How do I tell which printing of a Magic card I have?

Where to look, by age of the card

• Since March of the Machine (2023). The bottom left line starts with the rarity letter, followed by a four-digit number, and below it the set code and the language. There is no slash and no set total any more. The number 0100 is the same number as 100.
• Magic 2015 (July 2014) to 2023. The same information in the older order: number with set total, rarity letter, then set code and language, for example 87/281 R above M15 • EN.
• Exodus (1998) to early 2014. A collector number such as 87/281, but no set code and no language code. The set shows only as the symbol to the right of the type line. The number tells you the position in a set, not which set.
• Before Exodus. No collector number. Expansions show a set symbol; the core sets up to Fifth Edition print none at all. What is left is the border colour, the copyright year and the wording of the card. Limited Edition Alpha and Beta have black borders, Unlimited the same cards with white borders.

The set code is usually three letters or digits (FDN, M15, 2X2). It is the most useful thing on the card for a seller: it is short, buyers search for it and it does not depend on recognising a symbol.

Why the artwork does not decide

Reprints often reuse the artwork of an earlier printing, so two cards can look the same at first sight and belong to different sets at different prices. Check the printed line or the symbol, not the picture. The reverse is also true: a card that looks old is not always old. Retro-frame reprints, for example in Modern Horizons 2 (2021), have the old look and still carry the modern bottom line.

Collector numbers are not always plain numbers

A collector number can carry letters or symbols, and the catalog uses them to keep printings apart. Real examples: a Secret Lair Drop printing of Lightning Bolt exists as 1638 (non-foil) and as 1638★ (foil), and promo printings can be numbered like 113p. Treat the number as text: 123 and 123★ are two different printings, and leaving out the symbol points the buyer at the wrong one. Very old cards that print no number at all still have one in card databases.

Two special cases

• Reprints with a small planeswalker symbol. Cards from The List and Mystery Booster carry a small planeswalker symbol at the bottom left and can show the code of their original set. They are their own printings. Check for the symbol, because a set code alone can point to the original.
• The small oval holofoil stamp on rares. It says nothing about the printing and does not make a card foil. See foil vs non-foil vs etched.

How NeoSatoshi finds the printing

1. It identifies the card from its printed text, not from the artwork.
2. It looks for the printed set code and number, and compares them with the printings of this card in the language of your copy. When they fit one printing, that printing is set, with its price.
3. A card that exists in only one printing in its language needs no choice.
4. If nothing decides it, because the card is older than the set code, or the code is worn, covered or lost in glare, the row shows Printing unknown in the Printed code column and has no price. It is never filled with a minimum price or the cheapest printing, and until you pick, the image can show another artwork.

So the scan does not always find the printing. It reads text, not set symbols, so on cards from before 2014 the choice usually stays with you.

How to pick a printing in step 2

1. Cards without a known printing go through step 2 of Listing Cards by themselves.
2. Each tile shows the card image, number, set name, set code, rarity and price.
3. If the right one is missing, click Show all printings of this card. It loads up to 150 printings in the language of your copy, newest first. A basic land can have more than that; then the oldest ones are not in the list.
4. On an old card, compare the set symbol, border and frame of your copy with the tile images.
5. Click the tile. The price of that printing is now used in the table, the exports and the drafts.
6. Picked the wrong one? Mark the row Incorrect and pick again in step 2.

The manual search finds a card by its English or German name, not by set code or number, so choose the printing after the search. For the whole workflow see how to sell Magic cards online and the Magic listing software page.

How the printing reaches your listing

• eBay. Set code, set name and number go into the title after the card name, and the card number item specific keeps the number as written, symbols included.
• Shopify. One product per printing, with the set code and number in the title, for example [GN3-83].
• Cardmarket through TCGPowerTools. The CSV names the Cardmarket product of that printing. A row without a known printing gets no product and no price, and the export reports it as missing.
• Daily price sync (Business plan and up). It prices exactly the listed printing. A card listed without a known printing is skipped.

Checklist

• Bottom left line read: set code, number and language.
• Letters and symbols in the number kept.
• No set code on the card: symbol, border and frame compared with the printings.
• Small planeswalker symbol at the bottom left looked for.
• Finish checked separately, because the printing does not tell you whether your copy is foil.

Frequently asked questions

Why do old Magic cards have no set code?

The set code and the language code were only added to the printed line with the Magic 2015 frame change in 2014. Older cards rely on the set symbol, and the earliest core sets have none.

Can the rarity tell me the printing?

It narrows it down, but it does not decide it. A card can be common in one set and uncommon in another, and several printings can share a rarity. In NeoSatoshi the rarity comes with the printing, so there is nothing to choose.

Why is my card without a price?

Its printing is still open. Prices belong to a printing, so NeoSatoshi shows none until you pick one in step 2.

Does the scan read the set symbol?

No, it reads the printed text. That is why a card without a set code usually waits for your choice.