Diamond Comic Distributors has acquired toy and video game grading company Collectible Grading Authority, the company announced. CGA operates Action Figure Authority, the oldest division, which grades action figures; Die-Cast Authority; Collectible Doll Authority; and since 2008, video game grading division Video Game Authority. CGA operates from Atlanta, Georgia, and will continue to do so after the acquisition.
“We’ve all been reading about the explosive growth in collectible grading, so getting into that business was a logical next step for us,” Geppi Family Enterprises CEO Steve Geppi said of the deal. CGA joins other collectible-focused companies Gemstone Publishing, E. Gerber, and Hake’s Auctions in Geppi’s portfolio.
This is the third deal in the red-hot grading space in the last four months. Blackstone funds acquired a majority interest in Certified Collectibles Group, which owns CGC, CSG, and other grading companies for over $500 million in July (see “Blackstone Acquires Majority Share of Certified Collectibles Group“).
Later that month, Collectors Universe, owners of PCGS, PSA, and PSA/DNA grading services, acquired video game grading company WATA Games (see “Collectors Universe Buys WATA Games“).
Source: ICv2
