Heritage Auctions is ending 2024 with their fourth consecutive year of record sales, and will head into 2025 with six new partners added to their executive leadership. They included individuals with expertise in numismatics, currency, entertainment, popular culture, historical and comic art categories, among many others.
The new partners are Executive Vice President Todd Hignite (comic and illustration art), Vice President Dustin Johnston (currency), Executive Vice President Joe Maddalena (entertainment, historical, and popular culture), Senior Vice President Sarah Miller (numismatics), Executive Vice President Sam Spiegel (world and ancient coins) and Senior Vice President Jim Stoutjesdyk (numismatics).
They join Heritage’s long-time managing partners Co-Chairman and CEO Steve Ivy, Co-Chairman Jim Halperin, President Greg Rohan, COO Paul Minshull, Executive Vice Presidents Cristiano Bierrenbach, Marc Emory, and Todd Imhof, and Director of Numismatics Ryan Carroll.
“My co-founder, Jim Halperin, and Heritage Auctions’ other senior partners couldn’t be more pleased to introduce our new partners,” Ivy said. “This move and others like it will ensure Heritage Auctions’ success well into the future.”
Hignite is a comic art expert who has overseen several record setting sales and he has experience writing and curating for museums. He is an expert in Contemporary and 20th Century American art, and has worked to bring awareness to the significance of the comic art form.
Johnston started buying and selling coins when he was 14 years old and joined Heritage 26 years ago as a US coin specialist. Now, he oversees the US and world currency categories, and has been on Coin World’s list of Top 100 Most Influential People in Numismatics.
Maddalena has 40 years of experience in the auction industry, specifically working with Hollywood memorabilia. He was responsible for the Debbie Reynolds Auction that grossed $38.6 million in 2011, and at Heritage he led the sale of Dororthy’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz that recently sold for $32.5 million. He joined Heritage in 2020 and now heads their newly created pop culture division that includes 20 categories.
Miller’s interest in rare coins began when she was a child, and she has been working with Heritage for 11 years. She has years of experience collecting, buying, and selling rare coins, which has made her well regarded in the numismatic community.
Spiegel joined Heritage in 2013 as an ancient coin specialist. His role expanded to improving the department’s IT with technological features that provide more information on auction lots. The category has realized over $100 million in each of the last four years.
Stoutjesdyk was honored as the American Numismatic Association’s (ANA) Outstanding Young Numismatist in 1987. He has worked with Heritage since 1993, buying and selling millions of dollars of rare coins each month, and managing their rare coin department.
