Certified Collectibles Group

What Certified Collectibles Group does

Certified Collectibles Group (CCG) is a private, multi-brand authentication and grading platform for collectibles, headquartered in Sarasota, Florida. Founded in 1987 with the launch of NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Company) for coin grading, CCG has expanded over nearly four decades to operate divisions spanning coins (NGC, since 1987), paper money (PMG, since 2005), comic books (CGC, since 2000), trading cards (CGC Cards, since 2020, consolidated from CGC Trading Cards and CSG in 2023), stamps (ASG, since 2017), video games (CGC Video Games), home video (CGC Home Video), and, following the March 2024 acquisition of JSA, autograph authentication. CCG is the official grading service of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG) for coins and paper money, and operates with eight global offices across the US, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific, having certified over 110 million collectibles across its divisions.

CCG's core technology is expert human-led authentication and grading, supported by proprietary encapsulation holders (including a patent-pending holder for ASG stamps), grading databases and registries across divisions, and research tools such as population reports and price guides. The Collectors Society membership platform provides recurring access to registries, forums, and submission privileges across all brands. Customer segments span individual collectors (coin, paper money, comic, trading card, and stamp enthusiasts), professional dealers requiring volume turnaround, and enterprise accounts including major auction houses such as Christie's and Heritage Auctions and high-profile collections such as the Jim Irsay Collection.

CCG generates revenue primarily through usage-based per-submission fees for authentication, grading, and encapsulation (for example, CGC Cards grading starts at $17 per card with a 30-day turnaround, positioned against PSA's $24.99 per card at 45 days), supplemented by annual Collectors Society membership subscriptions, add-on services such as NCS conservation and CGC Signature Series, and ancillary supply partnerships (e.g., Whitman Publishing). Since 2021, CCG has been majority-owned by Blackstone at a $500 million enterprise value, with additional strategic investment from Fanatics founder Michael Rubin and Roc Nation. The company distributes through direct online submission, official submission centers, authorized dealers, auction house partnerships, and on-site grading at trade shows.

Name

Certified Collectibles Group

Legal name

Certified Collectibles Group, LLC

Website

https://www.collectiblesgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Certified Collectibles Group operates NGC, PMG, CGC, CGC Cards, ASG, and JSA to provide third-party authentication, grading, and encapsulation services for coins, paper money, comics, trading cards, stamps, video games, and autographs, serving individual collectors, dealers, and major auction houses globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Collectibles Authentication and Grading Services

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912)

SIC

Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies (7320), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Collectible Card Games (CCG/TCG) Retail (CRALAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sports Collectibles Grading & Authentication Services (CRAMAOAH)

Keywords

• Collectibles authentication services
• Coin grading services
• Trading card certification
• Comic book grading
• Stamp authentication

Headquarters

HQ city

Sarasota

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Grading and Authentication Services: Per-submission fees for authentication and grading services. Customers pay based on the type and value of collectible submitted for certification.
2. Collectors Society Membership: Annual membership program providing benefits and preferential pricing for submitters
3. Encapsulation Services: Professional encapsulation of certified items in protective holders

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Certified Collectibles Group provides independent, third-party authentication, grading, and encapsulation services for collectibles across multiple categories — coins (NGC), paper money (PMG), comics (CGC), trading cards (CGC Cards), video games (CGC Video Games), home video, stamps (ASG), and autographs (JSA) — for individual collectors, dealers, and major auction houses. Customers submit items directly or through authorized submission centers, receive a standardized grade and certificate, and gain access to shared registries and research tools.

Product overview

Certified Collectibles Group (CCG) operates a multi-brand platform providing expert, impartial authentication and grading services for collectibles. The portfolio spans six core product lines: NGC (coins, since 1987), PMG (paper money, since 2005), CGC (comics, since 2000), CGC Cards (trading cards, since 2020), CGC Video Games (video games), and ASG (stamps, since 2017). Following the March 2024 acquisition of JSA, CCG added autograph authentication services. These divisions share common infrastructure including the Collectors Society membership platform, registry services, research tools (census/population reports, price guides), and conservation services. CGC Cards was formed in 2023 by consolidating CGC Trading Cards and CSG into a unified brand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Company) Third-party coin grading service providing authentication, grading, and encapsulation for collectible coins, tokens, and medals, used by individual collectors, dealers, and auction houses. NGC is the official grading service of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG).
• PMG (Paper Money Guaranty) World's largest third-party paper money grading service providing authentication, grading, and encapsulation for banknotes, used by collectors and dealers. PMG is the official paper money grading service of the ANA and PNG.
• CGC (Certified Guaranty Company) Independent third-party comic book grading service providing authentication, grading, and encapsulation for comics, magazines, lobby cards, and vintage photographs, including pressing and restoration services.
• CGC Cards Trading card grading division providing expert authentication, grading, and encapsulation for TCGs (Pokémon, Magic, Dragon Ball Super), sports cards (Topps, Panini, Upper Deck), and non-sports cards.
• CGC Video Games

Quantifiable outcome

• CGC Cards offers 30-day turnaround at $17 vs PSA's 45-day turnaround at $24.99 - faster and more affordable

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• JSA (James Spence Authentication)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2024Strategic acquisition of James Spence Authentication, the leading authentication service for autographs and signed memorabilia. This acquisition on March 20, 2024 significantly expands CCG's authentication capabilities beyond collectibles into the autograph market.
• Whitman PublishingOthersOfficial supply store partnership providing authentication supplies, grading submission materials, and collectibles-related products to CCG customers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Beckett Grading Services (BGS): Long-standing third-party grading service for trading cards, also operating Beckett Authentication Services (BAS) for autographs. Directly competes with CGC Cards and JSA in the same submitters and auction-house channels.
• ANACS: Long-established alternative coin grading service. Competes with NGC for collector submissions and dealer volume in the numismatic vertical.
• Sportscard Guaranty Corporation (SGC): Specialist third-party grader focused on sports cards. Competes directly with CGC Cards on pricing, turnaround, and slabbed inventory for the same collector and dealer customer base.
• CBCS (Comic Book Certification Service): Independent third-party comic book grading service. Directly comparable to and competitive with CGC's comics division for collector and dealer submissions.
• PSA (Collectors Universe / Professional Sports Authenticator): The dominant third-party grading service for trading cards and a leading autograph authenticator (PSA/DNA). Most directly comparable to CCG's CGC Cards and JSA divisions, competing head-to-head on price, turnaround, and slab liquidity.
• Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS): The leading competitor to NGC in third-party coin grading, with similarly established population data and auction-house relationships. Most directly comparable to CCG's NGC division.
• Professional Stamp Experts (PSE): Established US stamp authentication and grading service. Closest direct peer to CCG's ASG division, particularly relevant as ASG expands beyond its initial mainland China focus.
• VGA (Video Game Authority): Third-party video game grading service. Competes with CGC Video Games for collector and dealer submissions in the sealed and graded video game market.
• WATA Games: Specialist video game grading service. Competes directly with CGC Video Games for grading of retro and modern console games across Nintendo, Sega, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms.

Emerging players

• TAG Grading: Newer trading card grading entrant with a focus on tech-enabled submission workflows. Partial overlap with CGC Cards on sports and TCG submitters, particularly through online/direct channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ccgcertified
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCqRyAYkQNVGHF5G4j9LCMVQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/NGCcoin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/collectiblesgroup
• Instagraminstagram.com/ngccoins

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Certified Collectibles Group