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TCG Machines’ proprietary PhyzBatch-9000 recognizes and categorizes cards by nearly any metric, including card condition, type, and foil determination.

Organize Your TCG Inventory | TCG Machines

Magic the Gathering Core 2021 9 cat lives

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Two TCG gears silhouetted in black for Safari pinned tab

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Is your business drowning in uncataloged cards? We've built you a motorboat.

We'll get you sorted

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PhyzBatch-9000 double-roller conveyor system

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6 duplicate copies of the same Magic card

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3 Magic cards in varying physical condition

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Up to now, the software performing the dark art of card recognition for our _PhyzBatch-9000_ has been based on a technology known as “image hash comparison”. While incredibly fast-acting, and generally very accurate, image hash comparison has its limitations. To better understand these limitations, let’s first consider how digital image comparison works. One method is to do direct, pixel-by-pixel comparison between two images, but this is horrendously slow and inefficient. Plus, if one image is cropped or changed in some subtle way, a pixel-by-pixel comparison will fail, even if the images look identical to our eyes. 

So, how does one speedily compare images whilst simultaneously accommodating subtle differences in those images? With image hashing! Take, for example, the image of the woman shown below left <cite>[1]</cite>. To change this image from a large file-size object (which takes a lot of computing power to read and manipulate) into something lightweight and easy to work with, we “hash” the original image into a grayscale bunch of blocks which roughly approximate the original image (shown below right). This grayscale, blocky image can then be converted into a string (a sequence of alphanumeric characters) which represents the image. How is this helpful? Well, strings are _A LOT_ faster for a computer to work with than a raw image file.

![Woman with hat looking over shoulder](https://tcgmachinesprod.azureedge.net/strapi/assets/Image_Hashing_909c9578df.webp)

OK, so image hashing is fast and amazing – our problems are solved, let’s all go home! Well, not quite. Because we are using a blocky, grayscale representation of the original image, we lose a lot of detail. When it comes to comparing trading cards, this usually doesn’t matter, but it CAN matter if the differences between two cards are very subtle. Some cases in which image hashing will not be able to accurately distinguish between two cards are: 

(1) When a card is reprinted and there is only a small graphical difference between the cards, such as cards from “The List” in _Magic: The Gathering_

![Side-by-side comparison of Magic card symbology](https://tcgmachinesprod.azureedge.net/strapi/assets/Magic_Card_Difference_84f528ecf3.webp)

(2) when cards have a very similar layout, such as with Pokémon energy cards

![Terminator model T800 speaking](https://tcgmachinesprod.azureedge.net/strapi/assets/Cannot_Differentiate_Pokemon_Cards_d0a959e8fa.webp)

(3) when cards are uniformly light or dark

![2 Swamp Magic cards](https://tcgmachinesprod.azureedge.net/strapi/assets/Dark_Cards_3b7e984ab5.webp)

(4) and for no apparent reason

![Mountain Magic card with arrow pointing to a land card](https://tcgmachinesprod.azureedge.net/strapi/assets/No_Apparent_Reason_b7154d2dd1.webp)

Enter optical character recognition, or OCR! While by no means a new technology (OCR has existed in various forms since the mid-1950s) <cite>[2]</cite>, it’s application in our card sorting robots is very new for us. As the name suggests, OCR translates text from a digital image into actual character strings that can be read and manipulated in a computer program. This gives us a whole new means by which to identify cards, as we can now verify the name of the card, along with a host of other computer-readable texts which are included on most trading cards. For now, we are using this technology to verify card names along with the collector numbers and set code information which is available on Magic cards (from Magic 2015 Core Set onward). 

Once we have ironed out some of the initial kinks, we will be adding a host of new features, such as language detection, premium (foil) determination, differentiation between cards from “The List”, and others! We are continuously making improvements to our software, and we are excited to continue finding and implementing new ways of making our machines more useful for our customers :relaxed:

## References

1. M. Steinebach, "Robust hashing for efficient forensic analysis of image sets," in International Conference on Digital Forensics and Cyber Crime, Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2011. 
2. M. Rufenacht, "The evolution of document capture," parashift, 12 May 2020. [Online]. Available: <a href="https://parashift.io/en/the-evolution-of-document-capture">https://parashift.io/en/the-evolution-of-document-capture</a>. [Accessed 2 March 2023].

Literacy is important, so we taught our machines how to read! This new ability opens the door to lots of exciting new features.

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Our Robots Can Read!

It's hard to believe that two short years ago TCG Machines had no commercial facility, no employees, and just a handful of beta prototype PhyzBatch-9000s operating in a small geographic area. Fast forward to today: we have a dedicated production space, an amazing (and rapidly growing) staff, and scores of machines operating all across North America! Considering that this expansion has taken place against a backdrop of a pandemic, a supply chain crisis, and historic levels of inflation and high interest rates, in addition to the numerous "usual" obstacles and vagaries of running a hardware/software/manufacturing/production/service business (what exactly are we, anyway?), and it's pretty amazing to see how far we've come.

For that, I have our beautiful, exceptional, goofy, intelligent, diligent, and hard-working team to thank. At the end of the day, a company is just a group of people, and I am very proud of the people who make up our company. Thus, with much fanfare and trumpeting, I am ecstatic to announce that we just shipped out our 100th PhyzBatch-9000! Yes, we still have a ways to go before we are finally get caught up to our backlog, but we’re really cookin’ with gas now.

![TCG Machines silly company photo of staff and machine](https://tcgmachinesprod.azureedge.net/strapi/assets/2023_jan_company_photo_silly_d922fb9c69.webp)

In other good news, the CRA audit which I made mention of in a previous post ([Running a Business Be Like](https://tcgmachines.com/blog/running-a-business-be-like)), has finally concluded. The results? Both the technical and financial auditors were perfectly satisfied with their findings (meaning no adjustments were needed on our tax returns or SR&ED claims). We were first notified of the impending audit in September, 2022, so the whole audit process spanned six months (such fun!), but the upshot is that all of our financials and technical operations are above board. Not only are we a very good looking and hard working company, but we are also scrupulous and legitimate in our conduct – no tax evasion or misrepresentation to be found here! 

What’s next for TCG Machines? Well, I spoke to the high-level prospects in a January interview (<a href="https://madeinca.ca/graeme-gordon-tcg-machines/" target="_blank">Made in CA interview</a>), but on a more immediate timeline, it’s all about improvements to our existing software and the development of new features. We have put a lot of focus, time, and effort into getting the Production Team running at peak efficiency, and now it’s time for the Development Team to take centre stage! Speaking of, I need to stop writing this blog post and get back to coding.

Production models of the PhyzBatch-9000 card sorting machine first shipped out in June 2022, and today we deployed our 100th machine!

Powerful woman in color amidst a faded out army

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100 Machines

One of the most hotly requested features our customers have asked for has been the implementation of “buy lists”, “pick lists”, “stock lists”, “deck lists”… you get the picture. There are infinite use cases in which a sorting session with a PhyzBatch-9000 may be enhanced and improved through the use of a custom curated card list. But hey, I’m not here to tell you how to sort your cards, instead I’ll just introduce you to our newest software feature: Lists!

Next time you log into the User Interface, you will see a new “Lists” option in the top banner menu.


 <img src="https://tcgmachinesprod.azureedge.net/strapi/assets/lists_header_560x70_f6b8ce0695.webp" alt="Header navigation with a chalk arrow pointing to Lists" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" />


Clicking into this new tab will bring you to the Lists page, where you will see options for importing existing lists, and for creating new lists.


 <img src="https://tcgmachinesprod.azureedge.net/strapi/assets/import_or_create_list_232x60_8118ac1233.webp" alt="Import and Create List buttons" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" />


So which option should you choose? 

## Import 

Well, if you’re a spreadsheet-savvy individual and you already have loads of lists on other platforms, or perhaps you maintain your own in-house inventory, then the “Import” option is for you! Simply drag and drop an existing CSV list in the proper format, and bam – your list is now accessible from within TCG Machines’ online inventory system. To make sure your list is formatted correctly, please check out the example lists provided for both Magic and Pokémon cards. You will find links to these resources directly from the Import List modal:


 <img src="https://tcgmachinesprod.azureedge.net/strapi/assets/import_guide_and_sample_csv_648x293_8b90e6bfd3.webp" alt="Step 1 of the import list modal with circled link section" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" />


## Create List 

If you don’t have pre-built lists available, then you’ll want to make a new one from scratch using the “Create List” option. You will be prompted to choose the trading card game (TCG) from which your new list will be composed, and then you may search the full database of cards to select the ones you’d like to add to your new list.


 <img src="https://tcgmachinesprod.azureedge.net/strapi/assets/edit_list_648x423_bea05faf22.webp" alt="Edit List modal with autocomplete search results" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" />


## Editing Your Lists 

Once you have a list with some cards in it, you will notice options for each of the cards, namely: "Foil Type", "Min Qty", and "Max Qty". As you might guess, the Foil Type option allows you to specify whether you would like a foil or normal version of each card (or if you don’t care, you can pick "Any"). If you are planning on using your list as the criteria for a Lot (please see our previous blog article: [Advanced Sort Mode](https://tcgmachines.com/blog/advanced-sort-mode)), then the Min Qty and Max Qty options let you constrain the number of copies for each card to your desired output. Lastly, you will notice a red trash can icon which lets you remove cards from your list. Once your list has been edited to your liking, you are ready to load your newly created list into a sorting session! 

## Sorting with Lists

Firstly, make sure you have Advanced Bin Options (AKA "Advanced Sort Mode") toggled on from your My Profile / Settings page.


 <img src="https://tcgmachinesprod.azureedge.net/strapi/assets/toggle_advanced_bin_options_on_648x508_e2e8349dbb.webp" alt="Profile settings page with chalk circling and pointing to the Advanced Bin Options Visibility setting" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" />


Next, navigate over to the Sort page as you normally would to start a new sorting session. Select the orange “Advanced Options” button on one of the Bins, and you will see a new “Card List” option.


 <img src="https://tcgmachinesprod.azureedge.net/strapi/assets/toggle_bin_to_card_list_583x571_93124f3def.webp" alt="Advanced Sorting Options modal with chalk circling and pointing to the new Card List view toggle button" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" />


Toggle the Card List option on, and you will be able to search for and select any of the lists you have created or uploaded. As you sort, if cards match the criteria on the selected list, they will be sent to this Bin.


 <img src="https://tcgmachinesprod.azureedge.net/strapi/assets/select_list_for_bin_581x366_61e7a2cb4a.webp" alt="Advanced Bin Options Card List autocomplete results" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" />


That pretty well sums up how the new Lists feature works, but I’ll throw in a quick "gotcha" about Min/Max Qty and Lot Size. If you have any minimum and/or maximum quantities set for a list, you MUST specify a size ("Lot Size"), otherwise any Min/Max Qty settings you have entered will be ignored. If you don’t have a size limit, the minimum and maximum settings have no effect, as the criteria is open-ended and the list will never be complete. When you do specify a Lot Size, let’s say 100 cards, then your minimums and maximums will be effective, and you will be notified when your list of cards has been completely filled. If you just want cards that appear on your list to go to a Bin, and you don’t care about minimums and maximums, then you can happily ignore this "gotcha".


 <img src="https://tcgmachinesprod.azureedge.net/strapi/assets/must_have_lot_size_570x562_50e7e7587a.webp" alt="Advanced Bin Options modal showing recommendation to set Lot Size" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" />


For further detail on all things lists, please check out our Knowledge Base article on the subject: <a href="https://support.tcgmachines.com/knowledge/how-to-use-lists" target="_blank">https://support.tcgmachines.com/knowledge/how-to-use-lists</a>.

Goodness, I’ve said “lists” way too many times in this article, and now the word has lost all meaning for me. Amazingly enough, there’s a label for this phenomenon: semantic satiation. 

Ah, and another fun new feature which you may or may not have noticed: you can now enable "dark mode" from the login screen: 


 <img src="https://tcgmachinesprod.azureedge.net/strapi/assets/dark_mode_enabled_502x535_0cbe8a9023.webp" alt="Login page with a chalk arrow pointing to a dark mode toggle button" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" />


Which makes everything delightfully dark and not so glaringly bright. The Development Train is back on the rails!! Many more exciting new features to come. :relaxed:

2022 is over and Santa has put his naughty-nice list away for the year, but here at TCG Machines we’re just getting started with lists!