Built by Collectors, for Collectors
ACE was founded with your grading needs in mind.
As lifelong collectors with years of experience working for and submitting to grading companies, Rob and Jeff knew what they wanted in a grading company and made sure that ACE filled those needs. ACE is the collector friendly grading company -- try us and you'll see the difference!
ROB PILLSBURY
Rob is originally from Minneapolis, MN but grew up in Lafayette, CA. He earned a B.A. in Music with a minor in Communications from California State University Chico. He is a classically trained singer and earned a BRAVO Opera Scholarship. After graduation, he elected for a career in the telecom industry, working for 4 Fortune 500 companies over the next 20 years in sales and as a corporate sales trainer. Starting in 2009 (and still active) he spent time in real estate sales before starting his career in comic book grading in 2015. That year he was hired by CGC Comics and spent over 4 years as a grader, with the final year exclusively grading vintage comics. During his time there he trained and worked closely with top graders Vince Oliva, Matt Nelson, and Mark Haspel, with a goal to become one of the best and most consistent graders in the world. After leaving CGC, he spent 2 years working for former CGC President Mark Haspel as a consultant/assistant/advisor, honing his skills cleaning and pressing comics, and evaluating which already encapsulated books could be upgraded when cracked open for cleaning and pressing. During that time he built many strong industry connections. In the spring of 2021 Rob joined PGX Owner/President/Grader Daniel Patterson to launch PGX Comics East. For the next two years, Rob was the face of PGX Comics East, pressing, cleaning, and grading books. Rob helped raise the bar and brand awareness of PGX Comics, and developed a loyal following of customers who appreciated his consistency and consultative approach.
Rob was 5 years old when his fascination with comic books started, due in part to a good friend who eventually became a professional animator working on such films as Edge of the Spider-Verse, Kung Fu Panda, and The Simpsons television show. Rob spent his youth reading comics, but it wasn't until age 13 that collecting became a passion. A friend at school brought in a copy of Groo the Wanderer #1 (Epic Comics volume) protected in a bag and board, and at that moment Rob fell in love with collecting. He collected all of the #1 issues he could find, Marvel Saga, Elf Quest, DC Secret Origins, Booster Gold, and the aforementioned Groo were among his earliest titles.
Started Collecting: 1985
Favorite Characters: The Vision, Batman, Swamp Thing, Godzilla, Casey Jones, and Darth Vader
Favorite Comics: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen, The Visions, Fear Agent, The Walking Dead, Star Wars, Southern Bastards, Donny Cates' Thanos & Doctor Strange runs, Matt Fraction's Hawkeye, Godzilla
Favorite Writers: Stan Lee, Jason Aaron, Donny Cates, Matt Fraction, Robert Kirkman, Jeph Loeb, Len Wein
Favorite Artists: Frank Miller, Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee, Barry Windsor Smith, Jack Davis, Mike Ploog, George Perez, Frank Frazetta, Mac Raboy, Joe Maneely, Alex Ross, Neal Adams, Sergio Aragones
Other Interests: Rob has a daughter, is a passionate baseball fan, a devout Christian, and loves music. His favorite time of week is Sunday when he attends church.
Jeff grew up in Michigan City, Indiana, and was introduced to comic book collecting in the 4th grade. He was hooked and spent the remainder of his childhood and adolescence buying every comic book he could afford with the money he earned from his paper route and his job slinging burgers at McDonald’s. After high school he attended DePauw University, a small liberal arts college in southern Indiana, graduating in 1989. Although his dream job would have been to work as an animator or comic artist, after college he decided to become a physician and attended Indiana University School of Medicine, graduating in 1993. He then completed a residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Illinois in Peoria and spent the next 20 years working as an ER doctor in an urban hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 2015 he said goodbye to winters and moved to Sarasota, Florida. In 2021, after 25 years of practicing in the ER, he retired from Emergency Medicine and is ready to embark on his second career.
During his medical career, Jeff remained passionate about comic books and has continued to be an avid collector. That has definitely influenced his family; he is married and the father of 4 adult children, all of whom have various interests in “geek” culture. That being the case, going to comic conventions has always been a family activity, and continues to this day. Earlier this year, Jeff completed his long-time goal of collecting a complete run of all volumes of The Fantastic Four comics. He is now working on collecting all Fantastic Four and Dr. Doom appearances in other titles. Jeff’s interest in comic book grading definitely increased after moving to Sarasota, the grading capital of the world. With Rob’s help, Jeff has turned decades of amateur grading experience in professional skills, leading to the decision to join Rob in creating the ACE Grading Co.
Started collecting: 1976
First comic books purchased: Fantastic Four #177, Amazing Spider-Man #163, Marvel's Greatest Comics #68
Favorite writers: Garth Ennis, Jason Aaron, Ed Brubaker, Kurt Busiek, Mark Waid
Favorite Artists: John Romita Sr., Jack Kirby, John Romita Jr., Arthur Adams, Alex Ross, P. Craig Russell,
John Byrne, Walt Simonson, Michael Cho, Bruce Timm
Favorite Comics: Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, Daredevil, Batman
Animated Series books, any Silver Age DC
Other Interests: Running and Trivia. He is also a big Chicago Cubs, Indianapolis
Colts, and Indiana Pacers fan.
JEFF MARA
JEFF MARA
Jeff grew up in Michigan City, Indiana, and was introduced to comic book collecting in the 4th grade. He was hooked and spent the remainder of his childhood and adolescence buying every comic book he could afford with the money he earned from his paper route and his job slinging burgers at McDonald’s. After high school he attended DePauw University, a small liberal arts college in southern Indiana, graduating in 1989. Although his dream job would have been to work as an animator or comic artist, after college he decided to become a physician and attended Indiana University School of Medicine, graduating in 1993. He then completed a residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Illinois in Peoria and spent the next 20 years working as an ER doctor in an urban hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 2015 he said goodbye to winters and moved to Sarasota, Florida. In 2021, after 25 years of practicing in the ER, he retired from Emergency Medicine and is ready to embark on his second career.
During his medical career, Jeff remained passionate about comic books and has continued to be an avid collector. That has definitely influenced his family; he is married and the father of 4 adult children, all of whom have various interests in “geek” culture. That being the case, going to comic conventions has always been a family activity, and continues to this day. Earlier this year, Jeff completed his long-time goal of collecting a complete run of all volumes of The Fantastic Four comics. He is now working on collecting all Fantastic Four and Dr. Doom appearances in other titles. Jeff’s interest in comic book grading definitely increased after moving to Sarasota, the grading capital of the world. With Rob’s help, Jeff has turned decades of amateur grading experience in professional skills, leading to the decision to join Rob in creating the ACE Grading Co.
Started collecting: 1976
First comic books purchased: Fantastic Four #177, Amazing Spider-Man #163, Marvel's Greatest Comics #68
Favorite writers: Garth Ennis, Jason Aaron, Ed Brubaker, Kurt Busiek, Mark Waid
Favorite Artists: John Romita Sr., Jack Kirby, John Romita Jr., Arthur Adams, Alex Ross, P. Craig Russell,
John Byrne, Walt Simonson, Michael Cho, Bruce Timm
Favorite Comics: Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, Daredevil, Batman
Animated Series books, any Silver Age DC
Other Interests: Running and Trivia. He is also a big Chicago Cubs, Indianapolis
Colts, and Indiana Pacers fan.