Brett Charville
THIS PRESIDENT MAKES THE GRADE
Brett Charville was named president of the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) in December 2018. He has been a dealer in collectible coins for over 15 years. This expert in grading and evaluating U.S. vintage coins got his break in the world of professional numismatics like many others, as an intern at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas. After graduating from Miami University, Charville was employed by Heritage as a wholesale buyer and grader. He then spent two years at Carter Numismatics in Tulsa, Oklahoma, also as a buyer and grader. In 2012, Charville founded Standard Numismatics, a wholesale-focused trading company based in Chicago. “I was both very excited and humbled about the opportunity to be part of PCGS, the most storied brand in numismatics worldwide. The appointment was a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity, and I look forward to continuing to lead PCGS in its next chapter forward,” Charville told COINage. “We have a responsibility to many different stakeholders: to deliver a consistent and marketable product to our submitters, as well as provide liquidity, security, and act as a bulkhead against counterfeiting. We have an obligation to the shareholders of Collectors Universe (NASDAQ: CLCT), PCGS’s holding company, to grow our brands and business in sustainable, consistent, and innovative ways. Charville also serves on the board of directors of the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG). In 2018, he became a board member of the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to aiding law enforcement in the fight against counterfeits. Additionally, Charville has served as an instructor of numerous coin grading courses at the ANA’s Summer Seminar educational program. In addition to having the requisite skillset and attributes for the position of PCGS president, it is clear
that Brett will also approach the challenge with the right attitude. How did you get involved in numismatics? I was interested in every type of collectible I could get my hands on as a kid — coins, sports cards, stamps, rocks, comic books, and other things. I grew up in a small town in Ohio without a coin shop or coin club. I actually think I gravitated more towards coins and comic books in large part because of access to COINage magazine and comic books on the newsstand at our local grocery store. I really never had anyone to talk collectibles with and learn from until I joined Heritage Auctions as an intern when I was 20. From there, my interest exploded. What are the most useful and consumer-friendly features of PCGS? PCGS Coinfacts is the world’s leading free resource tool for everything that relates to U.S. Coins. Also, PCGS unequivocally has the best and most used iPhone and Android apps in the hobby. Considering the coronavirus global pandemic, is there a future for coin shows, conventions and auctions? Eventually events in every industry and hobby will return to normal. What we may find on the other side is a hobby that has further adapted through technology. Digital buying, trading and selling will continue to grow in popularity thanks to the confidence third-party grading gives. The hobby and science of numismatics has a graying population, and very few young people are entering the field. What needs to be done to expand and grow the hobby? I don’t think that the hobby and science of numismatics has a graying population or that very few young people are entering the field. In fact, membership data in the PCGS Collectors Club indicates that our customer base and, by extension, the demographics of the coin market as a whole are actually getting younger. Many in the hobby are simply using outdated measurement tools such as coin show attendance and ANA membership levels to gauge the pulse of the hobby. Numismatic trading is bustling on Instagram, Facebook, and other digital platforms, all of which skew much younger than the average coin show attendance age. To continue to grow this hobby, we simply need to be aware that the mediums in which we transact are changing and embrace the change. In this role, I deal with coin dealers, collectors, and businesses of all types. If you look closely, you can see a clear divide between those who are embracing the transition in our hobby to digital platforms and those who aren’t. Those who aren’t may ultimately find themselves left behind.