The 100% Guarantee of Authenticity is the Seal of Quality
The Fight Against Counterfeit Collectibles
Collectors Universe wants to verify the authenticity of their collectibles.
Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS)
“We want collectors to be confident that when they have PCGS-authenticated, graded, and encapsulated coins and banknotes in their hands, they are holding an authentic and valuable collector’s item.” - Brett Charville, President of Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS)
Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), a division of Collectors Universe, has certified more than 44.8 million United States and international coins, banknotes, medals and tokens with a cumulative value of over $42 billion. PCGS is the premier third-party coin and banknote grading company to offer a guarantee backed by a publicly traded company.
HID Global
"HID Trusted Tag Services is ideal for providing trusted and tamperproof identities for collectibles that have gone through the PCGS verification process. Containers that are tamper-proof and sealed via ultrasonic welding contain the coin plate and NFC tag. Verification of the NFC tag allows for very simple and secure validation of the coin's authenticity, which is affixed on the coin plate through an encapsulation process. We are pleased to be working with PCGS on this deployment." - Mark Robinton, VP IoT Services BU of HID Global.
HID Global, Headquarter in Austin (Texas), is a leading recognized brand for access control worldwide with more than 4,000 employees globally and billions of RFID products sold. The core competencies are identification and access technologies, design and manufacturing of smart components as well as enabling identification solutions through services.
Collectors Universe
"Collectors Universe is the first company in the numismatic collectibles field to technologically secure counterfeit protection on a large scale with HID Trusted Tag Services. Ensuring the authenticity, certification and grading of collectibles is crucial." - John Nelson, CIO at Collectors Universe.
Formed in 1986, Collectors Universe, Inc., is an American company that provides third-party grading and authentication for coins, trading cards, sports memorabilia, and autographs.
COLLECTORS UNIVERSE
Verified in Real Time
Collectors Universe uses HID's Trusted Tag Services to prove the authenticity of products and to verify the information on the tag. Collectors and dealers can verify PCGS-sealed coins in real time. Trusted NFC tags are embedded in coin holders with discrete inlays that are not visible behind the PCGS label. The collector touches the coin holder with an NFC-enabled smartphone and can then authenticate the collectible via the Cloud Authentication Service.
Each "tap" generates a unique cryptographically distinct URL that automatically launches Collectors Universe's proprietary PCGS Cert Verification App or opens a web browser to display information about the authenticity of the coin or banknote. The website also displays more in-depth information such as inventory reports, estimated value and high-resolution images.
Because a unique URL is generated with each "tap", the information cannot be cloned or manipulated.
The Rollout of Two Million NFC Tags
The cryptography of Trusted NFC tags and easy verification via smartphone allows for convenient handling. This service provided for PCGS and Collectors Universe products generates trust and increases buyer confidence. The customer has assurance that their investment is a certified collectible and not a counterfeit.
Collectors Universe initially rolled out the solution on approximately 100,000 coins to test compatibility and customer response. Following the successful pilot, two million more Trusted NFC tags are now in use to incorporate the extensive inventory of encapsulated coins, medals, tokens and banknotes.
The market for numismatics – the collecting of rare coins – is estimated to exceed $3 billion.