Abstract: An item checkout apparatus with integrated complimentary antennas which concentrates magnetic fields from both antennas in a volume. The item checkout apparatus includes a sensor for sensing a label on an item, a first antenna oriented in a first plane, and a second antenna oriented in a second plane substantially orthogonal to the first plane, wherein the first and second antennas concentrate first and second magnetic fields in a volume between the first and second antennas, and wherein the sensor is coupled to at least one of the first and second antennas and senses the label as the item passes through the volume.