HERITAGE AUCTIONS EXPANDS NEW YORK OFFICE, OPENS IN AMSTERDAM AND UNVEILS PLANS FOR HONG KONG
HERITAGE AUCTIONS IS opening a Hong Kong office and salesroom, specializing in coins and currency, but also giving Asian consignors easy access to the auction house’s 40 categories.
“Heritage already has many clients throughout Asia,” says Heritage Vice President Cristiano Bierrenbach. “We see this as a logical step for the company. This will make it easier for our clients and bidders in that part of the world to work with us.”
Kenneth Yung, an established numismatist based in Hong Kong, has been named director of Asian Operations. “It’s a great honor to join the team at Heritage, the largest numismatic auction house in the world,” Yung says. “Together we hope to lead the Asian numismatic market into a whole new era.”
The company will hold two auctions per year focusing on world coins. The December auction includes numismatic items from Bhutan, British North Borneo, Burma, Cambodia, Ceylon, China, French Cochinchina, French Indochina, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Singapore, Straits Settlements, Sumatra, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet and Vietnam.
Consignments for the inaugural Hong Kong auction are being accepted until Oct. 19.
The company has also joined with Dutch auction house MPO Auctions to form Heritage Auctions Europe, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The office offers full service in all company categories.
At the same time, Heritage is expanding its Park Avenue office in New York. The move frees up street-level floor space to expand public displays from Heritage’s different auction categories, including sports memorabilia, rare coins, comic books, wine and luxury handbags.
“One of the most talked-about features of our New York gallery is the Heritage Window on Park Avenue,” says Kathleen Guzman, managing director for Heritage in New York City. “Thousands of people pass by each day and enjoy eye-catching displays of selections from upcoming auctions.”
NEW ‘GUIDE’ REFLECTS IMPACT OF POPULAR MOVIES
THE 2015-16 edition of the electronic Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide is available for immediate download at Heritage Auctions’ website, HA.com, for $30.
With movie tie-ins soaring in value, the past year saw more “hot” books and more pricing changes than any year in recent memory, and that makes having the latest Guide more important than ever, says Barry Sandoval, director of comic operations at Heritage Auctions. “Covering more than a century of comic book history, the Guide, an essential tool for collectors and investors, is highly regarded for its well-researched pricing, in-depth historical information and incomparable insights into the marketplace.”
Compatible with Mac and PC, the electronic edition of the Guide is fully searchable. To download, visit HA.com/Comics.
People
KATIE NARTONIS has joined Heritage Auctions’ Beverly Hills office as consignment director of 20th and 21st Century Design. Nartonis has handled thousands of works for auction from fine and rare Tiffany glass to Playboy magazine’s collection of development art. She has produced more than 25 lecture events covering art, design, animation and film. In February, her documentary film In Tandem: The Life and Work of Jerry and Evelyn Ackerman debuted at 2015 Modernism Week in Palm Springs.
LEON BENRIMON has been named director of Modern and Contemporary Art at Heritage Auctions’ New York office. He previously owned Benrimon Contemporary in New York, where he sold blue chip artworks on the secondary market in association with historical exhibitions, while dedicating himself to representing and supporting emerging, established and mid-career Contemporary artists working in a variety of mediums.
DEAN HARMEYER, who achieved world record prices at Christie’s auction house, has been named consignment director in Heritage Auctions’ entertainment and music department. Harmeyer previously worked in executive positions at Universal Music Group, Sony Music and BMG. He is a graduate of New York University’s distinguished Appraisal Studies in Fine and Decorative Arts program, and a USPAP-certified appraiser.
LLOYD CURREY, one of the leading popular-fiction specialists in the rare books trade, is joining forces with Heritage Auctions. He previously worked at J.S. Canner and Company in Boston, and co-founded Literary Heritage of Sharon, Mass. In 1968, he established his own antiquarian book business, L.W. Currey Inc. He is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, Inc. and a current member and past officer of the Science Fiction Research Association.