The Story Behind Forym™
Forym™ was built on a simple belief: collectibles are more than objects. They preserve memories, stories, fandoms, identity, and emotional connections that stay with us throughout our lives.
For Founder + CEO Yury Shapshal, that belief began long before Forym™ existed.
Born in Ukraine, Yury spent much of his childhood collecting coins, stamps, and even American bubble gum wrappers featuring Disney characters and classic artwork. While modest in value, these small collectibles carried something far more important: a connection to imagination, culture, storytelling, and personal identity.
When his family immigrated to the United States in 1989, he hoped to bring the collection with him. Instead, at the border, he was forced to leave it behind with a family friend before boarding the flight on the way to America. Sitting on the airplane, he made a decision that many collectors know all too well: he told himself he would never collect anything again.
For years, the collection was assumed lost.
Decades later, that same family friend unexpectedly arrived in the United States carrying the collection intact, having carefully preserved it all those years. What once seemed like a small childhood collection suddenly became something much bigger, a reminder that collectibles are not simply possessions, but emotional connections to the stories, experiences, and fandoms that shape our lives.
That experience helped shape the philosophy behind Forym™: collectibles should not simply be owned, they should be protected, authenticated, experienced, and shared.
Founded in 2018 as Elite Coinage Co., the company established itself as a trusted producer and distributor of premium collectibles through technological innovation, craftsmanship, and long standing industry partnerships. Under Yury's leadership as a 20 year FinTech veteran and active collectibles industry participant since 2007, the business expanded beyond coinage into a broader ecosystem for collectors and fans alike.
The company's early work included the development of a new category of high security collectible “Gold Notes,” inspired in part by the legacy of the Disney Dollar program following its discontinuation. These innovations, together with partnerships spanning globally recognized brands, government and private mints, grading and authentication services, licensors, distributors, and secure production facilities, ultimately helped inspire broader technology initiatives including NFP.io, focused on authenticated ownership, collectibles infrastructure, and next generation collector experiences.
Today, Forym™ represents the next chapter: a modern marketplace and platform for premium collectibles across categories including coins, notes, trading cards, comics, fine art, magazines, memorabilia, and officially licensed fan products.
Built on Three Core Principles
Technological Innovation
Authenticity and security are foundational to collectibles. Forym™ leverages advanced production techniques, anti counterfeit technologies, and trusted sourcing standards to help ensure every collectible maintains its integrity, provenance, and long term value.
Industry Leading Quality
Great brands deserve exceptional presentation. From product creation to preservation and fulfillment, Forym™ focuses on craftsmanship, aesthetics, and collector grade quality across every item we produce, distribute, or represent.
Trusted Partnerships
Forym™'s network spans globally recognized brands, government and private mints, licensors, distributors, grading services, and high security production partners. These relationships are built on trust, reliability, and a shared commitment to delivering premium experiences to collectors worldwide.
Bridging Collectors and Culture
At its core, Forym™ exists to connect collectors, fans, creators, and brands through authenticated, meaningful collectibles and experiences.
Whether you are a lifelong collector or discovering a new passion, our mission is to make premium collectibles more accessible, trusted, and exciting for the next generation.