What Collectible Grading Authority does

Collectible Grading Authority (CGA), founded in 2000 and headquartered in Roswell, Georgia, is a specialized collectibles authentication and grading company operating through three brand pillars: the parent CGA brand, the Action Figure Authority (AFA) sub-brand, and the Video Game Authority (VGA) sub-brand. The company provides expert human grading, condition assessment, and serial-number verification for collectible toys, action figures, and video games, supported by online population reports and a submissions portal (apps.cgagrading.com). CGA complements its grading services with a complementary product line of custom-fit, museum-quality acrylic display cases manufactured in the USA using UV-resistant UF-5 acrylic material and flame-polished edges.

CGA operates a product-led, direct-to-consumer model through its e-commerce storefront at cgagrading.com. Revenue is generated from three streams: per-submission grading fees (transactional), made-to-order acrylic display cases priced between $20.99 and $349.99 (most cases $25-$200, 3-4 week lead time), and a $149.99/year Premium Membership that awards 5 points per dollar spent plus a $50 signup bonus, redeemable for grading services and cases. The customer base is a horizontal long-tail of individual collectibles hobbyists, with marketing concentrated on the company website, Facebook, Instagram, newsletter, and collector events.

In January 2025, parent Diamond Comic Distributors declared bankruptcy; in April 2025, Alliance Entertainment acquired substantially all Diamond assets including CGA through a court-supervised process, with the deal closing April 10, 2025 and new ownership assuming operational control in July 2025. Alliance projects the acquired asset bundle at over $200M revenue and over $10M EBITDA for FY2026, with CGA as one of several operating entities in the portfolio. The company celebrated its 25th anniversary in November 2025 and announced ongoing product innovation and staff expansion under new ownership.

Name

Collectible Grading Authority

Legal name

Collectible Grading Authority

Website

https://cgagrading.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Collectible Grading Authority (CGA), founded in 2000 and headquartered in Roswell, Georgia, authenticates and grades collectible toys, action figures, and video games through its CGA, AFA, and VGA sub-brands, and sells complementary USA-made custom acrylic display cases and a Premium Membership loyalty program to individual hobbyist collectors via its e-commerce storefront.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Collectibles Grading and Authentication

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Collectibles Grading & Authentication Services (CRAMAOAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Vintage & Antique Collectibles Retail (CRALAGAE)

Keywords

• Collectible grading services
• Action figure authentication
• Video game grading
• Custom display cases
• Collectibles preservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Norcross

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

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 Services: CGA provides expert grading and authentication services for collectible toys, action figures, and video games. Fees are charged per submission based on item type and declared value.
2. Acrylic Display Cases: CGA sells custom acrylic display cases for action figures, video games, VHS tapes, CDs, cassette tapes, trading cards, and other collectibles through their e-commerce storefront. Products are made-to-order with 3-4 weeks processing time.
3. Premium Membership: Annual membership program priced at $149.99/year offering member discounts, points on purchases (5 points per $1 spent), a $50 signup bonus, and a welcome box with CGA branded merchandise.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Collectible Grading Authority provides expert grading and authentication services for collectible toys, action figures, and video games through its CGA, Action Figure Authority (AFA), and Video Game Authority (VGA) divisions. The company complements its grading services with custom museum-quality acrylic display cases hand-crafted in the USA from UV-resistant UF-5 acrylic, custom-fit to each collectible's exact specifications. An annual Premium Membership loyalty program priced at $149.99 offers members points, discounts, and branded welcome merchandise.

Product overview

Collectible Grading Authority (CGA) is a unified multi-brand grading and authentication platform comprising three core divisions: the main CGA brand for general collectibles, Action Figure Authority (AFA) for action figures, and Video Game Authority (VGA) for video games. The company offers grading services alongside a complementary line of custom acrylic display cases manufactured in the USA. The product portfolio spans professional grading/authentication services and museum-quality preservation products, supported by a Premium Membership loyalty program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Action Figure Authority (AFA): Division specializing in grading and authenticating action figures
• Video Game Authority (VGA)

Products and services

• Action Figure Authority (AFA) Grading Specialized division providing professional grading and authentication of action figures and collectible toys for collectors seeking expert condition assessment and provenance verification.
• Video Game Authority (VGA) Grading Specialized division providing professional grading and authentication of video games and gaming collectibles for game collectors seeking expert condition assessment and provenance verification.
• Collectible Grading Authority (CGA) Grading Core grading and authentication brand providing expert assessment services for collectible toys, action figures, and video games, supported by online submission portal, population reports, and serial number verification.
• Custom Acrylic Display Cases Hand-crafted, made-to-order acrylic display cases manufactured in the USA, custom-designed for specific collectibles (action figures, video games, VHS tapes, CDs, cassette tapes, trading cards, comics, Legos, die-cast, dolls) with sliding bottoms for insertion/removal, flame-polished edges, and optional UV-Resistant UF-5 acrylic material that blocks 99% of harmful light spectrums. Pricing ranges from $20.99 to $349.99 per case with 3-4 weeks processing time.
• Premium Membership Annual subscription loyalty program priced at $149.99 per year offering member discounts, points on purchases (5 points per $1 spent), a $50 sign-up bonus issued within 72 hours, a welcome box with CGA branded merchandise, and birthday rewards. Points are redeemable for store credit toward grading services and sliding bottom cases.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Alliance EntertainmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 April 2025Alliance Entertainment, a distributor of entertainment products with approximately $1.1 billion in annual sales, acquired CGA as part of its acquisition of Diamond Comic Distributors assets. The transaction closed on April 10, 2025. Alliance projects the acquisition will add over $200 million in sales and over $10 million in EBITDA in FY2026.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Goldin Auctions: Goldin Auctions is a leading online auction house specializing in sports cards, memorabilia, and high-end collectibles, with proprietary authentication, pricing data, and population analytics. It is comparable to CGA in the collectibles authentication and valuation ecosystem, though it monetizes through auction commissions rather than grading fees.
• PWCC Marketplace: PWCC operates a major online auction and marketplace for graded trading cards and collectibles, including consignment, vaulting, and population analytics. It is comparable to CGA in the broader collectibles authentication ecosystem, though its primary revenue comes from marketplace fees rather than grading fees.
• Collector Crypt / Alt (alternative asset platforms for collectibles): Alt is a platform that buys, grades, vaults, and resells collectible trading cards and similar alternative assets on behalf of investors. It competes with CGA in the same hobbyist-to-investor collectibles funnel, with an emphasis on standardized grading, vaulting, and liquidity that overlaps with CGA's submission and authentication workflow.
• MNT Grading: MNT Grading is a newer entrant in third-party trading card grading with a focus on faster turnaround times and modern technology. It competes for hobbyist submission volume against CGA's grading service and represents the kind of emerging pressure CGA faces from tech-forward challengers.

Broad incumbents

• Heritage Auctions: Heritage Auctions is the largest US collectibles auction house covering comics, video games, trading cards, and action figures. It is a broad incumbent in the same collectibles verticals CGA serves, providing authentication, pricing, and liquidity that shape secondary market value for graded items.

Direct peers

• PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator): PSA is the dominant third-party authentication and grading service for trading cards and collectibles. It is the most direct peer to CGA in the collectibles grading model, with comparable submission, population reporting, and serial verification infrastructure — though PSA is heavily skewed toward sports cards while CGA focuses on toys, action figures, and video games.
• Sportscard Guaranty Corporation (SGC): SGC is a third-party sports card grading service with submission, population reporting, and encapsulated case delivery comparable to CGA. While primarily focused on sports cards, SGC competes in the same grading-and-encapsulation workflow and serves a similar hobbyist customer base.
• Certified Guaranty Company (CGC): CGC is the leading third-party grading service for comic books, magazines, and similar paper collectibles, and is part of the same parent group as CSG and PGX. It is directly comparable to CGA in the third-party grading and encapsulation business model, serving collectors who need provenance and condition authentication for physical collectibles.
• Beckett Grading Services (BGS): BGS is one of the largest third-party grading services for trading cards and collectibles, with a similar submission portal, sub-grade system, and population reports as CGA. It competes for the same hobbyist submission dollars and uses comparable authentication and encapsulation technology.
• CSG (Certified Sports Guaranty): CSG is a third-party grading service for sports cards operated under the same parent as CGC, offering submission, population reports, and encapsulated cases. It is directly comparable to CGA's grading workflow and competes for the same hobbyist collector base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cgagrading
• Instagraminstagram.com/cgagrading
• Xx.com/collectiblega

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Collectible Grading Authority