older cards, we even take the liberty of circling the defects in order to allow a total transparency on the products put on sale. In any case, if you have any doubts, do not hesitate to contact us by email (info@cardotaku.com) to ask for additional photos.

We qualify the cards according to the established global criteria: 

- Mint / Near mint : The card is almost perfect, but a micro scratch, a white spot or a slight cutting defect may be present. Even if these are minimal, they can be visible to the naked eye. 

- Excellent : A card that is, as its name indicates, in excellent condition, but with enough small defects to be no longer Near Mint (small white dots on the black border, discrete impact or rubbing marks on the edges, slightly worn corners, possibly numerous scratches when playing with the light).

- Good: It has significant white marks on the edges, noticeable scuffing or obvious nicks on the corners and edges.

- Played: They are very damaged, the edges are almost white, and the text or illustration may have been largely erased. Very numerous nicks, marks, and dirt accumulation. 

The cards we propose are located between near mint and excellent condition depending on the card, its age... Anyway, a card whose condition is below "near mint" or "excellent" will always be given a picture showing the card in detail. 

We would also like to remind you that we don't sell cards for grading and that, consequently, we are unable to guarantee a maximum grade of 10/10. 

Thank you all for reading and visiting our site, if you have any doubt, don't hesitate to contact us by email to ask for more pictures.

Article written by Manon Froissart