Cardex
Quick answer: NM is Near Mint, LP is Lightly Played, MP is Moderately Played, HP is Heavily Played and DMG is Damaged. They describe how much wear a card has, from almost none to serious. NM is the price most guides quote; each step down is worth less.
Pokémon card listings are full of two-letter codes. Most of them describe condition, and the difference between NM and MP can be half the price. This page explains every abbreviation you will see on TCGplayer, eBay and Cardmarket, what each one looks like in hand, and how much it changes the value.
Pokémon card condition abbreviations chart
| Abbreviation | Meaning | What it looks like | Roughly worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| M | Mint | Flawless, as if never touched. Rarely used for raw cards in the US. | NM price or slightly more |
| NM | Near Mint | Crisp corners, clean surface, at most one or two tiny flaws under close inspection | 100% of NM price |
| LP | Lightly Played | Minor edge whitening, a light scratch or scuff, no bends | 70 to 85% |
| MP | Moderately Played | Clear whitening on several edges, visible scratches, a light bend or crease | 50 to 70% |
| HP | Heavily Played | Heavy wear across the card, creases, stains, but still whole | 30 to 50% |
| DMG | Damaged | Tears, holes, water damage, writing, missing material | Under 30% |
The percentages are rules of thumb for raw modern cards. For cheap cards condition barely matters; for a valuable card the gap between NM and LP can be a large amount of money, which is why buyers argue about the boundary. Our condition guide shows how to inspect a card properly before you pick a grade.
What does NM mean on a Pokémon card?
Near Mint is the standard for a card that looks unplayed. Corners are sharp, the surface has no scratches you can see under normal light, and the edges have no more than a speck of whitening. Most prices you see quoted online, including the market prices Cardex shows, are NM prices. Pack-fresh cards are usually NM, but not always: print lines, factory scratches and edge chipping straight out of the pack can drop a card to LP.
What does LP mean on a Pokémon card?
Lightly Played means the card has been handled but not abused. You will see slight whitening on one or two edges, a small scuff or a faint surface scratch. There are no bends or creases. An LP card is fine for playing and for most collections, and it is the most common grade for cards that have been in a binder for years. Expect to pay or receive roughly three quarters of the NM price.
What does MP mean on a Pokémon card?
Moderately Played is the point where wear is obvious without looking closely. Whitening on most edges, several scratches on the surface or holo, dinged corners, and possibly a light crease. TCGplayer's standard places any card with a crease at MP at best, no matter how clean the rest looks. MP cards sell for about half to two thirds of NM, and they are usually the right grade for cards that were played with as a child and stored loose.
What does HP mean on a Pokémon card?
This is the abbreviation that causes the most confusion, because HP means two different things.
- On the card: HP is hit points, the number printed next to the Pokémon's name that shows how much damage it can take. Every Pokémon card has an HP value.
- In a listing or price list: HP is Heavily Played, a condition grade. The card has major wear across multiple areas: heavy whitening, deep scratches, creases, stains or bends, but it is still in one piece.
If a listing says "Charizard 120 HP, HP condition", the first HP is the game stat and the second is the wear grade. Heavily Played cards sell for roughly a third to half of the NM price and are bought mostly by players or as placeholders in a collection.
What does Damaged (DMG) mean?
A Damaged card has a defect that changes its structure: a tear, a hole, water damage that warped the card, writing, or missing material. Damaged cards are worth a small fraction of NM and often are not accepted by marketplaces at all. Photograph the defect and describe it clearly if you sell one.
MP vs HP: what is the difference?
The line between Moderately Played and Heavily Played is how much of the card is affected and whether the damage is structural. An MP card has noticeable wear in a few places and at most a light crease. An HP card has wear almost everywhere, or a hard crease or bend, or staining. If you are unsure, hold the card at eye level and look along its surface: an HP card usually will not lie flat.
How marketplaces name conditions differently
The abbreviations above are TCGplayer's scale, which is the one most US collectors use. eBay and Cardmarket use their own names, so the same card can carry three different labels:
| TCGplayer (US) | Cardmarket (Europe) | eBay (ungraded) |
|---|---|---|
| Near Mint (NM) | Mint (MT) / Near Mint (NM) | Near Mint or Better |
| Lightly Played (LP) | Excellent (EX) / Good (GD) | Excellent |
| Moderately Played (MP) | Light Played (LP) / Played (PL) | Very Good |
| Heavily Played (HP) | Played (PL) / Poor (PO) | Good / Poor |
| Damaged | Poor (PO) | Poor |
Note the trap: Cardmarket's LP means Light Played and sits below Excellent and Good, so a Cardmarket LP card is closer to a TCGplayer MP card. Cardmarket's EX means Excellent, not Pokémon-EX. Always check which scale a seller is using before comparing prices across sites.
Other abbreviations you will see in listings
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Raw | Ungraded, not in a slab |
| Slab | A graded card sealed in a plastic case |
| PSA 10, CGC 9.5, BGS 9 | Grade given by PSA, CGC or Beckett; 10 is the top score |
| Gem Mint | PSA's name for a 10 |
| RH | Reverse holo, the frame shines instead of the art |
| 1st Ed | First Edition stamp on early Wizards of the Coast print runs |
| Unlimited | The later print run without the 1st Edition stamp |
| Pack fresh | Went straight from the booster into a sleeve; usually but not always NM |
| OBO | Or best offer; the seller accepts offers below the listed price |
| BIN | Buy It Now, a fixed eBay price rather than an auction |
How to pick the right abbreviation for your card
- Take the card out of its sleeve and tilt it under a bright light.
- Check all four corners and every edge for whitening. None or a speck: NM. One or two edges: LP. Most edges: MP or worse.
- Look across the surface and holo for scratches. Faint and few: LP. Obvious: MP.
- Look for bends, creases and stains. Any crease is MP at best; a hard crease or stain is HP.
- When in doubt, grade one step lower. Overgrading leads to returns and bad feedback; undergrading just leaves a little money on the table.
Once you have a grade, compare it against sales of the same card in the same condition, not the NM price. Cardex shows raw and graded prices side by side so you can see what a lower grade actually costs.
Price the card in its real condition
Scan the card with Cardex to identify it, then compare raw and graded prices and recent eBay sales before you list it or make an offer.
Condition abbreviation questions
Is LP worth a lot less than NM?
Usually 15 to 30 percent less. On a $2 card that is pennies; on a $300 card it is real money, which is why valuable cards get inspected so carefully.
Can an MP or HP card be graded?
Yes, but it will receive a low grade, often 4 to 7, and low-grade slabs are rarely worth more than the raw card plus the grading fee. Grading only pays off for clean cards. See is my Pokémon card worth grading.
What does "NM/M" mean?
Near Mint to Mint, a seller's way of saying the card is at the top of the NM range. Treat it as NM.
Does a pack-fresh card count as NM automatically?
No. Print lines, factory edge chipping and holo scratches happen at the factory. Most pack-fresh cards are NM, but check before you list one as NM.
What does HP mean in a Pokémon card listing?
Heavily Played. The HP printed on the card itself means hit points. If a listing gives both, the one after the card name and number is the stat, and the one in the condition field is the grade.