Type Private Industry Auctioneering Founded 1976 Founder(s) Steve Ivy Jim Halperin Headquarters Dallas, Texas Key people Greg Rohan, President Product(s) Collectibles Revenue $800,000,000+ auction sales Employees 350 Divisions Heritage Auctions, Dallas

Heritage Auctions

heritage-auctions-arms-armor-department

Heritage Auctions is the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer and the world’s third largest auction house. Heritage Auctions has over 700,000 registered online bidder-members and annual sales of over $800 million¹.

History

Heritage Auctions was established in 1976 by Steve Ivy and Jim Halperin.

Steve Ivy started his own business, advertising rare coins for sale in national publications, in 1964 when he was just 14. Six years later, he opened his business in Dallas, Texas.

In 1976, Ivy incorporated a sister auction company with his business and served as chief buyer.

Jim Halperin also started in business at a young age. Halperin formed a part-time rare stamp and coin business when he was just 16, the same year he received an early acceptance to Harvard College. Jim focused more on his coin business than his studies so decided to take a permanent leave of absence in his third semester, to focus more on his coin business.

In 1982, Ivy and Halperin merged their companies to form Heritage Auctions.

In 1987, Greg Rohan joined Heritage as executive vice president. Today he is both a partner and President of Heritage working primarily on overseeing the firm’s private client group and working with top collectors in each field that Heritage is active in.

Since the formation of Heritage, Jim Halperin has written several books, both fiction and non-fiction.

Steve Ivy currently sits on the Board of the National Centre for Policy Analysis, a non-profit public policy research organization.

Locations

Heritage was established in Dallas, Texas which is still where the head office is based.

Heritage has US offices in New York, NY and Beverley Hills, CA.

Heritage also has European offices in Holland, Germany, Switzerland and France.

Departments

Heritage has many departments including fine art, comic books and comic art, movie posters, pop culture, currency and wine.

• Heritage Auctions Art & Antiques Department
• Heritage Auctions Books Department
• Heritage Auctions Coins Department
• Heritage Auctions Comics Department
• Heritage Auctions Currency Department
• Heritage Auctions Entertainment & Music Department
• Heritage Auctions Historical Department
• Heritage Auctions Jewellery & Timepieces Department
• Heritage Auctions Movie Posters Department
• Heritage Auctions Natural History Department
• Heritage Auctions Sports Department
• Heritage Auctions Wine Department
• Heritage Auctions Arms & Armor Department

For a complete list of departments see main article: List of Heritage Auction Galleries Departments

Notable Sales

• Heritage holds the world record for the highest grossing comic book and popular culture auction, raising over $5.2 million in October 2002 for Nicolas Cage’s comic book collection and other properties.
• In July, 2003, the original G.I. Joe prototype sold at a Heritage auction for $200,000. This is the highest price paid for an action figure.
• In September, 2008 Heritage auctioned a rare 1911 $500 Canadian Queen Mary banknote for $322,000, which is the highest price paid for a Canadian banknote².
• A copy of the comic, Showcase #4 sold for $179,250 at a Heritage auction in May 2009. This is the highest price paid for a 50s comic book. The previous record for a 50s comic book was $160,200 for another copy of the same issue³.
• A copy of Detective Comics #27 – in which Batman makes his first appearance - sold at a Heritage auction for $1,075,500 in February 2010, the world’s highest price for any comic book⁴.
• A 79.5 x 71 inch charcoal, pencil, pastel and watercolour work by Bruce Nauman sold for $776,750 at a Heritage auction in June 2010. At the time, this was the highest price paid for a Nauman work⁵.
• In August, 2010, Heritage auctioned Hugh Joseph Wards’ The Evil Flame, Spicy Mystery Stories pulp cover. It sold for $143,400, the highest price paid at a public auction for a pulp magazine cover⁶.
• A Honus Wager T206 baseball card was sold for $262,900 at a Heritage auction in November 2010, making it the most valuable trading card in the world⁷.

Notable sales of 2011

Main article: Heritage Auctions Biggest sales of 2011

External Links

Heritage Auctions - The World's Largest Collectibles Auctioneer