department coordinator

operations assistant

director

shipping and receiving clerk

social media specialist

Heritage Auctions

Heritage is a fun and interesting company to work for.  How often do you get to see several million dollars in coins/artwork/sports memorabilia, or celebrities walking down your halls?  At Heritage this is a common occurrence.

I got to travel, and learned a lot about "vintage" items (code word to dress up the word "old" ha ha).

The biggest problem is nepotism. It does not matter whether or not family is capable of doing the job, they are hired anyway and considered untouchable. 

The other issue is high level managers who if they like you, you are treated with respect.  Otherwise, you barely get a glance even when the CEO's are trusting you with sensitive information that even they are not privy to.  Makes me wonder if a little jealousy wasn't part of the problem.

Overall, not a bad place to work. They have monthly birthday celebrations for all employees. Multiple free lunches.  Fair per Diem when you travel, and even with the per Diem you were often treated to various meals on your trip.  They also provide opportunities for those who want them, especially those willing and have a desire to be an auctioneer.  If you can get up in a crowd, know you are on-line in front of thousands of clients, and do a stand up job - you will get to travel all the time.  And you pay for nothing.  

One disappointment working there was being told my annual assessment was being downgraded because they were not giving much in bonus that year.  Mind you this is after I took over the work of an entire employee which saved them over 30K in that one employee alone.  I could have lived without the annual pay increase, but I was not going to allow my efforts to be diminished due to a boss not wanting to acknowledge the accomplishments and put pen to paper that I had not lived up to my potential simply because they felt if they said too many good things, it would be known I was denied a fair raise that year.

If you enjoy doing the work of several people for pay that barely justifies the effort, then this is the perfect place for you. Add broken promises, constant stress, and a daily reminder that your hard work means almost nothing, and you've got the full experience. Pay was insultingly low for what was expected. The role demanded plenty of skills, but the pay made it clear none of those skills mattered. More work kept getting dumped on employees without proper benefits in return. All that extra effort never came with better pay. It made the whole position impossible to respect. I knew I deserved better somewhere else. That thought stayed with me until I finally left. Getting a raise or moving up had very little to do with hard work. Everything depended on who you knew. People who kept their heads down and did their jobs were easy to ignore. Management attitudes made that painfully obvious. Strong performance was expected, but it was rarely acknowledged. Watching the same people receive all the opportunities became unbearable. It completely destroyed my motivation. The office was overflowing with gossip and disrespect. Some people openly made offensive remarks as if nothing was wrong, and nobody cared enough to stop it. Speaking up felt completely pointless. The endless drama never seemed to stop. It started taking a serious toll on my mental health. Some teams were pushed to ridiculous extremes and management did not care at all. People looked exhausted all the time, and nobody even seemed shocked anymore. I left drained, burned out, and relieved to finally be free of it.

The executives at this company come across as demeaning, unprofessional, and consistently unethical  in how they handle responsibilities. There is a clear pattern of refusing accountability, with every mistake pushed onto employees rather than being owned by those at the top. Pay is completely misaligned  with demands of the role, leaving employees under compensated for what is expected of them. Employees are expected to perform at a high level with extensive knowledge, yet little effort is made to properly train or support them. Any support shown during hiring becomes increasingly hostile when help is requested more than once, discouraging employees from seeking clarification when needed. Instead of guidance or development, mistakes are met with sharp criticism that does nothing to help improvement. The lack of genuine care for new hires is impossible to ignore and shows up in every part of the experience. This stands out as one of the worst professional environments I have ever been part of.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The office location wasn't bad, and the direct deposit worked. That's really the list

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Coming in they sold this picture of a real functioning team with support, mentorship, actual training, the whole works. Maybe the first week that was true, then everything just started falling apart—constant understaffing, the training kept getting pushed back, and when it finally happened it was nothing like what they promised during the interview. My manager seemed to know the place was fundamentally broken, he'd apologize and promise things would improve and we'd get more people, but corporate just told us to work harder instead. So that's the gap between what they told you during the interview and what you actually get, which honestly just wears you down. I ended up feeling like a temporary plug for a problem they never actually wanted to solve. Not worth going back over it.

As a contracted Historical Manuscript Writer, I've assisted the department director with research on material that was for auction. I've worked with both the client and the director with obtaining material, information, and historical accuracy. During auction open houses I've learned how to care for the client and their material that had sentimental value to them but also how to advertise their auction lot to grab the attention of a potential buyer. I managed to gather the information in order to write for the auction house catalog and website. I've also diligently cleaned a years worth of unorganized material corresponding with their department but also other departments. In my time there, I've learned how to handle sensitive historical material that had little or no background story and was challenged to use critical thinking and heavy research.

Fast paced with lots of interesting things to look at, but the starting pay is low. Some people who’ve been working there for years are paid below the poverty line. Middle management and HR are amazing, but the upper management and C suites are out of touch and uncaring. There is a massive amount of nepotism at all levels of the company.

Employee input into process improvement is actively encouraged and participation mentioned during annual reviews. Great atmosphere for a self-motivated employee with initiative and willingness to contend with conflicting and frequently changing directives. Process flow is generally formed but infrequently subverted either with or without intention. With direction from high level administration to stop subversion of the process, rarely is commendation given to those whom comply and encourage others to comply with the process.

What is the best part of working at the company?
I’ve worked around warehouses before, and this position suits me because it’s hands-on, steady work. Most days involve checking items, updating records, and helping keep the storage areas in order. The team is focused on making sure everything is accurate before auctions. This kind of organized and efficient environment works well for me.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Days before big events can be quite hectic.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Zero politics, low-stress environment, coworkers are responsible and helpful, efficient operations

The people you work with and the things you get to see are almost all amazing. The issue comes with pay and heavy workload. Base pay doesn't feel like enough given the huge priority list to get done, often requiring overtime and weekends. I worked both as a part time and full time employee, and unfortunately part-timers have no option for a raise. That plus an extensive workload that is physically and mentally demanding leads to a pretty high turnover rate.

Pros: Nice coworkers, fun company culture, you get to see cool collectibles and rarities

Cons: No 401k match, pay is disproportionate to the work and time required, upward mobility is tough

Heritage itself is a good company with fair pay. I personally experienced some awful times at the company. However, the folks I dealt with in Dallas seemed nice.  The company overall is unorganized and surprisingly inefficient for the revenue they pull in each year. Management is lazy and expects all positions below to accomodate for that. Their multiple computer systems are outdated and run like old coding programs. Overall I would say to skip this company if you're not a Consignment Director as they're the only ones making money and being treated with any form of respect. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Department coordinator 4 salaries reported	$22.25 per hour
Operations assistant 1 salary reported	$19.00 per hour
Director 8 salaries reported	$107,500 per year
Shipping and receiving clerk 1 salary reported	$19.00 per hour
Social media specialist 1 salary reported	$175,000 per year

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