Barry Yampol (1937–2023) was known worldwide as a collector and dealer of mineral specimens and gemstones, a passion that benefitted from his great success in the telecommunications business. Many institutions, including the Smithsonian Institute, the Yale Peabody Museum, and the Sorbonne, benefitted from loans from Yampol’s collection and other support he provided.

Barry Yampol

Browse the crowning lots of the collection

Sale Highlights

The history of science as told through the Library of Barry Yampol

From Wonderment and Curiosity to Scientific Discovery

New York

After the sale, property can be collected by appointment only through Post-Sale Services. Property will be available for collection starting on Tuesday, December 17, 2025 from Sotheby’s Gantry Point, located at 25-11 49th&nbsp;Avenue, Long Island City, New York. Please contact Post-Sale Services to arrange for payment and property release.

SVP | Global Head of Books & Manuscripts

Richard Austin

Senior Vice President | International Senior Specialist

Selby Kiffer

Vice President | Head of Department, Americas

Dr. Kalika Sands

Specialist

Noah Goldrach

Associate Cataloguer

Emily Zas

Pre-Sale Coordinator

Gabriella Hetu

Meet our Specialists

New York | 25 November–17 December 2025

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 <a class="Link" href="mailto:enquiries@sothebys.com" target="_blank">ENQUIRIES@SOTHEBYS.COM</a>

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Barry Yampol (1937–2023) was renowned worldwide as a collector and dealer of mineral specimens and gemstones, supporting institutions such as the Smithsonian, the Yale Peabody Museum, and the Sorbonne through loans and philanthropy. Far less visible was his parallel life as a book collector: while public in the mineral world, he maintained near-total anonymity in the republic of books, assembling one of the most discerning science libraries of the last half-century—far broader than mineralogy and mining alone. Sotheby’s will reveal the full range of the Library in a series of auctions beginning this December, with A First Selection offered across live and online sales, followed by A Second Selection in 2026.

The Library of Barry Yampol: A First Selection. Part 1