More than one-third of Heritage Auction Galleries’ 2008 record auction revenue came from numismatics, the firm reports.
Overall, the firm brought in a total of $709,664,132 in net sales for the year, the largest in its history. This figure represents results from all of Heritage’s 26 departments and includes all auction and private treaty sales.
Heritage racked up a total of $252,689,999 in U.S. coin auction sales, a 20 percent increase over 2007 sales, itself a record. In 2008 the firm set a new record for currency auctions. The $40,899,887 total is nearly a 35 percent increase over its record 2007 sales, according to the firm.
“This was a year of sales growth, right from the very beginning,” said Greg Rohan, president of Heritage. “We started the year with a record-breaking auction at the Florida United Numismatists convention – more than $63.5 million, making it the second biggest coin and currency auction ever held after our $78 million 2007 FUN auction.”
“Our World Coin Department turned in some exceptional results this year with total auction sales of more than $16 million,” said Rohan.
“Currency was another hot area in 2008, with Heritage claiming the record for the two largest currency auctions ever: our May Central States currency auction grossing $14,203,004, and our $13,333,364 September Long Beach Currency auction.”
For more information about Heritage’s auctions, and a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, visit its Web site at www.HA.com.
