A passion for Mint!

We have a passion for mint cards and mint service.

Mint cards mean just that, not near mint. Cards should look like like they just came out of the pack.
If the cards that you get from me don't meet that standard, we have failed, and we will replace the card or refund the purchase price.

Mint Service:
We ship Monday through Friday, except holidays. Orders are processed in the morning, and then again in the afternoon.
Emails are sent each day when orders are shipped.
If there is an issue, you will be mailed immediately.
We respond to all emails, usually within a couple hours. Always within 24 hours, even on weekends.
We don't argue. Relationships are more profitable than sales.

Shipping:

All cards are shipped in soft sleeves to protect the cards. Hard cases actually scratch unprotected cards.
Small domestic (U.S.) orders are shipped in #10 envelopes. The packing slip is tightly formed around the order to protect it during shipping. We have shipped cards to non-existant addresses and observed the cards when they returned. They were still mint.

Larger orders are shipped in padded envelopes. Also tightly wrapped in the packing slip to provide protection.
By keeping shipping costs to the minimum and still protecting the cards adequately, we can continue to offer free shipping.

That's our promise.

 

How we grade cards: (mint vs. perfect vs. near mint)

It is often not difficult to tell when a card has seen abuse. Tears, creases, and easily seen scratches are cause for automatic rejection.
Here is how I weed out those cards others would consider "near mint"

Edges: Edges are allowed minor edge wear that does not affect the print on either side of the card. Typically this edge wear is not visible when the card is examined individually and is only visible when the card is placed in a stack of cards. If the edge wear results in noticable marks (typcially on the backs) the card is rejected.

Corners: Many rounded corners on cards will exhibit nicks in the back of the card that appear as a small abrasion in the center of the curve. This is normal. Abrasions on either side of the center of the curve are cause for rejection. A small amount of upturning at the corners of the card is also normal, so long as each corner exhibits the same defect. If one corner is turned up more than the others that is a sign of damage and the card is rejected.

Gloss: The front and back surfaces are examined for gloss. A mint card will have a smooth uniform gloss finish, free of scratches, dirt and oil.

Foiling: Foiled surfaces are examined under reflected light for scratches at multiple angles. This reveals the light scratches cards received from sliding against each other with dust in between.

7/6/2010