Sarasota-headquartered company has big year in 2021 certifying collectibles

While real estate prices have soared in Sarasota-Bradenton because of the pandemic, the public's interest in collectibles has also surged, allowing a Sarasota-headquartered company to add more than 200 employees in 2021, according to a news release from Certified Collectibles Group.

Certified Collectibles Group operates several companies that certify, grade or authenticate everything from stamps to Pokémon cards, coins and comic books.

“Collectibles exploded in popularity at the start of the pandemic, and they've continued to thrive,” said Steven R. Eichenbaum, CEO of the Certified Collectibles Group, in a news release. “In more than 30 years, we have never seen anything like the interest that we are experiencing right now.”

Previous coverage: Sarasota-based company played major role in the sale of an $18 million coin collection

More: Hundreds of coins graded by Sarasota company sell in November Auction for $8.9 million

Companies under the CCG umbrella certified 9 million items in 2021, or about 3.5 items every second.

To match the demand for certification services, the company hired 200 people in 2021, bringing the total workforce at its companies to 600, according to a news release.

The business also increased its office space in Florida by 40,000 square feet and now leases more than 100,000 square feet of office space. CCG's branches in the United Kingdom, Germany and China also saw growth, the company said in a news release.

Numismatic Guaranty Company, an affiliate of CCG, had 16 coins its employees graded sell for more than $1 million in 2021. The company graded about 4.9 million coins, tokens and medals in 2021.

NGC has now certified more than 52 million collectibles. A Brasher Doubloon the company graded sold for $9.36 million in January 2021.

The CCG affiliate that certifies banknotes and other collectible paper money, Paper Money Guaranty, certified 1.3 million collectibles in 2021, bringing its total to nearly 7 million.

The company highlighted an "error note" called the "Del Monte" that sold for $396,000 last year. A banana sticker "somehow became affixed to the note between printings, leading to the collectibles name.

Certified Guaranty Company certifies comic books, trading cards, magazines, concert posters and other pop culture collectibles. In 2021, it certified 2.5 million collectibles.

A copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 certified by the CCG affiliate "shattered the record for most expensive comic book ever sold at auction in September. That comic book sold for $3.6 million.

The affiliate that certifies trading cards, CGC Trading Cards, certified more than 1 million trading cards last year. A Blastoise Pokémon card, graded by the company, sold for $360,000 last year, a record for an English Pokémon card.

Certified Sports Guaranty, the CCG affiliate that certifies sports cards, launched in early 2021. That company has certified more than 600,000 cards since, with the first card the company certified — a rare LeBron James card — selling for $98,100 in March.

Collectibles Authentication Guaranty certifies the provenance of historic items, including thousands of space artifacts from Neil Armstrong's Family Collection. An American flag that traveled to the moon aboard Apollo 11 and was certified by CAG sold for $275,000 last year.

CCG expects demand to remain strong for authentication services in 2022, the company said in a news release.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota's Certified Collectibles Groups had banner year in 2021