About Heritage Auctions - Historical: Americana & Political

Don worked as an antique dealer in Ridgefield, Connecticut in the late 1970s  and issued mail auction catalogs of Americana in the late 1990s. He was a founder and president of The Association for the Preservation of Political Americana which operated for close to ten years and has maintained continuous membership in the American Political Items Collectors since 1964. In 1995, he helped found “The Rail Splitter”, a hobbyist organization for Lincoln collectors which issues quarterly journals and periodic auctions. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief.  He has written dozens of articles on American political history and collectibles which have appeared in a variety of publications. He helped organize  three public exhibits:  the Dr. John Lattimer Collection at the Metropolitan Book Exchange 1995, Grant memorabilia at the Re-Dedication of Grant’s Tomb 1997, and the bicentennial “Abraham Lincoln in New York” at Federal Hall.

After attending the University of Louisville (KY), Michael worked in the Consumer Electronics industry. In 1983, he joined the Universal Autograph Collectors Club, and became a dealer in a wide range of collectibles in 1985. Adopting the Internet early, he moved into website design and development in 1995, an area where he has received numerous awards. Michael joined Heritage in 2004 and has done cataloging work for Music & Entertainment Memorabilia, Americana & Political Memorabilia, Historical Manuscripts, and Space Exploration.