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.
Historian · Author · Collector
The Life and Legacy of Gary Hendershott
Fifty years at the intersection of American history and the objects that shaped it. A life spent preserving what others overlooked — and bearing witness to stories the world might otherwise have forgotten.
The Historian
A Lifetime in History
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, and Nathan Bedford Forrest. His journey through American history became the foundation for two books, a documentary, and a lifetime of institutional partnerships dedicated to preserving the past.
“Generosity is a key element amongst collectors. It is not all about the money — it is also about the people you meet along the way that you help, and in turn help you.”Read Full Story
Publications
The Books
Decades of scholarship and firsthand experience distilled into two landmark works.
Available Now
Fakes and Scoundrels
The essential reference on authentication and forgery detection in historical collecting — from firearms and paintings to swords, autographs, and militaria. A best-seller grounded in fifty years of firsthand experience.
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Coming Soon
B-4112: The Blue Diamonds
A historical narrative tracing extraordinary blue diamonds across two world wars — and the story of Richard Friedemann, Holocaust survivor of seven Nazi death camps, whose Birkenau inmate number gives the book its title.
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Legacy & Giving
Preserving Culture for Future Generations
Gary has long believed that the most important artifacts belong not in private hands, but in the care of institutions dedicated to scholarship and preservation. In December 2014, he donated his remarkable Amazon Tribal Art Collection to Tulane University — placing it in the permanent care of the Middle America Research Institute and the Latin American Library.
The collection, gathered from the ethnic peoples of the Amazon basin across Brazil, Venezuela, Suriname, and French Guiana, includes ceremonial headdresses, tribal masks, rare shaman pictographic manuscripts, and objects from cultures now lost to history.
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Stories & Scholarship
From the Journal
Firsthand perspectives on provenance, authentication, and the extraordinary objects at the center of American history.
General Forrest’s Sword: A Blade Forged by Battle
The story of Nathan Bedford Forrest’s cavalry sword — captured from a Union officer at Trenton, Tennessee in December 1862 and carried throughout the Civil War.
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.