PHILADELPHIA — The Franklin Mint, once the world's largest collectibles maker but now engaged in a battle against changing consumer tastes, was sold to a group of private investors.

A group led by executives from Hicksville, N.Y.-based The Morgan Mint bought The Franklin Mint from Roll International Corp., a privately held firm based in Los Angeles. The new ownership group includes Hollywood producer David Salzman, who describes himself as "at times, an out-of-control collector of stuff."

M. Moshe Malamud, chairman of The Morgan Mint, and Steven Sisskind, the coin and stamp marketing company's chief executive, will hold the same positions at the Franklin Mint, which will be moved out of its current headquarters west of Philadelphia.

"The Franklin Mint is the crown jewel of our industry," Malamud said Monday. "It's a great opportunity to take this brand from its current status and build it up to the great name that it once was and even beyond that."

The previous owners, Roll's Stewart Resnick and Lynda Resnick, had been trying to sell the maker of figurines, commemorative plates and jewelry for a while, Malamud said. Malamud's group reached an agreement with them last year. The sale closed Aug. 31 but wasn't being announced until Tuesday. The purchase price was not disclosed.

Founded in 1964 by Joseph Segel, who also started QVC, The Franklin Mint has a well-known brand name whose sales once nearly reached a billion dollars.

The Franklin Mint is known for its detailed figures and models and its numerous products featuring celebrities like Elvis, Princess Diana and Marilyn Monroe. Its eclectic collectibles also included a $500 collector's edition of Monopoly and Star Trek chess sets.

Warner Communications, now part of Time Warner in New York, bought the Franklin Mint in 1981 and a few years later sold it to the Resnicks.

It is no longer No. 1 in the industry, but analysts said they could not clearly identify the market leaders because so many collectibles makers are privately held.

Malamud said even as the Mint has gotten smaller, "it's always been profitable."

The new owners are hiring back key personnel and hope to eventually reopen the museum.

They also hope to restore the Mint to the status it had enjoyed during its heyday.

"When Franklin Mint was at its peak, it was making the market. It was defining what the next generation of products would be," Salzman said. "There's been a leadership void we'd like to take back."