How Provenance Shapes the Value of Historical Artifacts
Understanding the chain of ownership is essential to determining both the authenticity and the market value of important historical material.
Palm Beach, Florida
Preserving American History Through Extraordinary Objects
For over 50 years, Gary Hendershott has served as a trusted authority, dealer, and curator of museum-quality historical Americana — from presidential relics and Civil War artifacts to rare firearms, battle flags, and objects of enduring national significance.
Areas of Expertise
Signature Collections
Decades of connoisseurship across the most important categories of American historical material.
Featured
Presidential & American Icons
From Gilbert Stuart portraits to White House relics — the foremost private collection of presidential material ever assembled.
Legacy Collection
Civil War
Confederate and Union artifacts of the highest order — uniforms, battle flags, officer swords, and personal effects of generals.
Frontier Era
Old West & Frontier
Outlaw memorabilia, cavalry equipment, and frontier-era artifacts from the Daltons, Custer, and the legends of the American West.
Arms & Armament
Historic Firearms
Colt revolvers, Civil War weapons, and historically significant firearms with documented provenance and extraordinary narratives.
The Gladium Collection
Swords & Flags
The greatest American swords ever collected, alongside battle flags that witnessed the defining moments of the nation.
Indigenous Heritage
Native American
Important historical artifacts honoring the material culture and legacy of Native American peoples across centuries.
The Curator
A Lifetime of Discovery
Gary Hendershott began collecting at the age of eleven. By sixteen, he was traveling the country acquiring family estates, correspondences, and relics — forging a path that would span over 50+ years at the intersection of American art and history.
He has owned the personal effects of George Washington, Robert E. Lee, JEB Stuart, George Custer, Nathan Bedford Forrest, and Ulysses S. Grant. His collection has included Gilbert Stuart's iconic portrait of Washington, Emanuel Leutze's celebrated works, and masterpieces by the Taos artists.
“I pride myself on integrity, ethics, and professional conduct. I still enjoy doing business the old-fashioned way — selling great items to great collectors and museums.”
Today, Gary serves as a consultant to collectors, museums, and institutions worldwide, with an emphasis on preserving lifelong collections intact for future generations.
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How We Serve You
Expert Services
Discreet, knowledgeable guidance for collectors, museums, heirs, and institutions at every stage of the collecting journey.
Acquire
Strategic acquisition of rare artifacts, complete collections, and individual items of extraordinary historical significance.
Sell & Consign
Discreet sale and consignment services for important collections, estates, and individual artifacts with global reach.
Advisory
Collection strategy, authentication guidance, and valuation advisory for private collectors and institutional buyers.
Appraisals
Expert evaluation and authentication of historical artifacts, documents, firearms, and collections for insurance, estate, and acquisition purposes.
From the Archive
Notable Highlights
A selection of historically significant objects that have passed through these hands over the decades.
Presidential
Gilbert Stuart's Washington Portrait
The iconic Athenaeum portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart, one of the most important American paintings ever created.
Civil War
General Forrest's Sword
The presentation sword of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, a defining artifact of the American Civil War.
Old West
The Dalton Gang Collection
Personal effects and firearms associated with the infamous Dalton Gang, among the rarest Old West outlaw material in existence.
Why Collectors Trust Gary Hendershott
A Foundation of Expertise
Museum Relationships
Trusted by over 20 major institutions including the Smithsonian, Library of Congress, and National Portrait Gallery.
Published Authority
Author of Fakes and Scoundrels, the essential reference on authentication and collecting pitfalls.
Provenance Expertise
Rigorous authentication, provenance research, and fair market valuation grounded in decades of scholarship.
Collector Network
A lifetime of relationships with distinguished collectors, dealers, and institutions across the globe.
Insights & Education
From the Journal
Expert perspectives on collecting, provenance, authentication, and the stories behind important artifacts.
What Museums Look for in Important Acquisitions
A look inside the criteria and process museums use when evaluating rare artifacts for their permanent collections.
Evaluating Rare Civil War Material: A Collector's Guide
From uniforms and battle flags to officer swords and personal correspondence, understanding what defines museum-quality Civil War artifacts.