PCGS Celebrates 40th Anniversary

February 3, 2026, marks a milestone day for PCGS. It was 40 years ago that the company officially began its operations, and four decades on it is the oldest international third-party coin grading company that authenticates and encapsulates coins. The company was founded in 1986 and officially began operations on February 3 of that same year, opening a new era in the numismatic hobby that now relies on the types of services that PCGS provides.

PCGS President Looks Back on 40 Years of Innovation, Auction Records

“What began as a book project among a few enterprising coin dealers in the mid-1980s has turned into an industry-redefining juggernaut that has graded over 60 million coins, banknotes, medals, and tokens worth nearly $60 billion in cumulative value,” says PCGS President Stephanie Sabin.

She adds, “It’s an achievement that has been earned through decades of tireless innovation and investment from people who care about the hobby and the people who buy, sell, and enjoy coins, banknotes, and other numismatic treasures. As an employee of PCGS for nearly two decades – half of the time this company has been in existence – I have witnessed so many innovations that have helped keep us on top of the numismatic industry while dominating top auction results year after year.”

40 Years Of Leading Numismatics

PCGS was pioneering the way from day one, being the first international coin-grading firm to encapsulate coins at scale in tamper-evident holders. Consistent grading standards and trusted service carried PCGS into the 1990s, with a variety of forward-thinking enhancements to the holder and the adoption of the PCGS Set Registry, which was taken online in 2001 as the first such collecting platform on the internet.

The next two decades brought life-like PCGS TrueView imaging, the largest free and comprehensive numismatic encyclopedia online in the form of PCGS CoinFacts, and the PCGS app. In the 2020s, PCGS introduced PCGS Banknote encapsulation, was the first (and still only) numismatic firm of its kind to implement anticounterfeiting Near-Field Communication devices in its holders, and debuted PCGS Ancients – a highly anticipated service that uses its industry-setting 10-point grading system.

Year after year, coins encapsulated by PCGS achieve record-setting prices, usually dominating the vast majority of the top 25 numismatic auction prices hammered each year. The world’s most valuable coin, the 1933 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle was graded by PCGS before crossing the block in 2021 for nearly $19 million.

Looking Toward Numismatic Horizons

As numismatics moves into the mid-21st century, PCGS adapts and innovates as the hobby evolves. All the while, it aims to educate collectors and enthuse the general public about coins, banknotes, and more through informational articles published daily, PCGS Insider magazine, and active infotaining engagement on social media.

PCGS also holds many meet-and-greets and other appearances at coin shows where collectors can access the team and learn from the experts. PCGS has also fostered a vibrant numismatic community by way of its PCGS Collectors Club, which is now more than 30,000 members strong – representing the largest organization of numismatic collectors in the United States.

PCGS celebrates its big anniversary all year long in gala fashion with a 40th Anniversary Special Label, 40th Anniversary-themed boxes and swag, and other exciting giveaways. Plus, PCGS will offer a host of special deals for submissions and much more exclusively for PCGS Collectors Club members.