Profiles in History

Biography

Founded in 1985 by Joseph Maddalena, Profiles in History is the nation's leading dealer in guaranteed-authentic original historical autographs, letters, documents, vintage signed photographs, and manuscripts. Located in Calabasas, CA, it has established itself as the world's largest auctioneer of original Hollywood memorabilia and has held some of the most successful and prestigious auctions of original screen-used collectables.

Some of Profiles in History's record-setting auctions included the sale of the "Cowardly Lion" costume from The Wizard of Oz ($805,000), Marilyn Monroe's "Diamonds" dress from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes ($356,500), a full-scale model T-800 Endoskeleton from the Terminator 2 ($488,750), and The Invisible Man 1933 one-sheet movie poster ($230,000).

Profiles in History's Debbie Reynolds Collection auctioned off in summer of 2011 broke Guinness World Records with $23 million in sales results. More recently, its Hollywood Icons sale in October 2014 totaled over $5 million, featuring items like the crown from season one of Game of Thrones and a screen-used Gandalf wizard's staff from Lord of the Rings Trilogy. As part of its Historical Document Auction in June 2015, Profiles in History sold one of the largest collections of Albert Einstein letters; writings on God, religion, the Relativity Theory, enthusiasm for science, and mathematics.

An extensive network of dealers, collectors, and institutions make up Profiles in History. As part of its many services, the company's acquisitions team assists in consignment for those interested in selling their items. Its online shop allows buyers to purchase auction catalogs, while its Archives tool consists of old catalogues and prices realized. Profiles in History divides itself into five different departments: Historical, Entertainment, Music, Animation, and Hollywood Prime, a division of the company launched in 2014 that provides full service international production asset management.

After learning how to turn his early passion of collection historical autographs into a career, Profiles in History’s founder Maddalena is now widely recognized as the country’s leading authority on entertainment memorabilia and historical documents. In 2010, he signed on as the star of Syfy's hit show, Hollywood Treasure, which ran through June of 2012.

Profiles in History's website keeps an up-to-date list of upcoming auctions and events with auction details, flipbooks, and catalogs. You can also find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.