Biography
Matthew Hoffarth is Sotheby’s Head of Sale for Natural History and Co-Head of Sale for History of Science & Technology. Matthew received his Ph.D. in History and Sociology of Science from the University of Pennsylvania (2018) and worked in several museums and cultural institutions before joining Sotheby’s. He has been a key contributor to numerous high-profile sales at Sotheby’s, including:
• The sale of Apex the Stegosaurus for $44.6 million, setting the record for the most expensive fossil ever sold at auction
• The record-breaking Buzz Aldrin: American Icon sale – the most valuable Space Exploration auction to date – which totaled $8.2 million on just 68 lots, and which reset the world record for any space-flown artifact at $2.8 million for Aldrin’s Inflight Coverall Jacket which he wore to the Moon and back
• The first Gorgosaurus dinosaur fossil ever to come to auction, selling for $6.1 million, as well as the record-setting sale of Maximus the T. rex skull for $6.1 million
• The visionary Snow Crash sale – an offering of physical and digital items connected to the revolutionary 1992 science fiction novel of the same name – which realized $1.5 million on just 6 lots, the majority of which were consigned by author Neal Stephenson
• The sale of numerous scientific medals and awards, including Arthur Holly Compton’s 1927 Nobel Prize in Physics ($277,200) and Adolf von Baeyer’s 1905 Nobel Prize in Chemistry ($203,200)
Dr. Hoffarth is a member of the History of Science Society (HSS), the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT), and Cheiron: The International Society for the History of Behavioral & Social Sciences.
He has successfully completed the coursework and examination in the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP).
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