Back to blog
guide
5 min read

How to Scan Magic Cards to Determine Their Value?

Learn to scan your Magic cards quickly and identify their market value in seconds with our image recognition technology.

November 10, 2025
MTG Trade Team

You own a Magic: The Gathering card collection and wonder how much they're worth? Automatic card scanning has become the fastest and most accurate method to assess your Magic cards' value.

2 min
to scan a page
99%
accuracy
30K+
editions recognized

Why Scan Your Magic Cards?

Scanning Magic cards offers several major advantages:

⚡ Extreme Speed

Scan an entire binder page in seconds. No more hours spent looking up prices one by one.

🎯 AI Precision

Our technology automatically identifies each card, its exact edition, and even variants (foil, showcase).

💰 Real-time Prices

Instantly get current market value based on the latest sales data.

📚 Automatic Catalog

Your cards are automatically organized in your digital collection for easy tracking.

How Does Card Scanning Work on MTG Trade?

Our platform uses advanced image recognition technology to identify your Magic cards:

  1. Take a photo: Simply photograph a page of your binder with your smartphone
  2. Automatic analysis: Our AI detects and identifies each visible card on the page
  3. Database matching: Each card is matched with its edition, collector number, and variants
  4. Price evaluation: The system retrieves current market prices for each identified card

💡 Tip: For best results, place your cards well-aligned in sleeves and ensure good lighting without reflections.

What Information Do You Get When Scanning Your Cards?

When you scan a Magic card with MTG Trade, you get:

  • The exact name of the card
  • The edition and collector number
  • The rarity (common, uncommon, rare, mythic)
  • The current market price based on recent sales
  • Available variants (normal, foil, borderless versions, etc.)
  • Price history to track value evolution

Tips for Optimal Scanning

📸 Ideal scanning conditions:

  • Uniform lighting: Avoid glare and shadows
  • Complete framing: Make sure the entire binder page is visible
  • Sharp photo: Hold your device steady to avoid blur
  • Organized pages: Cards well-aligned in sleeves are easier to detect

Beyond Valuation: Manage Your Collection

Once your cards are scanned, MTG Trade allows you to:

  • Organize your collection by edition, color, or value
  • Track the evolution of your collection's total value
  • Identify sought-after cards to complete your decks
  • Find local trades with other collectors near you
  • Create a wishlist of cards you're looking for

Start Scanning Now

Ready to discover the real value of your collection? Create your free MTG Trade account and scan your first page in less than 2 minutes. Our technology supports all Magic editions, from the oldest to the most recent.

⚠️ Save your time: No need to manually enter each card or search for prices one by one. With MTG Trade, your collection is digitized and valued automatically.

Scan Your Collection Now

Discover the value of your Magic cards in seconds

Scan My First Page