| February 3, 1986 |
Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) grades its first coin. |
| November 1986 |
The "Walk-Thru" service is introduced. |
| January 1987 |
The first electronic rare coin trading network begins. The American Numismatic Exchange featured dealer-to-dealer sight-unseen bids for PCGS coins. |
| February 1987 |
PCGS authorized dealer list grows to 100 dealers. |
| April 1987 |
The first PCGS Population Report is published. |
| August 1987 |
PCGS grades coins at the ANA Convention. This service later evolved into the "Coin Show" service with our security personnel transporting the coins back and forth between the coin show and the PCGS facility. |
| November 1987 |
PCGS authorized dealer network grows to 200 dealers. |
| December 1987 |
PCGS grades its 500,000th coin. |
| August 1988 |
PCGS authorized dealer network grows to 300 dealers. |
| December 1988 |
PCGS grades its 1,000,000th coin. |
| March 1989 |
PCGS grades a 1908 $20 St. Gaudens gold piece to push the cumulative declared value of all coins graded by PCGS to over One Billion Dollars ($1,000,000,000). |
| May 1989 |
PCGS all-time record receiving month. . .148,395 coins received. |
| June 1989 |
PCGS all-time grading month. . .96,102 coins graded. |
| August 1989 |
The new PCGS holder is introduced featuring holograms and barcodes. |
| January 1990 |
PCGS authorized dealer network grows to 500 dealers. |
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Declared value of all coins graded by PCGS passes $2 billion. |
| March 1990 |
PCGS grades its 2 millionth coin. |
| June 1990 |
Professional Coin Grading Service CEO, David Hall, receives "Inc." magazine's Orange County Entrepreneur of the Year" award. |
| June 1991 |
Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) is launched to grade sportscards. |
| October 1992 |
PCGS grades its 3 millionth coin. |
| January 1993 |
Declared value of all coins graded by PCGS passes $4 billion. |
| June 1994 |
PCGS grades its 4 millionth coin. |
| November 1994 |
Declared value of all coins graded by PCGS passes $5 billion. |
| April 1995 |
Collectors Universe launches Coin Universe on the Internet. |
| July 1995 |
Collectors Universe launches Sports Collectors Universe on the Internet. |
| September 1995 |
Collectors Universe launches Stamp Universe on the Internet. |
| January 1996 |
Good Rockin' Tonight (GRT) holds its first rare record telephone/mail auction. |
| February 1996 |
PCGS celebrates 10 year anniversary. |
| May 1996 |
Superior Sports Auctions establishes its company website. |
| June 1996 |
Superior Sports Auctions holds first auction. |
| August 1996 |
PCGS establishes its company website. |
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PCGS purchases 60% of Collectors Universe. |
| September 1996 |
PSA establishes its company website. |
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Good Rockin' Tonight establishes its company website. |
| February 1997 |
Kingswood's first auction. |
| May 1997 |
First PNG/PCGS Coin Show. PCGS grades on-site at show. |
| August 1997 |
PSA grades on-site at the National Sportscard Convention. |
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Collectors Auction records over 20,000 bidders. |
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"Auctionland OL Report" names Collectors Auction, the number one tracking publication, names Collectors Auction one of the top Internet auction sites. |
| November 1997 |
Random House releases the PCGS "Official Guide to Coin Grading and Counterfeit Detection" |
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Coin Universe begins a series of expert online Q & A sessions with leading numismatists. |
| December 1997 |
PCGS grades its 5 millionth coin. |
| January 1998 |
Kingswood Coin Auctions establishes its company website. |
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"PC Home Magaine" names Coin Universe one of America's top 500 websites. |
| February 1998 |
Coin Universe launches, in conjunction with the “Daily Price Guide” the CU3000 a 28-year price history of the rare coin market. |
| April 1998 |
The Coin Universe eShop is launched, offering Recommended Dealers' Inventory at fixed prices. |
| June 1998 |
Coin Universe begins weekly certified consignment auctions with all bids starting at $1 and no buyer's fees. |
| - |
A rare 1916 quarter sells in the Coin Universe Gallery for $22,500. |
| July 1998 |
Sport Collectors Universe begins weekly certified consignment auctions with all bids starting at $1 and no buyer's fees. |
| August 1998 |
The Numismatic Literary Guild awards Coin Universe the "Extraordinary Merit Award for the Numismatic Web Site of the Year". |
| - |
PSA launches PSA/DNA to authenticate "signed-in- the-presence" autographs through its Guaranteed Authentic Service. |
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PCGS introduces the Universal Rarities Scale, a short-hand, comparative method for indicating the number of known specimens. |
| September 1998 |
Collectors Universe introduces Record Universe and World Coin Universe online. |
| October 1998 |
PSA begins grading minor league and foreign cards. |
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Collectors Universe grows to 45,000 members. |
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Good Rockin' Tonight sells Elvis Presley's first 45 RPM, "That's All Right" in Mint 9 for an unprecedented $17,820. |
| - |
PSA/DNA authenticates Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball, which later sells at auction in 1999 for $3.005 million. |
| November 1998 |
Record Universe begins weekly vinyl record auctions with all bids starting at $1 and no buyer's fees. |
| December 1998 |
World and Ancient Coin Universe begins weekly certified consignment auctions with all bids starting at $1 and no buyer's fees. |
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Lyn Knight Currency Auctions sells the Frank Levitan Collection for $5,972,230. A single "watermelon" $1,000 bill from the collection sells for a world-record price of $792,000. |
| February 1999 |
PCGS, PSA, PSA/DNA, Good Rockin' Tonight, Superior Sports Auctions, Lyn Knight Currency Auctions, Kingswood Coin Auctions merge with 39 internet "universes" to form Collectors Universe, "the ultimate collectors destination." |
| February 1999 |
PCGS begins grading Mint Errors. |
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PSA consistently grades over 100,000 cards per month. |
| March 1999 |
Coin Universe named the best site on the Internet for coin auctions by PC Magazine. |
| - |
Superior holds its first one million dollar auction. |
| April 1999 |
PSA/DNA tags Hall of Famer Hank Aaron's record-breaking 715th home run baseball and the bat used to hit it. |
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PSA, and PCGS establishes co-branded site with eBay. |
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Lyn Knight Currency Auctions establishes its website. |
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PSA/DNA separates from PSA and becomes an independent entity under the Collectors Universe umbrella. |
| May 1999 |
PSA hits a ground-breaking milestone of one million trading cards graded, more than any of the other grading services combined. |
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A 1793 wreath cent in MS65 sells in a Coin Universe weekly auction for $70,250. |
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A 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle in NM-MT8 sells in a Sports Collectors weekly auction for $19,800. |
| June 1999 |
PSA/DNA is named the Official Authenticator for the SportsFest '99 collectible shows. |
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PSA/DNA is named the Official Authenticator for the National Sports Collectors Conventions until 2004. |
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PSA/DNA authenticates the "McFarlane Collection," which consists of Mark McGwire's home run balls #1, 63, 64, 67, 68, 69 and 70 (which was re-authenticated) and Sammy Sosa's home run balls #33, 61 and 66. |
| July 1999 |
COINage Magazine names Q. David Bowers and David Hall the "Numismatists of the Century." |
| - |
PSA begins grading Beanie Baby, Pokémon, and Tall Boy cards. |
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PSA/DNA establishes website with eBay. |
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PSA/DNA unveils the Vintage Certified Service, which allows collectors to submit previously-signed memorabilia for certification. |
| - |
PSA/DNA certifies Mickey Mantle's controversial 500th home run ball. |
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PSA grades a 7,722 cards at the National, the most cards ever graded at any show. |
| - |
Superior Sports Auctions realizes a record-breaking $1.27 million at auction. |
| August 1999 |
Superior, Good Rockin' Tonight, and Kingswood add live online bidding to quarterly telephone auctions. |
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Coin Connoisseur Magazine awards Collectors Universe the best site for collectibles on the Internet. |
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Collectors Universe offers a live audio broadcast from New York of the Bowers and Merena auction of the 1804 silver dollar, which sells for over $4 million.
The famous Childs specimen of the 1804 Silver Dollar was graded by Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) |
| September 1999 |
Collectors Universe introduces the Record eShop, offering fixed price inventory available for purchase 24 hours per day. |
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Collectors Universe's PSA/DNA tags and verifies Mark McGwire's 500th Homerun Ball. |
| November 1999 |
Collectors Universe announces Initial Public Offering. |
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Collectors Universe announces Professional Stamp Experts (PSE), Stamp Authentication and Grading Service. |
| December 1999 |
Collectors Universe Named Top Collectibles E-Commerce Company by Inter@ctive Week Magazine. |
| - |
Collectors Universe Announces PSA begins Grading Pokemon Cards. |
| - |
Collectors Universe Announces it received more than 10,000 Pokemon Cards for Grading in One Week Period. |
| - |
Collectors Universe annouces it will market British Year 2000 Gold Commemoratives: British Royal Mint to Issue First Bullion Sovereign and Half Sovereign since 1982. |
| - |
Collectors Universe DNA Technology is used to authenticate Detroit Tigers' Game-Used Equipment. |
| - |
Collectors Universe's Superior Sports Auctions yields record $30,119 for 1954 Topps Hank Aaron card, graded PSA MT 9. |
| January 2000 |
Super Bowl XXXIV Footballs are Tagged with PSA/DNA's Synthetic DNA. |
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Collectors Universe announces eShops for Sports Collectors Universe and Autograph Universe. |
| February 2000 |
PCGS becomes the official grading service for the S.S. Central America shipwreck discovery. |
