Real-life X-ray vision has arrived when it comes to the Pokemon TCG and other collectible card games, with a CT scanning service letting people see what’s inside unopened packs.
The Pokemon TCG is both a competitive card game and a collector hobby. Packs mostly contain common cards but there’s always something special that will keep fans hunting. These days, the Pokemon TCG has super illustration rares, full-art supporter cards, and other special inserts that leave collectors hungry to complete their collection.
Of course, opening Pokemon packs is seen as akin to gambling since trainers don’t know what they’re going to get. But this may not be the case in the near future.
YouTuber okJLUV previously made a video that explained how a CT Scan can be used to see inside an unopened pack to reveal what special cards it has. While interesting, most Pokemon TCG fans dismissed the concept for being too expensive and difficult to pull off. But now, a real-life business with medical imaging technology is selling this service.
CT scan services let people see inside Pokemon TCG packs, booster boxes
A company is now offering to scan trading card packs, giving owners “X-ray vision” of what’s inside.
While the idea sounds far-fetched, a company called Industrial Inspection demonstrated that CT scanning Pokemon packs is not difficult. The consulting firm is offering to scan a pack of trading cards for $75. This means collectors can send in their packs and find out what’s inside without ever opening it.
okJLUV tested Industrial Inspection’s CT scanning services himself. He had them scan an Evolving Skies Elite Trainer Box and items from other TCGs including a booster box. The company was able to get some detailed results that allowed okJLUV to see what was in the items without opening them. They picked up a few VMAX cars and other collectible cards inside the box despite the layers of plastic and cardboard.

He showed the results of the scanned items but elements of the cards are completely visible including silhouettes of the Pokemon on holo cards and text and textures on full-art cards.
The YouTuber added that this is just the “early days” of booster box scanning but admitted that what Industrial was able to do was shocking and “mind boggling.” He added that it will only be a “matter of time” before vintage boxes and packs are also easily scanned for contents.
“X-ray vision” would likely kill high-end Pokemon TCG collector values
The ability to accurately see inside Pokemon TCG items would potentially tank the prices of the most expensive cards.
While it’s not like every collector has a CT scanner available in their home or a bank account big enough to spend $75 to scan a pack, companies like Industrial Inspection having this capability is still concerning for the Pokemon TCG community. This means that a lot of sellers and retailers may use this service to figure out what’s inside of their products before selling them.
The impact on modern packs would likely be negligible. Once vintage packs are involved, that changes. Collectors worry that easily finding these rare cards will make them more readily available online and tank their collection’s value. A lot of fans have expressed fear that the entire Pokemon TCG market is going to plummet.
Some Pokemon fans questioned the ethics of this service while others found it pretty exciting, even suggesting it should be at conventions so people can pay to have their product scanned conveniently. Only time will tell how CT scanning will truly impact card collecting.
But some Pokemon collectors have already said they are “selling everything” now before CT scans possibly ruin the market.