CT (X-ray) Scanning Collectibles

[CT | 164]

Firstly sorry about the confusion, this is about using X-ray's to scan collectibiles (not myself scanning anything ).

But CT scans have recently rocked the trading card world, as high end boxes can be scanned to see whats inside. Individual packs can be scanned to see whats inside.

However, in my opinion, this could be good for sealed video games since we could see whats exactly inside, and perhaps even know the condition of the contents of a sealed game.

What are your thoughts? Here's a company scanning packs of cards for $75 https://industrialinspection.com/card-ct-scanning-service/ and from my understanding it's not too challenging to buy a CT machine.

Edited August 16 by CT

[spacepup | 2,481]

I'm personally glad I don't collect anything where I have to worry about, or have any interest in, needing to x-ray scan items to check contents.  I can see the potential reasons why someone might want to do this or how it could be helpful, but it just isn't for me.

The only other comment I have, is that I hope people are VERY careful with this - if someone decides to setup some kind of DIY cheap X-Ray machine, it could be very dangerous if they aren't careful or don't know what they are doing.  Please be safe out there!

[RH | 5,196]

Well, the thing is this now makes sealed boxes of things like pokemon cards worth a lot less.  Who'd buy a $100k box when you know, almost for a fact, that this has been scanned before it's sold.  Sure, there might be a $10k card in there, but you sure aren't ever going to find a charizard!

So the prices of boxes may likely go down.  Also, if you own a box you bough 15-20  years and you've held onto because, well, why wouldn't you?  At this point, you should pay the fee, see if you have a really, really expensive card and, if not, just sell the box NOW.

That'd be my thought but, honestly, I don't know.  There's no doubt in my mind that places like HA and Goldin will start scanning their boxes if this is now a thing and, surly, someone's going to write a simple AI tool to identify rare cards form CT scans.

[CT | 164]

2 hours ago, RH said:

Well, the thing is this now makes sealed boxes of things like pokemon cards worth a lot less.  Who'd buy a $100k box when you know, almost for a fact, that this has been scanned before it's sold.

100%

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,042]

Idk if anyone remembers buying booster packs back in the day, but the holo cards are bent so you could feel to see if the pack had any cards that were bent a little. From my understanding, that's what the CT scan is looking for. Idk if they can. Tell the specific cards. 

Edit

I was wrong. They can see the texture, name, words, patterns, ect. Booster box scanning has to have been happening for years if it's this accurate. 

Edited August 17 by RegularGuyGamer

[RH | 5,196]

3 hours ago, RegularGuyGamer said:

Idk if anyone remembers buying booster packs back in the day, but the holo cards are bent so you could feel to see if the pack had any cards that were bent a little. From my understanding, that's what the CT scan is looking for. Idk if they can. Tell the specific cards. 

The CT scans in the link do, in fact, show some definition to the foiled cards. You can clearly make out the wings of Charizard.

[Code Monkey | 2,127]

IT'd be easy to use machine learning to tell you exactly which card you have in there.

I've always been surprised Wata hasn't been doing this earlier. You can always presume you have the rarer Gotcha! or Stinger variant but scanning it will tell you for sure.

[GPX | 1,403]

I think with the rate of repros that are out there, grading of games for the high-end condition will become more a necessity rather than not. Scanning sealed items seems practical in some cases of suspicion, and seems like a plausible step in the evolution of graded games.

[Hammerfestus | 4,099]

There’s no need to pay these guys.  Book yourself a cheap Spirit flight, toss a big bottle of water in your bag with the box of cards, and proceed as normal.  They will pull your bag and bring up the image at the table.  Voila.  You can see them foils for yourself.  

The nice officer will even help you open the box up.

[CT | 164]

I’m torn trying to predict whether Wata or other grading companies will add a CT scan to their services. 

On the plus side for them, they could upcharge the customer. And it would be great for the customer to verify what’s inside these sealed games.

But for the customers, would it devalue all their grades that didn’t get CT scanned?

”here’s my 9.8 A++ sealed game, really good right?”

”wheres the CT scan? Get that junk out of here”

Side note: curious why L. Paul didn’t CT scan that Pokémon box he got that ended up with G.I. Joe cards inside.

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,042]

16 minutes ago, CT said:

 

Side note: curious why L. Paul didn’t CT scan that Pokémon box he got that ended up with G.I. Joe cards inside.

I don't think just necessarily bc you're a high roller means you're in the "in crowd". He seems more like a guy ppl try to knowingly upsell than someone who is active in the community learning the secrets

[xelement5x | 109]

Just wild that it costs $75 for a scan and analysis of a bunch of cardboard, yet a CT scan for a human is normally at least several hundred dollars plus diagnostic fees for someone to interpret it.  

[3rdStrongestMole | 439]

I hate this for trading cards. It seems like there's always something else coming out to devalue them or make it impossible to buy online.

Like, I'm 100% never buying a sealed box of anything from an online seller now if they can pay $75 to get it scanned. I understand it wouldn't be worth it for them if it was a lower value item, but I'm talking more high-end sports cards (immaculate, etc.) and Pokemon booster boxes.

For video games, I see no downside.

Edited August 23 by 3rdStrongestMole

[Jfreakofkorn | 303]

[Tyree_Cooper | 844]

How does that work if several cards are stacked, or if there are manuals papers and posters stacked? I don't see how it helps unless there is a single item inside.

What else can USA do for humanity today?

[Nintegageo | 583]

A long time ago I posted (on here or NA, can't remember which) whether sealed collectors would care about the condition of things inside, using x-ray or whatever. I was told no, just the outside matters. I was actually pretty surprised, cause I would certainly care. 

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,042]

On 8/23/2024 at 12:53 PM, 3rdStrongestMole said:

, I'm 100% never buying a sealed box of anything from an online seller now if they can pay $75 to get it scanned. I understand it wouldn't be worth it for them if it was a lower value item, but I'm talking more high-end sports cards (immaculate, etc.) and Pokemon booster boxes

They want $75 per pack. Or like $60 for each for a bundle. To get a booster box scanned it'd cost at least $2k just from the price breakdown. So we're talking about it only being worth it for 1st edition vintage boosters. You can break the packs then weigh the heavies, the scan all the heavies. 

Idk tho tbh bc even pack fresh vintage don't get 10s from PSA. Getting no print lines and centering from those early runs is tough. I saw a guy pull a shadowless Charizard and it has 2 fat print lines and it came back a PSA7. So even scanning you're still gambling. 

I think it would be more for collectors just to have and to hold knowing there's a zard in there would get a huge premium.

[xelement5x | 109]

On 8/25/2024 at 6:18 AM, RegularGuyGamer said:

I think it would be more for collectors just to have and to hold knowing there's a zard in there would get a huge premium.

Just reading this makes me think of people grading a sealed pack with a known high value card in it and attempting to sell it for some absurd amount.

[The Count | 594]

This would be very useful for scanning old cigarette packs such as Piedmont, for example. I recall someone opening an old cigarette pack and while it should have had a card, it did not.

[DefaultGen | 5,723]

IMO if you have a PSA 10 1st edition Charizard, it is trash now. You can now have a sealed Charizard. You might as we be collecting CIB video games with the other poors.

[DefaultGen | 5,723]

The logical next step is grading cards within CT scans using the image data. You might have a sealed Blastoise, but is CT-PSA 10?

[ThePhleo | 2,264]

12 minutes ago, DefaultGen said:

IMO if you have a PSA 10 1st edition Charizard, it is trash now. You can now have a sealed Charizard. You might as we be collecting CIB video games with the other poors.

Seriously, $75 for scanning?

I'd rather own a sealed 1st Ed. Charizard over a graded PSA 10 1st Ed. Charizard...and then I'd just grade the pack.

[DefaultGen | 5,723]

51 minutes ago, ThePhleo said:

Seriously, $75 for scanning?

I'd rather own a sealed 1st Ed. Charizard over a graded PSA 10 1st Ed. Charizard...and then I'd just grade the pack.

I agree and thus we have finally sucked the last bit of joy and wonder out of the pointless hobby of collecting bits of nostalgic cardboard.

The future is a sealed shipping crate, x-rayed with a spreadsheet manifest of all contents, tabulated and calculated, locked in an investment vault to ensure no one ever opens it.

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,042]

I don't think this takes away from the value of the cards as much as it adds a new tier of value. Now, if you have heavy base set pack, what is the excuse that it's not scanned? Shouldn't all heavies been scanned now given that the mask is off? 

I think that now that it's an option, it will be the standard And the premium will be placed on all scanned packs first. Heavy packs without it will be looked at sceptically. 

For reference, heavy non first addition vintage packs routinely sell for $800+. What's another $75 to know what's in it and potentially 5x the value. 

[phart010 | 1,779]

Yea now people are gonna start selling “sealed” Charizards