Collectors Universe has a new CEO.

Executive Chairman Nat Turner (at left) has been appointed to the role after Joe Orlando stepped down from the spot in the company where he has worked for 20 years. Collectors Universe is the parent company of Professional Sports Authenticator and Professional Coin Grading Service which was recently acquired by an investor group led by Turner, D1 Capital Partners and Cohen Private Ventures.

"I’m so proud of everything we’ve achieved as a team at Collectors Universe over the last 20 years," Orlando said in a prepared statement. "I know this is the right time for me to step aside because the company is stronger than ever. Nat has already demonstrated that he knows what’s required to scale the business in order to meet customer demand while also protecting the company’s reputation that has been carefully built on trust, integrity and transparency. This was a hard decision for me but I’m looking forward to spending more time with my family and staying active in the hobby, my personal passion."

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Professional Sports Authenticator hit a milestone for Pokémon cards this month, proving that grading of gaming cards is a growing trend that isn't slowing down any time soon.

The one millionth Pokémon card graded was a Full Art Charizard GX from the 2019 Pokemon Sun & Moon Hidden Fates expansion set -- a PSA 10 copy -- and it's the latest big card among many graded since just 2016 when grading of this gaming franchise's cards exploded in popularity.

“The support shown by the Pokémon collecting community has been tremendous. The majority of the million cards were graded inside the last three years, which is quite remarkable,” Collectors Universe CEO Joe Orlando said in a prepared statement. “There is also a lesson to be learned here: Every generation defines what is nostalgic to them. Pokémon started its rise in the U.S. during the late 1990s. Today, the young people who were playing the classic game then are now well into adulthood. As a result, the game has enjoyed a kind of rebirth in the hobby. That fact coupled with the continued global popularity of the game enabled PSA to reach the million-card milestone.”

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Professional Sports Authenticator has opened its doors in Japan.

The company revealed on Tuesday that it opened an office in Tokyo this month to collect submissions from collectors for slabbing, grading and authentication.

PSA announced that its overseas satellite office will be led by Tony Aram, a "bilingual financial expert and collector who has lived in Tokyo for more than 40 years."

“Because the practice of authenticating and grading cards is just now gaining popularity in Japan, there is an enormous opportunity to attract new consumers and future hobbyists to the benefits of trading card grading,” he said.

Part of the move is due to the country's love of Major League Baseball and former Nippon Professional Baseball stars such as Shohei Ohtani and Ichiro Suzuki who have continued to captivate fans -- but also because of demand for grading of n0n-sports, gaming and NPB cardboard. The move also will help the language and time-zone differences that can be barriers, the company said.

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Collectors wanting to protect their oversized treasures can now do so in a PSA slab as Professional Sports Authenticator unveiled a line of new "jumbo holders" at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland.

The target for these? Photos and documents -- and there are a few different sizes of the inlays inside the cases available to help showcase items of varying sizes.

“The new holders are being integrated into our autograph encapsulation and original photograph services,” said PSA President Steve Sloan. “They will enable us to encapsulate a wider variety of collectibles for collectors, specifically original photographs and autographed 8-by-10s.”

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Professional Sports Authenticator will have a number of things for fans to check out at this year's National Sports Collectors Convention that's set for Aug. 1-5 in Cleveland.

The leading authentication and grading company will have custom cards for fans who opt to get in on those at the show as well as contests for three notable Cleveland items that can be entered both at the show and online right now. The custom card options include Cleveland Indians and Cavaliers gear.

“Last year’s custom encapsulated card option was such a big success in Chicago that we are excited to bring the experience to collectors and sports fans in Cleveland, too,” said PSA Vice President Steve Sloan. “What better way to preserve your memory of being at the show than with a custom trading card from PSA?”

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