Hindman
Freeman's | Hindman is a US-based auction house operating across 6 salesrooms and 18 regional offices, auctioning fine art, jewelry, antiques, and collectibles across 22 specialized departments. It serves private collectors, museums, galleries, and corporate buyers through live, online, and hybrid auctions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Hindman does
Hindman operates as Freeman's | Hindman, a unified American auction house formed by the January 2024 merger of Hindman and Freeman's (America's oldest auction house, with over 200 years of heritage). Headquartered in Chicago and held under IAG HOLDINGS, LLC, the combined entity auctions fine art, jewelry, modern design, books, manuscripts, furniture, antiques, and collectibles across 22 specialized departments spanning American Art, Antiquities, Asian Art, Books & Manuscripts, Jewelry, Watches, Design, European Furniture & Decorative Arts, and adjacent categories. The platform supports live, online, and hybrid auction formats, with remote participation enabled via online bidding and phone bidding channels. Distribution spans 6 salesrooms and 18 regional offices across the United States, including a permanent salesroom in New York City opened in 2024.
The company serves four primary customer segments: private collectors (the dominant persona, using auctions to buy and sell individual works), museums and institutions (requiring advisory and collections management), corporate buyers (treating art as an alternative investment), and galleries and dealers (acquiring inventory for resale). Revenue is generated through four streams: transaction-based auction commissions (buyer's premiums and seller's commissions, negotiated per lot and not publicly disclosed), private sale transaction fees, professional appraisal and valuation services, and museum/institutional advisory services. Pricing is structured as a take-rate model with pay-as-you-go billing, with complimentary auction estimates offered to attract new consignments.
Go-to-market is sales-led: department specialists manage consignment relationships and guide both sellers and buyers through the auction process, supported by a website, email newsletter, earned media, and an educational content section ('Discover'). The technology stack is described as an auction platform supporting live, online, and hybrid formats, with no disclosed proprietary AI/ML capabilities, no mobile app, and no public API. Underlying marketing infrastructure includes HubSpot, Google Analytics, Hotjar, and Cloudflare, indicating a standard mid-market digital stack rather than differentiated proprietary technology.
Hindman firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hindman
- Legal name
- IAG HOLDINGS, LLC
- Website
- https://hindmanauctions.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Freeman's | Hindman is a US-based auction house operating across 6 salesrooms and 18 regional offices, auctioning fine art, jewelry, antiques, and collectibles across 22 specialized departments. It serves private collectors, museums, galleries, and corporate buyers through live, online, and hybrid auctions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hindman industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Auction Services
- NAICS
- Art Dealers (45992), Offices of Real Estate Appraisers (531320)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Auction Houses (Luxury Watches & Jewelry) (CRAKAKAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Estate Jewelry & Collection Liquidation Services (CRAKAKAJ)
Keywords
Where Hindman is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices16 records
Markets served
Hindman business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Auction Commissions: Revenue generated through buyer and seller premiums (commissions) on auction sales. Auction house facilitates the sale of art, furniture, antiques, and collectibles between consignors and buyers, earning a percentage of each transaction.
- Private Sales: Discreet, direct sales opportunities connecting consignors with private buyers outside the auction setting, generating revenue through transaction fees.
- Appraisal & Valuation Services: Expert appraisals and valuations for fine art, jewelry, collections, and estates, as well as tailored services for fiduciaries, advisors, and private clients managing collections and estates.
- Museum & Institutional Services: Advisory and collections management services for museums and institutions worldwide.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Auction services with negotiated commissions |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels4 records
Hindman product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Freeman's | Hindman is a US auction house conducting live, online, and hybrid auctions of fine art, jewelry, furniture, decorative arts, books, manuscripts, watches, and collectibles across 22 specialized departments. In addition to auction sales, the firm provides appraisals and valuations, private sales, museum and institutional advisory, and tailored estate management services for fiduciaries and private clients.
Product overview
Freeman's | Hindman is a unified auction house platform combining the operations of Hindman and Freeman's (America's oldest auction house). The company operates as a single integrated platform offering live and online auctions across 22 specialized departments spanning fine art, furniture, decorative arts, collectibles, jewelry, watches, books, manuscripts, and more. Services include appraisals, estate management, museum services, and private sales. The company has 16 physical locations across the United States and conducts both in-person and online bidding.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Live Auctions
Companies that use Hindman
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Hindman technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Hindman partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Freeman's Auction HousecoreHindman and Freeman's auction houses announced a merger to create Freeman's | Hindman. This strategic combination expands presence across the United States with six salesrooms and 18 regional offices. The new entity opened a permanent salesroom in New York City, marking Freeman's return to the city and Hindman's first location there. The merger combines over 200 years of auction expertise from both houses.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hindman competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Skinner Auctioneers: Massachusetts-based regional auction house covering fine art, European furniture, and jewelry with live, online, and appraisal services; comparable mid-market positioning to Hindman's regional footprint.
- Heritage Auctions: Largest US-based auction house headquartered in Dallas, serving collectors across coins, fine art, jewelry, and memorabilia; the closest US-domiciled peer to Hindman with comparable specialist department depth.
- Wright Auctioneers: Chicago-based auction house specializing in modern design and contemporary art; directly overlaps with Hindman's Design department and shares a Chicago headquarters market.
- Phillips Auctioneers: Global auction house emphasizing 20th-century and contemporary art, watches, and design; competes with Hindman's Design and modern art departments with auction-led commission model.
- Leland Little Auctions: North Carolina-based regional auction house offering fine art, antiques, and jewelry with online bidding; mid-market US peer serving similar consignor and bidder demographics.
- Doyle New York: New York auction house covering fine art, jewelry, and decorative arts with appraisal services; competes with Hindman in US East Coast consignor relationships.
- Swann Auction Galleries: New York-based auction house specializing in rare books, manuscripts, and works on paper; directly comparable to one of Hindman's 22 specialized departments.
Broad incumbents
- Christie's: Historic global auction house competing with Hindman in fine art, decorative arts, and luxury categories; comparable business model of buyer/seller commissions across live and online auctions.
- Sotheby's: The world's largest fine art auction house with global salerooms in New York, London, Hong Kong, and Paris; directly comparable to Hindman across fine art, jewelry, and watches categories but at materially larger scale.
- Bonhams: International auction house with presence in the US, UK, Europe, and Asia; competes with Hindman across fine art, jewelry, watches, and decorative arts with similar specialist-department structure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hindman social profiles
Digital presenceHindman financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hindman leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Hindman funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hindman M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hindman
What does Hindman do?
Freeman's | Hindman is a US auction house conducting live, online, and hybrid auctions of fine art, jewelry, furniture, decorative arts, books, manuscripts, watches, and collectibles across 22 specialized departments. In addition to auction sales, the firm provides appraisals and valuations, private sales, museum and institutional advisory, and tailored estate management services for fiduciaries and private clients.
Is Hindman a public or private company?
Hindman is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Hindman founded?
Hindman was founded in 2018. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Hindman based?
Hindman is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hindman make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Auction Commissions are the primary driver. The others are private Sales, appraisal & Valuation Services and museum & Institutional Services.
Who are Hindman's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Skinner Auctioneers, Heritage Auctions, Wright Auctioneers, Phillips Auctioneers, Leland Little Auctions, Doyle New York and Swann Auction Galleries. Broad incumbents are Christie's, Sotheby's and Bonhams.
Does Hindman have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hindman.
What industry is Hindman in?
Hindman's product category is Auction Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAKAKAF, Auction Houses (Luxury Watches & Jewelry), with a secondary code of CRAKAKAJ, Estate Jewelry & Collection Liquidation Services. Its NAICS code is 45992.