David Lowenherz
Founder and owner of Lion Heart Autographs, David is an internationally recognized authority on autographs. He is a graduate of The Horace Mann School and Bennington College; a member of the ABAA (Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America); ILAB (the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers; the Manuscript Society; the Grolier Club; the Universal Autograph Collector’s Club (UACC); and co-founder, first president, and former treasurer of PADA (Professional Autograph Dealer’s Association). A full-time autograph dealer since 1977, David published 44 catalogues that have themselves become collectibles. In addition to appraisals for Carnegie Hall, The New York Times and the estates of many famous individuals including Irving Berlin, Leonard Bernstein, Walter Cronkite, and Martha Graham, Lion Heart has completed hundreds of authentications ranging from the debunking of a fraudulent signature by Christopher Columbus to the discovery of unidentified original compositions by Richard Wagner and George Gershwin. Working closely with the FBI, David has helped break numerous forgery and theft cases. The 2018 feature film starring Melissa McCarthy, entitled “Can You Ever Forgive Me” is based on the forging career of Lee Israel who the FBI captured with David’s assistance and participation in a sting operation.