DALLAS, TX.- Heritage Auctions has announced that Joe Orlando, one of the foremost experts in the sports collectibles and memorabilia industry, has joined its Sports department as Executive Vice President.

“The cornerstone of any successful business is the quality of the people that it employs,” Heritage Sports Auctions Director Chris Ivy said, “and we are extremely excited to have someone with Joe’s pedigree and knowledge joining our team.”

The former CEO of Collectors Universe, Inc. and president of Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), Orlando was responsible for developing the authentication and grading standards used by the hobby’s recognized leader.

Orlando spearheaded PSA’s educational content efforts through various vehicles. He operated as the editor of Sports Market Report (SMR), a nationally distributed, monthly publication, and wrote hundreds of articles, including collecting guides, for PSA’s website.

Orlando is widely recognized as a leading authority in the sports collectibles field, making him an in-demand expert for numerous media outlets, including ESPN’s Outside the Lines, HBO’s Real Sports and the Fox Business Network.

Orlando said Heritage’s reputation throughout the sports collectibles industry, and the knowledge and passion of the Heritage Sports team represented an opportunity he could not refuse.

“It is an honor and a privilege to join Heritage Auctions,” Orlando said. “No other firm rivals Heritage in terms of expertise and what it offers the hobby.

“As the President of PSA and the CEO of Collector’s Universe collectively for 20 years, I have a unique insight into the industry. I have long been an admirer of the quality of Heritage Auctions’ work, as well as its business practices. More than anything else, the chance to work alongside their unrivaled team was something I couldn’t pass up. The depth of expertise within their Sports division and throughout the entire organization appealed to me more than any other aspect of the opportunity.”

Orlando has been a part of numerous sports collectibles book projects. He wrote Collecting Sports Legends in 2008 and was the lead author of the award-winning Legendary Lumber: The Top 100 Player Bats in Baseball History (2017). He also contributed to the award-winning The T206 Collection: The Players and Their Stories (2010), The Cracker Jack Collection: Baseball’s Prized Players (2013), The 100 Greatest Baseball Autographs (2016), an All-Star’s Cardboard Memories (2018), Baseball & Bubble Gum: The 1952 Topps Collection (2020) and The Diamondbacks Collection: 50 of the Greatest Cards in Sports Collecting History (2022).

“Heritage is a collectibles company run by those with immense industry knowledge and, most importantly, a long-term perspective,” Orlando said. “I look forward to contributing in any way I can to Heritage’s sustained success and premium brand.”