Phil Arnold Takes the Helm as Director of Photography at GreatCollections

Numismatic photography expert Phil Arnold has joined the GreatCollections Auctions team as Director of Photography.

For the past 18 years, Phil headed Professional Coin Grading Service’s (PCGS) imaging department and developed their Trueview imaging.

He photographed the vast majority of major numismatic rarities over that time, including the 1933 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle – the world’s most valuable coin.

Ian Russell, president of GreatCollections commented, "I welcome Phil to our team – and look forward to providing even higher-quality images for our auctions to the benefit of consignors and bidders. Phil’s work is second-to-none in numismatic photography, and his love of numismatics is showcased with every image he takes."

After graduating from Western University in Ontario, Canada, Phil studied at the Pacific Design Academy before deciding to focus on his numismatic photography career. The stars aligned, as this was the time PCGS needed their first full-time photographer to take digital images. Phil was hired and he moved to Southern California. For 18 years, Phil took literally millions of coin images at PCGS, while also improving the quality to the pinnacle of the numismatic industry.

"I’ve known Ian for the past decade, and I’ve always admired his and Raeleen’s reputation for integrity within the industry. GreatCollections’ growth in this time has truly been remarkable, and I’m excited to now be a part of their small-company environment. We are going to the next level in making GreatCollections’ photographs the best in the business – not just for their record breaking coin auctions, but also for the new collectibles we’ll be auctioning in the very near future," said Phil Arnold about joining GreatCollections.

GreatCollections is planning on adding additional images of toned coins and rarities, which will start to appear in auction listings in the next few weeks.

Aside from overseeing the GreatCollections Auctions coin images, Phil will also be instrumental in setting up the GreatCollections photography for the new collectibles categories launching in 2023.

About GreatCollections

GreatCollections, the official auction house of the American Numismatic Association, specializes in auctioning certified coins and banknotes, handling transactions from start to finish. Since its founding in 2010, GreatCollections has successfully auctioned over 1 million certified coins, making it one of the leading certified coin companies in the United States with annual sales in 2022 exceeding $270 million. Ian Russell, owner/president of GreatCollections, is a member of the prestigious Professional Numismatists Guild, member of the National Auctioneers Association and was recently named the ANA Harry J. Forman Dealer of the Year. For more information about GreatCollections, visit www.greatcollections.com or call 800-442-6467.