Grading Magic Cards
Guide to Magic Card Grading
How we grade cards at Three for One Trading
Author: Three for One Trading
Grading trading cards is one of the most important activities that we as a business do. Our team is evaluating thousands of Magic cards each day. The spectrum of cards we grade on a daily basis ranges from the latest set’s mundane Commons to highlights like Black Lotus from Beta.
Most of our employees are not only skilled in their individual professions, but are also all trained in grading Magic cards. In this article we show you how we grade cards, what you need to pay attention to, and what tools you need to make your own, correct card grades.
Inhalt
The 341 Grading Guidelines are based on generally agreed upon card conditions, like those that you can find on the biggest MTG sales platform in Europe, Cardmarket. When we grade cards, we use the same system, but we usually grade even stricter than that. The different conditions we use and their American equivalents will be described in detail in this article.
At Three for One Trading a Magic card will pass through multiple instances of inspection:
- Buying Department
- Card Listing Department (Note: The team who uploads cards for sale)
- Sales Department
In each one of these steps, the condition of the card will be evaluated so that the quality of the product can be ensured. Our employees follow a strict protocol, which drastically reduces the chance for mistakes and leads to an exact grading.
We proudly ship about 1,000,000 cards each year. That is a lot and we are happy that grading mistakes almost never happen. If you buy a card from us and think we made a grading mistake, let us know and we will fix it.
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The Card Conditions
We apply the following grades and their abbreviations to describe the condition of a card. These are aligned with the commonly used European grading system.
- Near Mint (NM)
- Excellent (EX)
- Good (GD)
- Light Played (LP)
- Played (PL)
- Poor
In our shop, you can find the condition in the title of the product. It looks like this:
Channel – Alpha – EX
You can find additional information in the title and/or in the description of the product. For example, if a card is signed by the artist or if the card has a crease or was altered in any way.
Near Mint (NM)
A card in Near Mint condition appears as though it has never been played without protective sleeves. Small imperfections are acceptable, such as tiny white spots at the corners caused by the production cut or minor scratches that don’t affect the color of the card. Under natural daylight, the card should still look clean and well-preserved.
USA: The term “Near Mint (NM)” is also commonly used in the USA.
Excellent (EX)
Cards in Excellent condition typically show some white spots on the edges and corners, a sign that they may have been handled without sleeves occasionally. There might also be a few minor scratches on the surface. However, these imperfections should be barely noticeable under normal lighting.
USA: It’s important to note that there’s a key difference in the grading system used in the US. Cards graded as Excellent in Europe are often rated as Lightly Played (LP) or Slightly Played (SP) in the US. On the other hand, European Light Played cards are usually considered Heavy Played (HP) in the US, which can lead to some confusion.
Good (GD)
A card in Good condition appears as though it has been played without protective sleeves for a longer period of time, such as during a tournament. Cards graded as Good typically show clear signs of wear across multiple areas. This means white spots on the corners and edges may be more noticeable.
In many cases, the card’s surface may have a few scratches or slight dirt marks. However, these are simply normal signs of use and don’t affect the overall playability of the card.
USA: In the US, cards in this condition are frequently referred to as Moderately Played (MP) or Light Played (LP).
Light Played (LP)
A Magic card in Light Played condition looks as though it has been played without protective sleeves for a long period. The edges and borders may show noticeable whitening, which can be quite pronounced and appear throughout the card.
USA: In the United States, this condition is often referred to as Moderately Played (MP) or Good (GD).
Played (PL)
A card in Played condition shows noticeable wear from regular use. This can include heavy surface scratches or damage, often described as “snow-covered.” Despite the wear, it’s essential that the card remains tournament-legal when played with sleeves. However, alterations like black-painted edges or similar modifications are strictly not allowed.
USA: In the USA, this condition is commonly referred to as Very Played (VP) or Heavily Played (HP).
Poor (PO)
Anything rated lower than Played is considered Poor. These cards often suffer from damage that goes beyond normal wear and tear from playing. Examples of Poor condition include bent cards, blackened edges (“ink” or “inked”), water damage, cracks, and similar issues.
USA: In the States, cards in this condition are regularly labeled as Poor (PO) or Damaged (DMG).
Interviews with our grading experts
Years of Grading Experience
Our grading specialists are in charge of all things “grading”. That includes the training of our team, grading high-end cards and difficult grading cases. They buy and/or grade thousands of Magic: The Gathering cards each and every day. We talked to our grading experts from different departments about grading, and these are their answers:
Wenzel Krautmann – Founder, CEO
What makes you an expert in the field of grading?
I have developed the 341 Grading Guidelines together with Oliver. Since then I have trained a lot of our employees in the field. I have attended and still attend many Magic: The Gathering conventions and events, where I buy thousands of cards, from Lightning Bolt to Black Lotus. I grade many cards from our intake (mostly high-end cards) who then get sold later.
Would you say you are a “picky” grader?
No – I simply follow our Card Grading Guidelines.
How long does it take you to grade a Magic card?
It depends on the card and the condition. Sometimes it just takes a few seconds, other times it can take up to a few minutes.
What do you do if you identify a possible fake?
I get a second opinion and then I forward the card to Lukas, our Buying Team Lead.
In your opinion, what makes a card difficult to grade?
If you have good and actionable guidlines in place, grading becomes easy. We have these, so it’s quite easy for me.
What was the last counterfeit you have identified?
That should have been a Misty Rainforest.
Lukas Schwendinger – Team Lead Buying
What makes you an expert in the field of grading?
It’s pretty easy to grade properly if you have guidelines you can follow. After buying millions of Magic: The Gathering cards it doesn’t matter if I’m grading a Black Lotus or a rare from the most recent set like Farewell.
Would you say you are a “picky” grader?
Not “picky”, but precise and strict. There is no room for discussion when it comes to grading.
How long does it take you to grade a Magic card?
Depending on the light conditions: Two to ten seconds.
What do you do if you identify a possible fake?
All cards we have identified as fake will be marked and pulled from circulation.
What was the last counterfeit you have identified?
A bunch of really bad Kaladesh Masterpieces – straight from Wish I guess.
Gerhard Saldinger – Team Lead Listing
What makes you an expert in the field of grading?
For three years I daily grade and list (Note: uploading cards for sale) from 1,000 to 1,500 cards.
Would you say you are a “picky” grader?
No, I would say I am a fair grader.
How long does it take you to grade a Magic card?
Depends on the card and in what condition it is or if there is damage. But normally it does not take longer then ten seconds. Most cards can be graded in about five seconds.
What do you do if you identify a possible fake
First thing I show it to others on my team and then we throw the card out. Sometimes, if it is a very good fake, we keep it for educational purposes.
In your opinion, what makes a card difficult to grade?
When the card is between conditions on the grading scale or if it has unique damages or wear.
Grading Tools
Although our experts have seen many fakes, there’s always new surprises. Nevertheless, we are proud to say that our trained employees can identify fakes fast and pull (almost) all of them from circulation. The following tools help them do their work fast and precise.
1. Foraco Scale (500g x 0.01g)
With a microscale, it is possible to determine the exact weight of a Magic card. A genuine card normally weights between 1.7 and 1.8 grams, although there can be slight deviations. Counterfeits use different paper and glue, which impacts the weight of a card. That usually makes them easy to distinguish from real cards.
2. Winzwon UV Black Light Flashlight
A source of black light, like our trusty flashlight, is very useful in identifying fake Magic cards. Black light makes it possible to test the transparency of the card as well as the reflection. Always have a real card ready to compare the black light test results.
3. Fancii Jewellery Magnifier (20x)
An ordinary magnifying glass is sufficient to control the print quality of a card. Magic: The Gathering cards are printed with a distinct print pattern, which you can see under a magnifier. This pattern will not be visible on fake cards.
4. Carson zPix 300 Digital Microscope
If we need to look even closer, we’ll use our “secret weapon”: The digital microscope! With this tool, we can look at a card in great detail and save pictures for further comparisons. The microscope makes it easy to identify the rosette pattern and the print layers on a card. But, the most important test to detect a counterfeit Magic card is the …
Green Dot Test
Within the green dot on the back of the card, you can find a yellow spot. Within this yellow spot, there are four red dots in an L-shape. In addition, the green dot has to be surrounded by a saturated black circle. Also check the previous test about print quality.
You can find more information on the different tests to identify fakes in our other article: “Fakes and Counterfeit Magic Cards – How to identify them“
You can find more information about fakes and counterfeit magic cards as well as a detailed description of all available testings in our article about the topic:
Fake Magic Cards – How to Identify Counterfeits [2024]
In this article, we show you which easy and quick tests you can apply to prove the authenticity of your Magic the Gathering trading cards. Are Fakes and Counterfeits really a widespread problem? You can find out more here.