Norton Shores, Mich.
There is nothing outside that suggests the machines sitting inside this gray, nondescript building in an industrial office center could disrupt the trading card industry.
A Sudden Shift in the Collectibles World
Sign your name on the clipboard just past the entrance. Walk by a long table with pizza boxes next to a refrigerator and it all feels pretty normal. It’s not until you turn the corner and see millions of dollars worth of machinery in an open space flanked by a giant American flag on the wall that it starts to feel different. When you’re asked not to take certain pictures or video because of the required privacy of inventory nearby, yeah, that’s when everything changes.
The Rise of CT Scanning
The goal? To use the technology at Industrial Inspection and Consulting to see what’s inside without breaking the plastic wrapping that traditionally indicates an unsealed, untouched, and unexamined package of cards.
For most of its history, buying and selling packs and boxes of trading cards was a game of chance with neither the buyer nor the seller knowing the results.
A New Era in Card Collecting
"The product is designed to be a mystery," said Keith Irwin, the general manager of Industrial Inspection and Consulting.
And if it wants to stay that way?
"They’ll need to find new packaging solutions," he said.
IIC went from a company focusing primarily on industrial X-rays and CT scans within the medical and aerospace fields to potentially taking the cover off the trading card industry without taking the cover off any product at all. And in the process, they say, their company – with no prior connections to the trading card industry – has earned thousands of satisfied customers in the collectibles space. All electing for a sneak peek at their cards before tearing the packs or boxes open, circumventing the mystery that has long been a central element of these products.
The Rise of CT Scanning in the Trading Card Industry
The service caters to high-end products manufactured by Topps, Panini, and Upper Deck, with the technology best suited to reveal cards in densely packed configurations. Take a 2023 Panini Flawless Football First Off The Line case for instance. Each case comes with two boxes. Each box comes with one pack of 10 cards. At $15,000 a case, it certainly makes economic sense that collectors are willing to pay IIC the going rate of $650 per case of that product to get a CT scan and see whether there’s something inside that they want, or to keep the package sealed and sell it to someone else.
The Ethical Dilemma
The economics are easy. But the ethical dilemma isn’t for this group of non-collectors in western Michigan whose industrial scanning start-up has received a financial windfall from those in the hobby willing to pay for a preview.
"We’ve had to wrestle with that as a team and some of us think differently about it," Irwin said. "So some of us say ‘It is what it is. We can do it (scan products).’ And others say, ‘This feels like we’re participating in something that is very much in a gray area.’ And we still wrestle with it. I think where we land is that we are data people and we’re very good at what we do. And if we’re not doing it, then somebody else will."
The Future of Card Collecting
The company’s website states, "Pandora’s box is open," which is an interesting choice of words considering the controversial practice involves not opening the sports card box at all.
"I think that you can probably draw a lot of correlations to different industries that have been negatively impacted by a group or a large number of groups that figure out a way to get an edge," said Zach Stanley, CEO of WeTheHobby, one of more prominent online card dealers and box breakers (the practice of opening boxes of cards in larger quantities after customers buy the rights to all the cards of specific teams, players, etc. that may come out of them) within the industry.
The Concerns and Controversies
The technology has sparked concerns and controversies within the industry, with some questioning the ethics of using CT scanning to view the contents of sealed packages.
"I think ultimately they took the stance of Napster in a way, like they’re not committing fraud," said Nick Andrews, co-host of the Sports Card Madness podcast. "What these people do with these CT scan(ned) cards is not their problem. You know, they’re not the shepherds or steward of the hobby."
The Future of Card Collecting: Uncertain
The future of card collecting is uncertain, with some predicting that the use of CT scanning will lead to a decline in the value of sealed products.
"I think the hobby will evolve," Irwin said. "I think the way it evolves is that people will be more discerning about who they buy from. And I think that people will start to demand more transparency in the industry."
Conclusion
As the use of CT scanning continues to grow, it remains to be seen how it will impact the trading card industry. While some see it as a game-changer, others view it as a threat to the traditional way of collecting.
FAQs
Q: What is CT scanning in the context of trading cards?
A: CT scanning is the use of computed tomography technology to view the contents of sealed packages without opening them.
Q: Is CT scanning legal in the context of trading cards?
A: Yes, CT scanning is legal, but some argue that it is unethical and potentially fraudulent.
Q: How does CT scanning work?
A: CT scanning uses X-ray technology to create detailed images of the contents of a package, allowing users to view the contents without opening them.
Q: What are the benefits of CT scanning in the context of trading cards?
A: CT scanning allows collectors to view the contents of a package without opening it, potentially reducing the risk of buying a package that does not contain the desired card.
Q: What are the drawbacks of CT scanning in the context of trading cards?
A: CT scanning can be expensive, and some argue that it is unethical and potentially fraudulent. Additionally, it can lead to a decline in the value of sealed products.