Steve Ivy

photo
Steve Ivy

Steve Ivy


Steve Ivy serves as Co-Chairman and CEO of Heritage Auctions. He started his business in 1964 at the age of 14 advertising rare coins for sale in national publications and attending coin shows. Six years later, at the age of 20, he dropped out of the University of Texas opened his business in a downtown Dallas high rise. Steve managed the business as well as serving as chief buyer, buying and selling hundreds of millions of dollars of coins during the 1970’s and early 1980’s.  In 1976, he incorporated a sister auction company, Heritage Auctions which has grown to the 3rd largest auction company in the world. Heritage deals in over 50 categories and in now the largest auction house founded in America, with almost $2 Billion in annual sales, offices in 10 cities worldwide, and 650 employees and over 1,500,000 clients worldwide.

Steve previously served on both the Board of Directors of the Professional Numismatists Guild (past President), and The Industry Council for Tangible Assets (past Chairman). Steve’s keen appreciation of history is reflected in his active participation in other organizations, including past board positions on the Texas Historical Foundation and the Dallas Historical Society. Steve is an avid collector of Texas books and manuscripts and owned one of the finest collections in private hands.  Steve is a past Board Chair of Dallas Challenge, and is also the former Finance Chair of the Phoenix House of Texas. Phoenix House and its affiliates are collectively the largest nonprofit alcohol and drug abuse treatment and prevention facility in the nation. Until recently Steve served as a board member of the Rosenthal Center, an organization whose mission is to meet the informational needs of those grappling with addiction, of behavioral healthcare professionals in the treatment field, and of those policymakers whose decisions determine availability of and access to clinical and social services for the victims of addiction.  Steve was also previously the Chairman of the Board of the National Center for Policy Analysis, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization whose goal was to develop and promote private, free-market alternatives to government regulation and control, solving problems by relying on the strength of the competitive, entrepreneurial private sector.

Steve lives in Dallas with his wife Linda of 50 years. They have 2 sons, James and Chris, who live in Atlanta and Dallas respectively, and 4 granddaughters.

Position

Commemorating 250 years of American independence through the stories, people, and places that shaped Texas and the nation.

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, Texans have a unique opportunity to reflect on the state’s role in the American story. Through exhibitions, programs, educational initiatives, and community events across Texas, Texas America250 encourages celebration, reflection, and commemoration at both local and statewide levels. At the Texas State Historical Association, we are proud to support this important moment through our mission-driven work in history education and public engagement, including Texas History Day, and we invite students, educators, and communities to explore this milestone in meaningful ways.

On July 4, 2026, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the greatest nation in the history of the world. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Long may these ideals live in the heart of every Texan and every American. May God bless all who have defended our freedoms that we enjoy each day. And God bless the United States of America.

Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas

Commemorating 250 years of American independence through the stories, people, and places that shaped Texas and the nation.

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, Texans have a unique opportunity to reflect on the state’s role in the American story. Through exhibitions, programs, educational initiatives, and community events across Texas, Texas America250 encourages celebration, reflection, and commemoration at both local and statewide levels. At the Texas State Historical Association, we are proud to support this important moment through our mission-driven work in history education and public engagement, including Texas History Day, and we invite students, educators, and communities to explore this milestone in meaningful ways.

On July 4, 2026, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the greatest nation in the history of the world. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Long may these ideals live in the heart of every Texan and every American. May God bless all who have defended our freedoms that we enjoy each day. And God bless the United States of America.

Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas

Find Events

Discover commemorative events across Texas

Explore local and statewide programs, exhibitions, and public events connected to the semiquincentennial and the many stories that shape our shared history.

View Events

Get Involved

Participate through education and community engagement

Learn how students, teachers, families, and local communities can take part in Texas America250 through activities, programs, and opportunities tied to Texas History Day and beyond.

Get Involved

Learn More

Explore the initiative and its broader purpose

Learn more about Texas America250 and the effort to promote deeper understanding of the nation’s founding and the contributions of Texans past and present.

Learn More