Jon Bahner
Senior Grader, Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA)

Expertise: Sportscard grading.

Jon Bahner started with Professional Coin Grading Service in 1986. He has had many responsibilities in his tenure at the company. For sportscards, Jon started collecting when he was 12 years old. In the early 1990s he was one of the principals of Total Sportscards, a firm that specialized in all areas of the sportscard market. Jon joined the PSA team in 1995 and is now considered one of the top grading experts in the market.

Jason W. Bradford
President, PCGS Currency

Expertise: Currency.

Jason began collecting coins and currency more than 20 years ago, and began dealing part time in high school. After several years dealing both part time and full time, he then spent five years at Currency Auctions of America where he worked his way up to Director. He left that firm in January, 2005 to join PCGS to head up its new currency authentication and grading division. He is a member of the ANA, PCDA, SPMC, and is an avid collector of Arkansas National Bank Notes. His knowledge base spans the entire range of Federal, Confederate, Colonial, and Obsolete currency, and his experience includes involvement in cataloging, grading, buying and selling some of the most important notes and collections to reach the market in the past decade.

James Camner
Consultant Authenticator, PSA/DNA Authentication Services

Expertise: Performing Arts Autographs including Opera, Classical Music, Theater, Dance and Cinema.

After receiving a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Camner founded La Scala Autographs in 1975 as the first firm in America to specialize in autographs of opera, classical music, theater and the performing arts. In his more than 30 year career, Camner quickly became a recognized expert in this field, and has appeared on the Joe Franklin Show, was a consultant for the Time-Life Collectibles Encyclopedia and served on the Vetting Committee of the prestigious Winter Antiques Show in New York City, and has done numerous appraisals for collections donated to premiere American institutions including the Harvard Theater Collection, the Metropolitan Opera Archives and Guild, the New York Philharmonic, the University of Buffalo, the New York Public Library and the Library of Congress, among others.

Camner has been the autograph consultant for the Metropolitan Opera Guild for over 20 years, is a founding member of the Professional Autograph Dealers Association, in which he has served as an officer, and has been a member of the prestigious Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America for more than 30 years. Camner is the author of more than 10 books on the performing arts and five photo histories for Dover, including: "The Great Composers in Historic Photographs" and "Stars of the American Musical Theater," and has written feature articles for "Opera News." Camner's pioneering 1978 illustrated "Film Autographs 1893-1941" which listed and illustrated over 1100 autographs, created an industry standard and it is still used as a valuable reference guide.

William Crowe
Director of Research, Professional Stamp Experts (PSE)

Expertise: Stamps.

Bill Crowe comes to PSE with a long and distinguished career in philatelics, including work with Richard Wolffers Auctions in San Francisco in the late 1970s, then as a dealer with The Empire Group (with Phillip Bansner and Albert Chang) in the early 1980s.

Crowe began his affiliation with The Philatelic Foundation as a professional consultant and continued his involvement with commercial philately including serving as agent for Royhei Ishikawa, who during that time assembled the nation's preeminent collection of classic U.S. stamps. By the mid-1980s, Crowe was spending increasing amounts of time at the Foundation and in 1991 accepted full-time employment. Since then, he has had the opportunity to examine and study nearly all of the rare U.S. stamps that have come on the market, or have been submitted from the nation's leading collections. In addition, Crowe is a member of the AIEP (Association International des Experts Philatéliques).

John Dannreuther
Founder, Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS)

Expertise: U.S. coins.

John Dannreuther grew up in the rare coin business. His father ran trade paper ads in the 1950s as V.J. Dannreuther and Sons. After graduating from the University of Mississippi with a degree in chemistry, John went back into the coin business, becoming a full-time dealer in 1973. Today he is considered one of the top rare coin experts of all time.

In 1986, John was one of the co-founders of Professional Coin Grading Service. In 1997, he was the principal text author of "The Official Guide To Coin Grading And Counterfeit Detection," the Numismatic Literary Guild's "Book Of The Year" award winner for 1998. He was a board member of the Professional Numismatists Guild from 1993 to 2003.

Herman Darvick
Consultant Authenticator, PSA/DNA Authentication Services

Expertise: Historical autographs.

Herman Darvick was born and raised in the Bronx, New York and began collecting autographs outside Yankee Stadium. He expanded his collection by writing to outstanding personalities such as Chaplin, DeGaulle and Picasso. In 1965, Darvick was one of the charter members of the Universal Autograph Collectors Club, serving as its President from 1968-1987. Darvick is the author of the book "Collecting Autographs", published in 1981 by Messner Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. In 1983, he was asked to write an article for the "World Book" encyclopedia. His "Autograph" article has been published in every edition of the "World Book" since 1984. Darvick ran his own autograph business from 1968-1985, then Herman Darvick Autograph Auctions from 1985-1995, which sold memorabilia as well as autographs. He received nationwide publicity when he sold the first known, authentic signature of Shoeless Joe Jackson at auction for $23,100 (1990).

From 1996-2005, Darvick was the chief cataloguer and authenticator for Gallery of History. In 1998-1999, he was an expert witness for the United States on autograph authenticity and value when the Estate of Richard Nixon sued for the value of documents confiscated by the U.S. government after Watergate. Darvick has been interviewed by, among others, Oprah Winfrey, Larry King, Bill O'Reilly, Phil Donohue, and Joe Franklin, as well as by the Associated Press, UPI, Reuters, "USA Today", "The New York Times", "The Wall Street Journal", "Der Spiegel", ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CNN, CNBC, and other media.

Bob Eaton
Consultant Authenticator, PSA/DNA Authentication Services

Expertise: Entertainment, Military, Space, Art, Animation, and Political autographs.

Bob Eaton took a simple hobby and grew it into a highly successful autograph business. Fascination with, and respect for, history was a natural cornerstone to his eventual, and continued, study of signatures. As sole proprietor of R&R Enterprises, he grew his one-man, one room operation into a professionally-staffed office which, to date, has published over 270 consecutive monthly catalogs. Today, with over 25 years in business, Bob is well established as one of the foremost authenticators in the autograph industry.

Marshall Fogel
Consultant Authenticator, PSA/DNA Authentication Services

Expertise: Photographs.

Marshall Fogel has a name that many hobbyists are familiar with. Owner of, arguably, the finest overall sports memorabilia collection in the hobby, Fogel has long been considered one of the industry's premier collectors. In fact, pieces from his vast collection are featured in Stephen Wong's book Smithsonian Baseball, Inside the World's Finest Private Collections which was released in the fall of 2005. In addition, Fogel was the first collector inducted into the PSA Set Registry Hall of Fame in 2003.

Fogel, along with fellow PSA/DNA photograph expert Henry Yee, co-authored A Portrait of Baseball Photography (MastroNet 2005). This landmark book is Volume Two of the MastroNet Vintage Guides. Fogel also contributed to Volume One entitled MastroNet Reference and Price Guide for Collecting Game Used Baseball Bats (MastroNet 2001). In addition, Fogel has been a long time guest writer for the monthly publication Sports Market Report (SMR), the official price guide for PSA and PSA/DNA certified collectibles.

Presently, Fogel is the senior partner of the law firm of Fogel, Keating and Wagner specializing in personal injury and workers' compensation.

Steve Grad
Principal Authenticator, PSA/DNA Authenication Services

Expertise: Entertainment, historical, and sports autographs.

Chicago native Steve Grad originally started his career in radio. His major in Broadcast Journalism at Columbia College launched him into the radio world for seven years. Grad worked as an anchor/reporter and show host with One on One Radio Network, now known as Sporting News Radio, the largest syndicated sports radio network. With his roots deep in a city immersed in sports history, it was natural for Mr. Grad to begin collecting autographs. Meeting these modern athletes and witnessing their signatures time after time proved to be invaluable! Grad's interest in autographs spilled over into entertainment, music and politics. Through his travels in Europe, Canada, and the U.S. in the last twenty years, he has collected over 100,000 in-person autographs.

Grad began setting up at shows and selling autographs in the mid-1980s. Fifteen years later he joined the sports industry's largest auction house, MastroNet. For two years, he used his talents to assist in the authentication and acquisition of memorabilia for Mastro's sport and non-sport auctions. In addition, Grad was one of the select writers for Mastro's catalogs. Grad joined PSA/DNA Authentication Services in 2002. At PSA/DNA, Steve is a senior authenticator, examining millions of dollars worth of entertainment, historical, and sports autographs.

Ron Guth
President, Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS)

Expertise: U.S. and World coins.

Ron Guth is a licensed Certified Public Accountant who has been involved professionally in numismatics for nearly forty years as a collector, dealer, researcher, and writer. For the past two decades, he served as an auctioneer for virtually every major numismatic firm, selling classic rarities such as the 1913 Liberty Head Nickel and the 1804 Silver Dollar. In 2001, Ron authored the award-winning Coin Collecting For Dummies. In 2002, he co-authored United States Proof and Mint Sets 1936-2002, which won the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG) Award for Best Numismatic Investment Book. In 2003, Ron co-authored the best selling book The 100 Greatest U.S. Coins, which went on to win the Professional Numismatic Guild and the NLG Best Book of the Year Awards. In 2003, Ron received the prestigious President's Award from the American Numismatic Association in recognition for his numerous contributions to numismatics.

Mike Gutierrez
Consultant Authenticator, PSA/DNA Authentication Services

Expertise: Sports autographs.

Mike Gutierrez is one of the top sports autograph authenticators in the sports memorabilia business. Mike has over 25 years experience and is one of the few universally respected authorities left standing in a field racked with fraud and forgeries. Mike has authenticated for some of the biggest sports memorabilia companies in the world including the likes of Sotheby's, Butterfield & Butterfield and Robert Edward Auctions. He also has reviewed material for dozens of individual sport memorabilia collections. Most notably, he authenticated autograph items from the Barry Halper Collection sold by Sotheby's. Additionally, he handled all the memorabilia from The Bruce Lee Estate and appraised The Pete Rozelle Estate. Currently Mike is working as an autograph authentication consultant for PSA/DNA. He can also be seen as an appraiser on The Antiques Roadshow on PBS.

David Hall
President, Collectors Universe

Expertise: U.S. coins.
Other Areas: Rare records, sportscards, 20th century decorative arts

David Hall arguably understands collectibles markets and how they work better than anyone in the world. He became a full-time rare coin dealer in 1972 and was quickly one of the major players. In the 1980's he was the man behind the major market innovations of the decade; guaranteed buy/sell markets, electronic trading, and his piece de resistance, the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS). In 1990 David Hall was named Orange County "Entrepreneur Of The Year" by Inc. Magazine. The February 20, 1996 issue of Numismatic News called him "the man who changed the rare coin market forever." The July, 1999 issue of Coinage Magazine named David Hall one of the top "Numismatists of the Century."

In the 1990s David turned his attention to the sports collectibles market. He founded Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), which by 1998 had duplicated the PCGS model of market dominance. In August 1996, the Internet called and David Hall purchased the already thriving Coin Universe, the first commercial collectibles site on the Internet. In December, 1998, he consolidated his companies and formed Collectors Universe and took the company public in November, 1999. At Collectors Universe, David Hall is part of the corporate management team and oversees the three grading services, PCGS, PSA and PSE.

Steve Hart
Consultant, Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA)

Expertise: Unopened Material.

Since the age of 9, Steve Hart has been involved with sportscards in one way or another. His early passion as a collector led him to local card shows and, in 1985, he set up at a convention for the first time. Five years later, at the age of 20, he opened his retail sportscards store, Baseball Card Exchange. Steve's integrity and focus on service helped earn him the status as one of Chicago's premier sportscard dealers. Over the next 15 years, his expanding business moved to newer locations, each one bigger than the last. In July of this year, the Baseball Card Exchange moved to its current location, containing more than 8,000 square feet of office and warehouse. Steve's fascination with unopened material started early and he later became one of the foremost authorities on the subject after years of study. Over the last 20 years, Steve has examined thousands upon thousands of unopened items. This experience has given him the reputation as one of its top unopened specialists in the hobby. Steve became a father this past summer to his beautiful daughter Maggie!

Ron Howard
Director of Grading, Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS)

Expertise: U.S. Coins.

Ron Howard has been a collector/hobbyist since 1959. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Mississippi in 1970 and became a professional numismatist in 1972. Up until 1986, when he joined PCGS as the first grader hired, he was a coin buyer and cataloguer for several major numismatic firms, examining, purchasing, or cataloging virtually all major U.S. collections during that period. He has attended over 300 numismatic conventions. Ron has authored a book on silver dollars and many articles, and has contributed to numerous auction catalogues, including at least four American Numismatic Association auction catalogues.

TJ Kaye
Consultant Authenticator, PSA/DNA Authentication Services

Expertise: Sports autographs.

TJ Kaye, born originally in New York and now in Boca Raton, FL, is Pres/CEO of T.J.'s Collectibles, Inc. which has been established since 1991. What started out as a passion for collecting Autographs and Championship Jewelry turned into a well respected company. TJ has devoted his personal collecting to Mickey Mantle in honor of his father and for over 20 years has studied Mickey's signature. In fact, TJ has become known as one of the leading Mantle autograph experts in the hobby. In addition, TJ has orchestrated numerous private and public signings with Hofer's from all sports and has gained a tremendous amount of knowledge through his vast in-person experience throughout the years.

Laura Kessler
Vice President of Business Development, PCGS Currency

Expertise: Currency

Laura A. Kessler, a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, began collecting currency at the age of 12 when she found a 25 cent Fractional Currency note (which she still owns) at a flea market. She is a specialist in Errors and Small Size U.S. currency, and has a true passion for the hobby that is contagious. Prior to joining PCGS Currency, she was the Owner and President of Kessler Currency in East Peoria, IL, and previously served in the U.S. Army. Her duties at PCGS Currency include grading, managing special projects such as the Currency Set Registry, Population Reports, and Grading Guide, as well as business development and customer relations. She remains an avid collector, and is a member of the PCDA, ANA, SPMC, and other hobby organizations. Her daughter, Payton, is her pride and joy.

Bill Litle
Editor, Stamp Market Quarterly (SMQ)

Expertise: Stamps.

Bill Litle, a graduate of Duke University with a BS in Civil Engineering and of M.I.T. with a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, was a Professor of Civil Engineering at M.I.T. and subsequently taught at the University of California and California State University. A collector of classic U.S. stamps since 1965 he became a part-time dealer in 1979 and, after retirement from university teaching in 1997, a full-time dealer. He is a life member of the American Philatelic Society, a member of the American Stamp Dealers Association, and the National Stamp Dealers Association, and a volunteer contributing consultant for the Scott catalogues. In 1990, he joined the PSE Board of Experts and since December, 1999 has been an expert consultant for PSE. In September, 2004, Bill was named President of PSE.

Kevin Low
Authenticator, PSA/DNA Authentication Services

Expertise: Sports Autographs, and Contemporary Entertainment.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, Kevin Low has been an in-person autograph collector for over 18 years. As a youngster living just minutes from Dodger Stadium, he obtained his first in-person autograph from then Dodgers rookie, Fernando Valenzuela. The autograph bug hit him while attending a concert with his parents, where he met his childhood idol and obtained his next autograph, Henry "The Fonz" Winkler. In addition to obtaining signatures of athletes in all major sports, he began collecting celebrity autographs at filming locations, movie premieres, major awards shows, charity functions, and a host of other hot spots!

With a large inventory of signed memorabilia, this full-time collector-turned-dealer built a reputation rapidly, and he began selling autographs to some of the nation's most well known dealers. Meeting Hollywood's elite as well as witnessing and documenting variations of their signatures in different situations for almost two decades has proven to be an important asset. No longer a dealer, Kevin now utilizes his expertise as one of PSA/DNA's autograph experts. Specializing in modern sports and celebrity autographs, Kevin brings a wealth of knowledge and skill to autograph authentication.

Vince Malta
Consultant Authenticator, PSA/DNA Authentication Services

Expertise: Game Used Bats.

Vince Malta has been an avid collector of professional game used bats for over 15 years. His passion for collecting turned into an absolute obsession in his pursuit for knowledge in accurately authenticating the time period a bat was manufactured for a player. He is known by collectors as a person very willing to share his bat collecting knowledge and has been a great ambassador to the bat-collecting hobby. He co-authored the very first book exclusively devoted to collecting game used bats. This book has been relied on as a primary reference guide to countless collectors, auction houses, and baseball museums, including the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Malta has been a bat authenticator for three years with Grey Flannel Auction House, and has an impeccable reputation for consistently providing accurate, unbiased expert opinions.

Maria Mrozek
Senior Gemologist, Gem Certification and Appraisal Lab (GCAL)

Expertise: Diamonds.
Other Areas: Diamond Rough.

Maria Mrozek gained invaluable experience during her nine-year tenure at the Gemological Institute of America's Gem Trade Laboratory (GTL), where she earned the position of Senior Quality Assurance Diamond Grader. Maria has utilized her keen gemological skills when working with diamond cutters and manufacturers to improve the quality of rough and polished diamonds. Before joining the GCAL team, she worked with important diamond wholesalers and fine jewelry manufacturers in New York City. Maria holds a Graduate Gemologist Diploma from the Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad, CA, as well as GIA's Graduate Pearls Diploma. Maria's expertise in quality control and quality assurance, in addition to her excellent diamond grading abilities, uniquely equip her to perform the duties of Senior Gemologist.

Joe Orlando
President, PSA and PSA/DNA Authentication Services
Editor, Sports Market Report

Expertise: Sportscards and Memorabilia.

Joe Orlando has been an advanced collector of sportscards and memorabilia for nearly 20 years. Joe has established himself in the hobby as a respected authority on pricing in virtually all major areas of the advanced market. Joe attended Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California where he studied communications and was a team captain and catcher for the baseball team. After a brief stint in the minor leagues, Joe obtained a Juris Doctor from Whittier Law School in Southern California in the spring of 1999. During the last nine years, Joe has authored several collecting guides and dozens of articles for Collectors Universe, Inc. Joe's first book, The Top 200 Sportscards in the Hobby, was released in the summer of 2002. Joe has appeared on several radio and television programs as a hobby expert including ESPN's award-winning program Outside the Lines and HBO's Real Sports, as the featured guest. Currently, Joe is President of PSA and PSA/DNA. He is also Editor of the company's nationally distributed Sports Market Report, which under Joe's direction has developed into a leading price guide in the market.

Donald A. Palmieri
President, Gem Certification and Appraisal Lab (GCAL)
Master Gemologist Appraiser®

Expertise: Diamonds and Colored Gemstones.
Other Areas: Antique and Period Jewelry.

Don Palmieri, a 1971 graduate in residence of the Gemological Institute of America, Santa Monica, CA and a decorated Vietnam Veteran, has been under contract with national and international government and law enforcement agencies as a consultant, appraiser, mediator and forensic expert witness. His expertise is frequently sought by museums, insurance companies, the jewelry trade, law and accounting firms and individuals. A court-appointed Chapter 11 Trustee and member of the National Forensic Center, Mr. Palmieri has been called upon to testify as an expert witness in major court cases throughout the United States and abroad.

Palmieri has been interviewed for The Wall Street Journal, Consumer Reports, Barron's, Money Magazine, The Straight Times and others. As a consumer advocate and expert in the evaluation of diamonds and gemstones, he makes frequent appearances on national and local television shows and radio programs. He also lectures at trade shows, appraisal conferences, museums, and professional group meetings.

In addition to his Graduate Gemologist (GIA) degree, Palmieri holds a Senior Member, Master Gemologist Appraiser® designation with the American Society of Appraisers. He's been on staff as a Research Associate with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Earth Sciences division since 1983 and taught consumer education classes in gemology, gem sciences and jewelry for the Carnegie Museum's Education Division from 1986-1999.

John Reznikoff
Consultant Authenticator, PSA/DNA Authentication Services

Expertise: Historic and Political Autographs.

Specializing in historic items John Reznikoff is the founder of University Archives, a leading document and manuscript firm specializing in the appraisal and authentication of historic texts. The company has bought and sold rare documents from its inception. John is affiliated with, and has served as an officer in, multiple professional organizations dedicated to the autograph industry. In fact, John served as Vice President and subsequently, President of the International Autograph Dealers Association. Moreover, John conceived and founded the Professional Autograph Dealers Association. He has authored many published articles for Manuscripts, Pen and Quill, Linn's, and American Philatelist. John's experience and expertise in identifying historical items has lead to appearances and features in Good Morning America, The New York Times, Smithsonian, and Newsweek.

Zach Rullo
Authenticator, PSA/DNA Authentication Services

Expertise: Contemporary Sports and Entertainment Autographs.

Originally from Chicago, Zach Rullo started collecting in-person autographs at the young age of 13. The collecting bug started with the MLB All-Star game at the nearby Wrigley Field. Since then, visits to various ballparks, especially Chicago Stadium, expanded his collection. Soon enough, his interest in other sports grew as well; his collection now includes football, basketball, hockey, boxing, soccer, tennis, and golf. Meeting these modern athletes and witnessing their signatures mature from their college or rookie seasons through the years have proven to be invaluable! Rullo's interest in autographs quickly turned over into entertainment and music. Through his travels in Europe, Canada, Mexico and all across the U.S., he has collected well over 80,000 in-person autographs. Rullo's pursuit for autographs has provided PSA/DNA with an extensive library of exemplars and impeccable expertise in modern day autographs. Zach is a world class expert in contemporary sports and entertainment autographs, especially contemporary music autographs. At PSA/DNA, Zach examines millions of dollars worth of contemporary autographs a year.

Mike Sargent
Senior Grader, Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS)

Expertise: U.S. coins.
Other Areas: Ancient coins.

Mike Sargent started buying and selling coins as a teenager in 1973. From 1979 to 1989 he worked with Harlan White of the OLD COIN SHOP in San Diego. He became a PCGS grader in April 1989. Mike's specialty is silver dollars and 20th Century U.S. coins. Mike is also an expert in ancient coins. He has graded literally millions of coins at PCGS and is now considered one of the top coin grading experts in the world.

Mike Sherman
President, Professional Stamp Experts (PSE)

Expertise: U.S. coins.
Other Areas: Rare Records, Phonographs, Radios, TVs, Comic Books, Collectible Computers.

Mike Sherman comes to Collectors Universe after serving 18 years as General Manager of the nation's largest rare coin wholesaler. A 1977 graduate of the University of Virginia, he went on to earn an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis. Since 1979, he has been involved in the rare coin business full time as a manager, market analyst and writer. He has won numerous awards for writing and publishing, and has conducted educational seminars for the American Numismatic Association and local clubs. He is a contributor to the Guide Book of United States Coins (Red Book) and served as editor of Legacy Magazine from 1988 through 1990. Mike is a member of most leading numismatic organizations, including the Numismatic Literary Guild, the American Numismatic Association and the Florida United Numismatists. In addition, he is a professional, licensed auctioneer, and has conducted auctions across the country since 1988. Besides U.S. coins, Mike is also an expert in rare records, rare radios, rare TVs, collectible computers, and comic books.

Randy Shoemaker
Director of Expertizing, Professional Stamp Experts (PSE)

Expertise: Stamps.

Randy Shoemaker, a graduate of Michigan State University with a BS in Zoology and MS degree in Human Physiology, has been a professional philatelist for the past 32 years. He owned J. Randall Rare Stamps, a leading outlet for superior quality Classic United States stamps, 1970-1986. In 1987, he formed Professional Stamp Experts. A 32-year dealer-member of the American Philatelic Society, Randy is considered one of the premiere experts on United States Classic stamps and plating of these issues. He is also instrumental in developing scientific equipment for authentication and repair detection in philately.

In October, 1999, PSE was acquired by Collectors Universe. Randy has served as Director of Expertizing continually since 1999.

Van Simmons
Director, Collectors Universe

Expertise: U.S. coins.
Other Areas: Rare Firearms, Western Memorabilia, Collectible Knives, Western Americana.

Van Simmons is a life-long entrepreneur, collector, and collectibles dealer. He has been a rare coin collector since age 12 and a rare coin dealer since 1979. Van has also been a dealer in sportscards and memorabilia, rare firearms and Western memorabilia, and collectible knives. His collecting interests include antique golf clubs, English pottery, Bowie knives, American and French art glass, Western Americana, Indian baskets, and Gold Rush memorabilia.

In 1979, he began buying coins from David Hall, and by 1981 they had become business partners. Since that time, Van has become the number one coin salesman of all time, acquiring over $250 million worth of rare coins for collectors and investors.

In 1986, Van and David launched Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and in 1991 they launched Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA). He is the fourth largest shareholder of Collectors Universe and serves on the Board of Directors.

Lenny Steren
Consultant, Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA)

Expertise: Tickets

Born and raised in New York City, Lenny has been in the hobby as a collector and/or dealer of baseball tickets and cards since 1980. After graduating from the University of Hartford, Lenny worked as a Public Relations Representative for the 1990 and 1991 NY Mets. He moved into the world of print advertising on Madison Avenue from 1991 to 1998. In June of 1998, Lenny started Mookie's Tickets and Sports Memorabilia, specializing in 1910 - present baseball and football tickets.

Moving to Pasadena, CA in 2000, Lenny's sports ticket inventory has grown to over 125,000. He enjoys tireless hours of research and goes to great lengths to investigate the background and history associated with baseball and football tickets. Lenny also works closely with the research department at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Lenny is known throughout the U.S. to be an expert on regular season, playoff and World Series full tickets and stubs - both season and box office tickets. He has made appearances on Fox's collectibles show "FX," giving his expert opinion on baseball tickets and programs. Known for his honesty, this friendly New Yorker has a reputation for "telling it like it is."

Reza Tabatabai
Director Of Grading, Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA)

Expertise: Sportscard Grading.

Reza Tabatabai has been a collector for over 15 years. Reza is a senior member of the PSA Grading team with vast knowledge in all areas of collectible sports cards. He has been grading professionally for PSA since 1998. Reza earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Finance from Fresno State University in 1990.

John Taube
Consultant Authenticator, PSA/DNA Authentication Services

Expertise: Game Used Bats.

John Taube's allure and appreciation of game used bats lead him to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to feed his collecting habit. After twenty years, his expertise on physical attributes of game use and bat dating have pinned him as one of the world's leading experts. His most memorable authentication is a side written Babe Ruth game used bat with 11 home run notches. As any other bat, this one in particular had some history behind it. It was used by Ruth in the late '20s, cracked, and then returned to Hillerich & Bradsby! Ultimately, Taube's part time hobby became a full time interest in March 2002. Taube, in conjunction with Vince Malta, is leading the way to standardizing bat authentication in the sports collectibles industry. Together, they have an ongoing commitment to expand the existing knowledge of game used bats.

Lioudmila Tretiakova
Senior Research Gemologist, Ph.D., G.G., Gem Certification and Appraisal Lab (GCAL)

Expertise: Diamonds, Colored stones, Minerals.

Lioudmila Tretiakova is a graduate of St. Petersburg State Mining Institute (Russia) with a MS in geology and a Ph.D. in mineralogy and spectroscopy. She also has a G.G. Diploma in gemology from the Gemological Institute of America. For last 25 years, she has been a professional research scientist of mineralogy and gemology. Lioudmila has authored many articles and patents, and has presented her research on "Nondestructive gem identification technique" at many International Gemological Symposiums. She had the opportunity to examine and analyze the mineralogical and gemological collections from St. Petersburg Mining Museum and jewelry collections from famous St. Petersburg Art Museums (Russia). Scientific interests: gems, minerals, their origin, treatment, enhancement, spectroscopic methods of nondestructive gem identification.

Steve Van Maanen
Assistant Director of Grading, Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA)

Expertise: Sportscard Grading.

Steve Van Maanen started his career with Professional Coin Grading Service in 1987 at only age 19. He has been collecting sportscards since his childhood. He joined the PSA division in 1993 and has never looked back. He brings with him years of experience and has helped solidify a top notch grading department. On his off time Steve enjoys spending time with his wife and two beautiful daughters.

Jennifer Vichinsky
Senior Gemologist, Gem Certification and Appraisal Lab (GCAL)

Expertise: Diamonds.
Other Areas: Colored Stones.

Jennifer Vichinsky holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Facility Management (architectural design and layout) from SUNY @ Buffalo. Her design interests lead her to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) where she studied Jewelry Design, Gemology and Jewelry Manufacturing. After graduating from GIA with a Graduate Jeweler Gemology Diploma, Jennifer spent several years in retail jewelry sales and appraising. She subsequently acquired a position teaching Gemology (Diamonds and Colored Stones) at the GIA in New York City. Since 1999, Jennifer has worked with Don Palmieri in a laboratory setting, honing her skills as a diamond and colored stone grader and appraiser. Her proficiency in evaluating all facets of diamonds and their structure lead to her position as Senior Gemologist at GCAL.

Sharrie Woodring
Senior Gemologist, Gem Certification and Appraisal Lab (GCAL)

Expertise: Diamonds and Colored Gemstones.

Sharrie Woodring is a lifelong collector of gems and minerals and began lapidary work (cutting gemstones) at age 12. She holds a Graduate Gemologist diploma from the Gemological Institute of America and a diploma from the Gemological Association of Great Britain, earning the right to use the initials F.G.A. (Fellow of the Gemological Association.) She has written numerous articles and co-authored a book about synthetic diamonds. She also lectures at trade events around the world and has appeared on television as a gem industry expert.

Gordon Wrubel
Senior Grader, Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS)

Expertise: U.S. coins.
Other Areas: Rare records.

Gordon Wrubel, Senior Grader at Professional Coin Grading Service , is a well-known expert in rare U.S. coins specializing in top quality rare U.S. gold. He is in charge of our inventory acquisitions and consults with clients who are building some of the world's finest collections. In 1974, he became a full-time coin dealer and has sold over $50,000,000 in valuable coins during his career. He holds a life membership in the American Numismatic Association and in 1980 became a member of the Professional Numismatists Guild. In 1986, Gordon was one of the founders of the Professional Coin Grading Service and served as Director of Grading until 1995. He is also one of the world's top experts in rare "rock and roll" records.

Henry Yee
Consultant Authenticator, PSA/DNA Authentication Services

Expertise: Photographs.

Henry Yee's interest in photography as a form of artistic expression and historical preservation started at the age of 15 at Brooklyn Technical High School where he studied photography and photojournalism. Yee then earned his business degree from the University at Buffalo's Business School of Management. He has spent the last ten years on Wall Street consulting with Fortune 500 companies and is the owner of HY Ventures, LLC, which specializes in organizational development and IT/business systems management solutions.

As a collector and dealer of sports memorabilia and sports photography for over two decades, Yee has handled millions of news photographs from public and private archives around the country, including some of the hobby's finest examples. With his vast experience, Yee has been able to amass one of the largest exemplar archives of news photo and wire photo stamping specimens in the world. He is the co-author of A Portrait of Baseball Photography published by MastroNet (2005). The landmark volume was the first exhaustive account of baseball photographs.

Bob Zafian
Consultant Authenticator, PSA/DNA Authentication Services

Expertise: Golf Autographs

Bob Zafian, a lifelong NJ resident, acquired his first autograph in 1969 (OJ Simpson at the NY auto show-FREE). Since that time and for the last 29 years, Bob has attended numerous sporting events, charity dinners, book signings, movie shoots, golf tournaments, private celebrity signings and TV shows, amassing tens of thousands of autographs. A dealer since 1989, Bob has been selling autographs and memorabilia from every field from entertainment, sports, literature, and politics, specializing in golf. Zafian has built one of the largest signed scorecard, course and tournament-used golf pin flag collections in the hobby. Owner of Green Jacket Auctions, the country's foremost "golf only" auction house, Zafian is regarded as one of the leading authorities on golf autographs.