Freeman's-Hindman
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Auctioneering |
| Predecessor | Freeman's, Samuel T. Freeman & Co |
| Founded | 1805 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Founder | Tristram B. Freeman |
| Fate | Acquired by private consortium (2016); merged with Leslie Hindman Auctioneers (2024) |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Samuel M “Beau” Freeman II (chairman until 2017) |
| Products | Auctions of fine art, furniture, decorative arts, jewelry, Asian arts, books, and collectibles |
| Owner | Private consortium (since 2016) |
| Website | www |
Freeman's | Hindman (previously known as Freeman's and Samuel T. Freeman & Co) is a longstanding American auction firm established in 1805 by British print dealer Tristram B. Freeman in Philadelphia. The business remained under family control until 2016, when it was acquired by a private consortium. In January 2024, Freeman's combined operations with Chicago-based Leslie Hindman Auctioneers and now functions as Freeman's | Hindman.
History
The origins of Freeman's trace back to Tristram Bampfylde Freeman, who began auctioning textiles at Philadelphia’s Merchant’s Coffee House. After relocating from London in 1795 and transitioning from the printing trade to auctions, he was appointed the official auctioneer by Pennsylvania Governor Thomas McKean in 1805, thereby founding the enterprise. Freeman held exclusive rights for 17 years before competitors entered the market.
During the 19th century, the company diversified into real estate and industrial auctions, handling sales ranging from schooner cargo to entire vessels. The firm relocated several times before establishing its Chestnut Street headquarters in 1923, originally constructed in 1810. A highlight includes setting an auction record in the 1880s by selling the Philadelphia Post Office building for $425,000.
By the 1990s, Freeman's concentrated on high-volume auctions, handling around 50,000 lots yearly with an average price of $110 per lot, generating approximately $5.5 million. A pivotal change occurred after a single fine art auction featuring only 160 lots matched this revenue, leading to a strategic focus on upscale art markets. Ownership shifted in 2016 to a group associated with Lyon & Turnbull; Samuel M “Beau” Freeman II, representing the sixth generation of family leadership, continued as chairman until his passing in 2017.
In 2019, Freeman's moved its Philadelphia gallery to 2400 Market Street and sold its historic Chestnut Street property to a real estate developer.
Currently, Freeman's hosts over 25 auctions annually across diverse categories including American Furniture; Folk & Decorative Arts; English & Continental Furniture & Decorative Arts; Asian Arts; American Art & Pennsylvania Impressionists; European Art & Old Masters; Modern and Contemporary Art; Books, Maps & Manuscripts; 20th Century Design; Jewelry & Watches; and Silver & Objets de Vertu.
Notable auction records
On September 10, 2011, Freeman's set a new company benchmark by selling an Imperial white jade seal from the Qianlong era for $3.5 million, tripling its previous top sale. Additional remarkable records include a Wharton Esherick sculpture sold during the 2014 Pennsylvania Sale and a Sam Gilliam draped canvas painting that achieved $370,000 in November 2017—both marking record prices for those artists.
In November 2017, the firm established a jewelry record with a Belle Époque fancy vivid yellow diamond pendant crafted by J.E. Caldwell and Co., which sold for $760,000—the highest price ever attained for jewelry at Freeman's.
The European Art and Old Masters Auction held in February 2021 featured Carl Moll’s "Weißes Interieur (White Interior)," which fetched $4.76 million, becoming the most valuable single lot in Freeman's history and surpassing the previous jade seal record from 2011.
Collections
Freeman's has overseen auctions of notable collections such as the Richard M. Scrushy Collection; The Lehman Brothers Collection; Reed & Barton Archives assets; The Avon Collection of Photography; and the historic USS Constitution Colors belonging to H. Richard Dietrich, Jr. The March 2014 sale of the George D. Horst Fine Art Collection produced twenty artist-specific auction records including those for Howard Russell Butler and Emil Carlsen.
In April 2016, Freeman's conducted an auction of Jeffrey M. Kaplan’s private collection from Washington, D.C., realizing over $1.2 million across 465 lots. Later that year, it handled sales from the Brewster Collection comprising paintings and decorative objects from Nancy and Andre Brewster. In May 2017, Freeman's managed The Stanley Bard Collection from the late Chelsea Hotel manager’s estate, featuring Tom Wesselmann’s “Face #1,” which sold for $958,000.