$477 Million in 2005 sales at Heritage Galleries & Auctioneers 2005 Proves to be Best Year Ever for Heritage Galleries! Total Sales Exceed $477 Million!
News-Antique.com - Nov 30,-0001 - Dallas, Texas: Heritage Galleries & Auctioneers (HG&A) reported $477,802,341 in net sales for 2005, by far the best overall year in HG&A's history. This figure represents results from all of HG&A's departments, and includes $304,058,341 in auction sales and $173,744,000 in private treaty sales. Compared to 2004, which reported total sales (auction and private treaty) of $321,481,822, 2005 saw an overall increase of approximately 48.6%. Total auction sales in 2005 (excluding private treaty sales) were $304,058,341, a 66.3% increase over 2004's $182,790,132.
"This was an exceptional year, right from the very beginning," said Greg Rohan, President of HG&A. "We started the year with a record-breaking auction at the Florida United Numismatists convention - over $61 million, making it the biggest coin and currency auction ever held - and went on to break record after record as the year progressed. February saw Heritage set a new record for currency auctions - better than $12 million in an auction held in our Dallas, TX headquarters - and by December, Heritage had sold six of the top 11 coins of 2005, including all of the top four!"
"Our World Coin department turned in some exceptional results this year," said Rohan, "including a record price of $431,250 for a 1643 Charles I Gold Triple Unite, making it the second most expensive British coin ever sold (http://www.heritagegalleries.com/common/prlink.php?Sale_No=378&Lot_No=13436&type=prte-pr10206a)."
"Currency was a hot area in 2005," said Rohan, "with Heritage claiming the record for the largest currency auction ever, the $12 million Dallas event held in February, and a new record set for small size US notes - a 1928 Federal Reserve note with a face value of $10,000 that brought $241,500 in the same auction (http://www.heritagegalleries.com/common/prlink.php?Sale_No=364&Lot_No=16611&type=prte-pr10206a). This contributed to a record year for this department, which demonstrated a 106% increase over 2004, bringing their total to $36,049,300."
"One of the most exciting events of 2005 was the addition of Dr. Edmund P. Pillsbury to the HG&A staff," said Rohan. "As Managing Director - Fine and Decorative Arts, Dr. Pillsbury is positioned to establish HG&A as a major player in this fascinating field. Already, HG&A is gaining a reputation as a serious voice in Fine Arts, especially after our November auction, in which Norman Rockwell's stunning painting, The Song of Bernadette, realized $478,000 (http://www.heritagegalleries.com/common/prlink.php?Sale_No=621&Lot_No=30655&type=prte-pr10206a)."
"HG&A also inaugurated their Texas Art department in 2005," said Rohan, " and the first auction we held this year was extremely successful, with strong prices realized for native Texas sons such as Porfirio Salinas (http://www.heritagegalleries.com/common/prlink.php?Sale_No=627&Lot_No=23161&type=prte-pr10206a), Ben Carlton Mead (http://www.heritagegalleries.com/common/prlink.php?Sale_No=627&Lot_No=23216&type=prte-pr10206a), and Julian Onderdonk (http://www.heritagegalleries.com/common/prlink.php?Sale_No=627&Lot_No=23166&type=prte-pr10206a). This is a vibrant and exciting area, and I'm anxious to see where 2006 takes us."
"Overall," Rohan said, "our Fine Arts department demonstrated a significant increase over last year. In 2004, Fine Arts posted overall results of $1,135,934. This year that number increased by over 450%, to $6,271,131."
"Heritage Comics had a great year in 2005," said Rohan, "with a new record set for the sale of a single page of original comic art - $195,500 paid for
