Automated Card Grading - Surface

[bks14sr]

This is a concept I’ve thought of before too. I always wondered why a nice vision system was not at least performing some of the assessed grading.

My question is, how do you “set the scale” for what’s considered a perfect card for each manufacturer, yr, etc? Asking, as some variants are not so easy to find perfection.

[kevinlenane]

I think the centering scale suggestions are great ones - w regards to hand cuts etc. it's all a matter of training data so once we detect card type the app can do things that are specifically appropriate for that set. I picked some more mainstream sets to start to get the perfect masks more easily but even in those cases we only need a few examples of some of the cards to basically assemble a perfect version artificially. It's a little hard to explain over the forum - but it amounts to basically using ML to create a flawless version of a card based on variations between a different card that's been graded a few times.

[steve B]

What is ML?

[swarmee]

Originally Posted by steve B

What is ML?

Machine Learning.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by swarmee

Machine Learning.

Totally spaced on that one. I'm not used to some of the acronyms these days.

[68Hawk]

What's interesting to me is that graders already do much of what is being described in this thread but collectors don't believe that all that criteria has been evaluated and resulted in the end grade.
But tell those same collectors that a computer with zero conflict or skin in the game has arrived at the exact same grade and there will be less argument.
I guess that's progress for some.

Imagine now that the machines become predominant graders of cards, and someone cracks out a card and shows the evaluation was incorrect for flawed data or programming....2 years AFTER first submissions have been taken and millions of graded cards later.
EVERY single card evaluated to that point could be considered a candidate for inaccurate grading because one incorrect application of ML can be extrapolated and cancerous to ALL its evaluations, not simply the vagaries of opinion of one grader to another.
Will all your hobby concerns float away magically with this panacea?
I think not.
But good luck.

[swarmee]

Originally Posted by 68Hawk

Imagine now that the machines become predominant graders of cards, and someone cracks out a card and shows the evaluation was incorrect for flawed data or programming....2 years AFTER first submissions have been taken and millions of graded cards later.

That's one reason I'm asking so many questions now. If they just start grading without having a finely tuned system, the grades will be inadequate. Consistency is required of a grading company or tool.