Our Mission
There has always been and will likely always be a large amount of misrepresentation and over-grading in the collectible market. AFA was founded in order to provide toy collectors throughout the world with added peace of mind when making purchases sight unseen. Until the formation of AFA, dealers, collectors and investors had no universal standard by which to judge an items condition. Virtually everyone had their own ideas, criteria, and definitions by which to rate any given item. One persons Mint or C10 rating was always different from that of another. These issues have only brought problems and frustration to collectors.
AFA has worked diligently for years to develop the standard we use to accurately convey the condition of original and un-tampered with collectibles, thereby creating a safer collecting environment and helping to ensure that your investment is protected for years to come. When you can be certain that an item was carefully examined by well-trained, unbiased professionals, you can relax and better enjoy your collecting experience.
Standard of Integrity
Our employees will never buy or sell items graded by any division of CGA. This helps to avoid any conflict of interest, and ensures an unbiased approach to grading and authentication.
We understand and respect our unique responsibility to set certain standards for grading, which are designed to promote a healthy and fun collecting environment for all.
To best serve the needs of collectors, we will work steadfastly towards the following goals:
- Offer collectors peace of mind by providing a professional assessment of an items condition, authenticity, and other characteristics, thus promoting the healthy growth of our hobby and safer sight unseen purchases.
- To gain your trust and respect by handling all items with the utmost care.
- To continuously improve our policies and procedures to ensure our grading criteria best reflects the preferences of the collecting community as a whole.
- To promote interest in collecting by providing a safer way to make purchases and a better way to protect your investments. We believe collecting is much more enjoyable when you have some assurance that what you are buying is authentic and correctly represented.
Committed to:
Listening… to all of our patrons no matter how big or small. We strongly value your opinions and suggestions for how we can improve your experience with us. We encourage you to contact us with your feedback and ideas.
Consistency and Accuracy… is our goal in every grade we assign. All items submitted for grading are evaluated by professional graders who incorporate strict standards designed to ensure that every item is graded based on its physical condition in relation to packaging/item type, complexity, and size. Rarity is never factored into the grade an item receives.
Unbiased treatment… regardless of who submits an item for grading. We follow a strict set of procedures in order to ensure each item is graded without bias or prejudice. We have no financial interest in your item or what grade it receives, thereby making us uniquely suited to fairly assess an items condition.
Confidentiality… We will not share your personal or contact information without your consent. You can feel at ease knowing that only employees of CGA and contracted authentication experts will have access to your personal information.
Customer Service… is exceptionally important to us. Our goal is to address any and all questions and concerns you may have to the best of our ability, while maintaining the highest standards of honesty, integrity and ethical conduct. We strive to provide you with prompt, courteous, and professional service at all times..