What does NM mean?
| Near Mint/Mint | NM/M | 9.8 |
| Near Mint+ | NM+ | 9.6 |
| Near Mint | NM | 9.4 |
| Near Mint- | NM- | 9.2 |
A nearly perfect copy that looks brand new with only a few very minor defects. Acceptable minor defects on a NM copy include:
A very small amount of spine stresses without color breaks, very minor instances of denting (two or three at most), slight corner blunting, and minor (less than 1/8") bends without color breaks.
On the ten-point grading scale, a lower grade like 9.2 will allow these defects in a greater quantity and degree than a higher grade like 9.8, which sometimes may have no discernable defects at all.
There is such a small degree of separation between the grades in this range that even the most experienced comic graders may disagree on which of these grades to assign to an apparently flawless comic, so the highest grade we will assign to a brand new comic is 9.4.
In some cases it is possible for a comic shipped brand new from the publisher, or purchased new from a comic store's shelves, to already be in less than near mint condition due to the way the comic was produced, shipped, stored, or handled prior to purchase.