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Michelle Castro is the Director of Trusts & Estates and is based in Heritage Auctions’ Dallas headquarters. She represents Heritage Auctions in Texas and throughout the Southern region of the United States by assisting attorneys, executors, advisors and fiduciary professionals with their client’s needs for estate valuations, appraisals and asset divesture. She is also co-editor of the Heritage Auctions Trusts & Estates Journal for Trusts & Estates Advisors.

Michelle has over 25 years of experience working in fine art galleries and auction houses. She spent her early career working at a private gallery in New Orleans before launching a successful career as the Director of Fine Art at New Orleans Auction Galleries, where she curated and directed the sales of prominent Southern estates. At Heritage, Michelle has managed numerous important estates and private collections, such as Robert J. Dodds III, Brooks Robinson, Dorace M. Fichtenaum, Colletta Ray McMillian and Kenneth S. “Bud” Adams Jr., among others. She has also sold property on behalf of institutions such as the Dallas Museum of Art, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Franklin & Marshall College. Her expertise is in Modern & Contemporary Art, and she is an accredited member of the International Society of Appraisers.

Michelle is a member of the Communities Foundation of Texas Advisory Council, the Estate Planning Council of Central Texas, the Dallas Council of Charitable Gift Planners, the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners and a committee member of the Dallas Estate Planning Council’s Emerging Professionals.

Bill  Main is the Midwest Director of Trusts & Estates and is based in Heritage Auctions’ Chicago office. He represents Heritage Auctions in Illinois and throughout the Midwest region of the United States by assisting attorneys, executors, advisors and fiduciary professionals with their clients’ needs for estate valuations, appraisals and asset sales. He is also co-editor of the Heritage Auctions Trusts & Estates Journal.

Bill  has over 30 years of experience working in trust and estate administration.  He spent his early career working as an estate settlement attorney with a major Chicago law firm before working as an Estate Specialist with Wells Fargo and a Trust Advisor with Northern Trust.  Bill has overseen the settlement of over 500 estates and is experienced with the valuation requirements for tax reporting and selling collections on behalf of trusts and estates.

Bill  is a member of the Chicago Estate Planning Council.  He received a degree in Economics from the University of Dallas and a law degree from Southern Methodist University.

Sebastian is the Managing Director for Heritage Auctions, Palm Beach office. With over 25 years of experience in the auction industry, be has served as a Senior Vice President at Doyle Auctioneers and Appraisers and the Director of the English and Continental Furniture and Decorative Arts department, Specialist in the European Furniture department at Sotheby’s, Director of the English and Continental furniture department at Freeman’s and as Director of Trusts and Estates at Rago Auctions. Sebastian is a featured appraiser on the hit PBS show Antiques Roadshow and has been for the past 15 years. He is regularly featured as a specialist in furniture, decorative arts, sculpture and metalwork and silver. Mr. Clarke is a past member of the Board of Directors for the Appraisers Association of America. He is a USPAP compliant certified member of the association. For more than 20 years Sebastian has served as an auctioneer for major auction houses, non-profits, charities, schools and other 501c organizations throughout the United States.

Elyse Luray served as the Vice President, Auctioneer and department head of Collectibles for Christie’s for more than 10 years after earning a degree in art history from New Orleans’ Tulane University. Since then she has collaborated and consulted with a number of specialty auction houses, handling high-profile auctions ranging from antique toys to sports collectibles and fine wine. The roster of important private collections she has managed include the archives of Lucas Films, DreamWorks, Fox Studios, Jimi Hendrix, Muhammad Ali, Eric Clapton, Marilyn Monroe, and Mickey Mantle. Elyse is also the nationally-recognized host of numerous television programs on collectibles, such as HGTV’s "If Walls Could Talk" and "The Longest Yard Sale," as an appraiser on PBS’s "Antiques Roadshow" and as a permanent cast member of its popular "History Detectives." She quickly earned roles as host of "Collection Intervention" on the Syfy network, "Treasure Seekers" on VOOM!, and as a collectibles expert on "The Nate Berkus Show" and "Clean House NY!" as well as several appearances on morning television programs. She is also an author, speaker and a licensed auctioneer in New York. A member of the Appraisers Association of America, Elyse is a USPAP-certified appraiser of Entertainment memorabilia and a preferred appraiser for both the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies and Encompass Insurance.

Nick Nicholson joined the Business Development team at Heritage Auctions in October 2023. In this role, Nick supports the Trusts & Estates and Appraisal Services teams. With more than twenty-five years of experience at auction houses, galleries, museums, and art advisory services, Nick is uniquely qualified to assist those requiring expert assistance in Estate Planning, estimation and appraisal of their collections of fine and Decorative art.  

Nick began his career at Christie’s in European Furniture and Decorative Arts before his promotion to Specialist in Russian Works of Art, New York. He later served as SVP and Division Head of Furniture and Decorative Arts at Freeman’s, overseeing five specialist departments and performing generalist appraisal services for each.  Nick opened his own advisory and appraisal service in 2008, and as a USPAP-compliant appraiser worked with private collectors, estate attorneys, public institutions, and museums around the U.S.  

Nick also serves as Heritage’s Senior Specialist in Russian Works of Art overseeing Russian painting, sculpture, silver, enamels, icons, porcelain, historical and Imperial ephemera, and works by the famed court jeweler Carl Faberge, in which he is a recognized expert.  Nick has offered works from the collections of Landsell Christie, Jane Englehardt, Rudolf Nureyev, Frank Sinatra, and Malcolm Forbes at auction. Nick’s Russian curatorial experience includes exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Icon Museum & Study Center, the Russian History Museum, and the Tsarskoye Selo Museum-Preserve among others.