Just how impactful will this be to trading cards?
Industrial Inspection & Consulting is set to launch a service that allows the use of CT scanning (computerized X-ray imaging) technology to identify specific holographic cards in sealed Pokemon trading card game booster packs. This technology, which is mostly used in medical fields to create detailed 3D images for your body to see if someone has a certain medical condition, will now be accessible for scanning trading card packs.
The service, which will charge between $65 and $75 to scan a booster pack, aims to provide a way for collectors to know which holographic cards are inside their sealed booster packs without opening them. CT scanners, which can be very expensive, ranging from roughly $100,000 to $2 million USD, are not easily available and affordable to the general public.
This way of CT scanning to trading cards was first demonstrated in a case study by the company, where they have claimed to successfully identify a M Blastoise EX Full Art card in an XY Evolutions Prerelease kit by its texturing.
Pokemon TCG enthusiast, regular guest of the PokeGuardian Podcast and YouTube content creator okJLUV highlighted this study on his channel after noticing that it had not received much attention online. Following significant interest generated by his video, the company reached out to him to discuss their upcoming service and shown him more of this technology and process of how this works.
Beyond identification only, the CT scanning technology also could hold the potential to grade the condition of cards while still sealed within their packs. This could include grading factors such as the centering of a card, which is a critical aspect of card grading.
The technology has successfully identified cards like a Charizard from Celebrations, a holographic Rare Zapdos from a Twilight Masquerade (36 pack) booster box (and more rare holographic cards were also identified within the same booster box) and Garbodor VMAX from Evolving Skies Elite Trainer Box demonstrating its capabilities.
Celebrations Holographic Charizard searched from a sealed booster pack
(Image via industrialinspection)
Booster Box (36 Packs) of Twilight Masquerade scanned and a holographic card of Zapdos can be identified, other 'Rare' rarity holographic cards were also identified by it's silhouette.
(Image via industrialinspection)
Evolving Skies Elite Trainer Box showing Garbodor VMAX identified through 8 booster packs.
(Image via industrialinspection)
The use of CT scanning in the trading card industry, while still in it's early development, now could significantly change how booster packs are sold and traded.
On the secondary market, older individual booster packs (for example Base set) are often labeled as 'weighed' or 'unweighed' to indicate the chance of a holographic card in a booster pack, affecting their market value. With CT scanning, sellers can verify the contents of a pack without even opening it, potentially transforming the secondary market for trading cards altogether.
A demonstration of this technology is available on okJLUV's YouTube channel, where viewers can get an extensive look at how CT scanning functions and its potential uses in the trading card industry.
What do you think of this? Let us know.
Disclaimer: This article was independently written based on the author's personal research and interest in the topic. Additional information was provided by okJLUV prior to publication; however, this did not influence the content of the article. okJLUV, Industrial Inspection & Consulting LLC and any other parties did not review or approve the article before it was published. Additionally, no compensation was received from any individuals or companies mentioned in the article.
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Well done you just took all the fun out of collecting for people and allowed people to cheat people out of money it shouldn't be allowed
wahhh, cry more about it. Hope your stupid cardboard hits $0 you nerd.
Way to take the fun out it. I really hope this doesn't get released. If whatnot merchant find this out. They would scam customers and they won't even know it
More and more people will start buying singles, only... There are so many dishonest people in the trading card community , already.
The Flipper's are ruining it for real true collector's.
Bad for the hobby. Pokémon company will have to start putting code cards in the front and back of a pack that block this technology
Ben sounds like an absolute loser
I 2nd that!
Yeah, poor Ben sounds like he never had parents that loved him lol
Lol easy solution for companies to stop just put a foil sticker card in the front of every pack as soon as the company finishes wasting their money optimizing their CT process
The cost really seems to outweigh the gain,
This is going to destroy the tcg. We already have people scamming like crazy and now it's just an easier way to do it. Buying older products from secondary sellers is going to be even more risky now.
This mean people who sell vintage box have to do ct scan and box at market value based on the price of cards from ct scan.
Ich will Scannen
How don’t you know they will scan & see something good then send you back a empty hit pack..lol
You think they will let thousands of dollars card packs just go on ….
I don’t know it might get someone thinking lol
You all are scummy. Congrats when you look back on your life you can say I achieve running a hobby that thousands of people love and built communities over for some money.