DALLAS, TX.- Heritage Auctions has once again redefined the auction landscape. The world’s largest collectibles auctioneer reported $962 million in total sales through June, marking the highest midyear total in its 49-year history, and outpacing last summer’s record-setting $924 million.

The company is now on track for its fifth consecutive record-setting year, following $1.867 billion in total sales in 2024 and $1.76 billion in 2023. That momentum is expected to continue into the second half of 2025, with a slate of major events, numerous named world-class collections and a rapidly growing client base, which surpassed 2 million registered online bidder-members this May — evidence of Heritage’s expanding global reach and field-leading technology.

“With our 50th anniversary approaching in 2026, momentum is stronger than ever,” says Heritage CEO and Co-Chairman Steve Ivy. “As the global leader in the collectibles space, we’ve been expanding our footprint with new offices, launching new categories, setting new records, and welcoming a wave of new generational clients, including many first-time bidders drawn to auctions through their passion for pop culture.”

A First Half Defined by Record-Breaking Auctions

Heritage’s performance in the first six months of 2025 was led by standout results across its most dynamic categories: Comics and Comic Art, Sports, Entertainment, American Art, and Currency and Coins.

The year began with a January Comics & Comic Art Auction that realized $10.79 million and broke multiple records. The original cover art for The Amazing Spider-Man No. 194 (1979), featuring the debut of a “startling new villainess,” sold for $1,020,000, setting a new benchmark for any Spider-Man cover. Robin’s first appearance in Detective Comics No. 38 realized $132,000, a record for the historic issue.

In February, the Winter Sports Cards Catalog Auction realized $10.69 million, including a new high for an Allen Iverson NBA card: $701,500, far exceeding the previous record of $79,200. Michael Jordan’s 1997-98 SkyBox Metal Universe Jordan Precious Metal Gems insert, the most vaunted of the additions to the SkyBox set, realized $378,200, a new record in this grade — PSA Excellent 5 — for the coveted insert from Jordan’s last championship season. The Winter Platinum Night Sports Catalog Auction followed with $24.47 million in sales, headlined by the $1,586,000 sale of Roger Maris’ 1961 Yankees pinstripes, now the most valuable Maris item ever sold.

Heritage’s numismatics department, which is the strongest in the industry, posted over $100 million in January alone, reinforcing its leadership in coins and currency. And March brought the most valuable offering of Japanese animation art ever seen in a Western auction, with a nearly all-anime event anchored by Studio Ghibli masterworks that totaled $1.491 million.

Pop Culture Ascends, Along with Fine Art and Design

April’s $18.5 million Comics & Comic Art Auction made headlines with the $690,000 sale of Gil Kane’s original cover art for Marvel Spotlight No. 32, introducing the character now known as Spider-Woman — a new artist auction record.

In Fine Art, Keith Haring’s 1986 Andy Mouse print set a new auction high at $325,000 in the April Prints & Multiples Auction. May’s Imperial Fabergé & Russian Works of Art Auction saw new auction records for a Fabergé punch service ($750,000) and a Russian Imperial Presentation Kinjal ($75,000).

Classic American Art is a signature strength at Heritage, and in that category Heritage’s May 16 sessions realized $12 million, driven by important works from Norman Rockwell, Maurice Sendak, and Ernie Barnes. Sendak’s original 1963 drawing for Where the Wild Things Are sold for $625,000, nearly doubling Sendak’s previous auction record.

Luxury categories surged as well. In June, a rare 1969 Rolex “Paul Newman” Daytona Ref. 6239 sold for $250,000, helping push the Watches & Fine Timepieces Auction to $3.83 million. Also in June, the Peh Family Collection and the record-setting Toele Collection of Dutch banknotes lifted Heritage’s HKINF Numismatics sales to over $15.2 million. That same month, a standalone cover from Action Comics No. 1 sold for $408,000, leading a $22.6 million Comic & Comic Art Auction.

A Look Ahead: Blockbusters on Deck

The second half of the year promises more historic moments. This week’s blockbuster Entertainment auction sessions will spotlight treasures from Cecil B. DeMille’s Lifetime Collection, as well as iconic props including Citizen Kane’s Rosebud sled, Indiana Jones’ screen-used bullwhip, Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing, and Bob Peak’s original art for Apocalypse Now.

In August, the Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction will feature a co-autographed Michael Jordan–Kobe Bryant 2007–08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman card, estimated to bring at least $6 million, positioning it among the most valuable NBA cards ever offered.

And later this year, Heritage will partner with SAG-AFTRA on a landmark auction featuring pieces from Hollywood insiders’ private collections.

2024: A Year That Redefined Auction History

Last year’s monumental moments laid the foundation for 2025’s continued rise. In December, Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers from The Wizard of Oz sold for $32.5 million, setting a new record for the most valuable movie memorabilia ever auctioned. Just months earlier, Babe Ruth’s “called shot” jersey from the 1932 World Series sold for $24.12 million, now the world’s most valuable sports collectible.

“We founded Heritage with the belief that transparency, innovation, standardized grading, reliable provenance and authentication and continued passion for collecting would elevate the collectibles field,” says Heritage Co-Chairman Jim Halperin. “And these recent results speak for themselves. What excites me most is that we’re just getting started. From redefining how collectors engage with the auction world to expanding access across the globe, we’re building a future where more people than ever can participate in preserving and celebrating our cultural history.”