Collectors Universe Inc. is an American company formed in 1986, now based in
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana () is the second most populous city and the county seat of Orange County, California. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census, making Santa Ana the List of ...
, which provides third-party authentication and grading services to collectors, retail buyers and sellers of
collectibles
A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types of collectables and terms t ...
. Its authentication services focus on coins, trading cards, sports memorabilia, and autographs. The company reached the combined total of 75 million certified collectibles in 2019. Collectors Universe is also a publisher in fields relating to collecting.
The company engages in
business-to-business
Business-to-business (B2B or, in some countries, BtoB) is a situation where one business makes a commercial transaction with another. This typically occurs when:
* A business is sourcing materials for their production process for output (e.g., a ...
market for certified coins under Certified Coin Exchange, and a business-to-consumer under Collectors Corner. PCGS Coin Authentication and Grading Services focuses on coins market and have authenticated and graded over 42.5 million coins, medals, and tokens with an estimated market value of over $36 billion.
History
In 2000, Collectors Universe acquired
James J. Spence, Jr.'s sports autograph authentication company and later acquired privately held Odyssey Publications Inc.
In February 2009, Collectors Universe sold its currency authentication and grading division to a new company formed for the acquisition. On January 30, 2019 it took back the division and has rebranded it PCGS Banknote.
In October 2012, Collectors Universe's division
PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service) authenticated the 25 millionth coin (PCGS Secure Plus MS65) from Japan, being a historical milestone of the company performance.
Professional Sports Authenticator
Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), is a US based sports card and trading card grading company.
History
PSA was launched in July 1991 by David Hall, owner of the coin grading company Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), to serve ...
(PSA) focuses on sports and trading cards market. PSA/DNA Autograph Authentication and Grading Services focuses on the autographs and memorabilia market. In the publishing field, the company publishes ''Rare Coin Market Report'' and ''Sports Market Report'' monthly.
During the
2020 COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Collectors Universe Inc. requested and secured a $4,204,300 forgivable loan under the Paycheck Protection Program set up by the US Congress and signed by President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
. Collectors Universe Inc. subsequently returned the loan money they had received back to the treasury by May 2020.
In November 2020, it was announced that Collectors Universe would be taken private in a $700 million all-cash buyout by hedge fund manager
Steve Cohen Steve, Steven or Stephen Cohen may refer to:
Sportspeople
* Stephan Cohen (born 1971), French pocket billiards player
* Steve Cohen (gymnast) (born 1946), American Olympic gymnast
*Steve Cohen (judoka) (born 1955), American judoka and Olympian
*Ste ...
,
D1 Capital Partners, and collector Nat Turner in the first quarter of 2021. Among the reasons for the purchase was increased interest in collecting by consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Collectors Universe acquired
Wata Games in July 2021. Wata Games, since around 2018, had become the video game industry's leading evaluator for
video game collectibles, typically evaluating the condition of sealed games before they were auctioned for sale by
Heritage Auctions
Heritage Auctions is an American multi-national auction house based in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1976, Heritage is an auctioneer of numismatic collections, comics, fine art, books, luxury accessories, real estate, and memorabilia from film, mu ...
.
References
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External links
Official Website
Business services companies established in 1986
Companies formerly listed on the Nasdaq