Agreement effective date.

No definition available.

Name:	hgbl_AgreementEffectiveDate
Namespace Prefix:	hgbl_
Data Type:	xbrli:dateItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Extended term of employment agreements.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	hgbl_ExtendedTermOfEmploymentAgreements
Namespace Prefix:	hgbl_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Percentage of net operating income allocated to sales and marketing pool.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	hgbl_PercentageOfNetOperatingIncomeAllocatedToSalesAndMarketingPool
Namespace Prefix:	hgbl_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Percentage of principal net operating income allocated to principal sales and marketing pool.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	hgbl_PercentageOfPrincipalNetOperatingIncomeAllocatedToPrincipalSalesAndMarketingPool
Namespace Prefix:	hgbl_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Face amount or stated value per share of common stock.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02(29))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_CommonStockParOrStatedValuePerShare
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:perShareItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Period which an employee's right to exercise an award is no longer contingent on satisfaction of either a service condition, market condition or a performance condition, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents the reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 718
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (a)(1)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=96867065&loc=d3e5070-113901

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardAwardVestingPeriod1
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Gross number of share options (or share units) granted during the period.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardOptionsGrantsInPeriodGross
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:sharesItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Total number of shares issued during the period, including shares forfeited, as a result of Restricted Stock Awards.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84159872&loc=d3e21463-112644

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.3-04)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=27012166&loc=d3e187085-122770

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_StockIssuedDuringPeriodSharesRestrictedStockAwardGross
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:sharesItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Detail information of subsequent event by type. User is expected to use existing line items from elsewhere in the taxonomy as the primary line items for this disclosure, which is further associated with dimension and member elements pertaining to a subsequent event.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SubsequentEventLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_TypeOfArrangementAxis=hgbl_EmploymentAgreementsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis=us-gaap_ScenarioForecastMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_RelatedPartyTransactionsByRelatedPartyAxis=hgbl_CertainEmployeesOfNLEXExcludingExecutivesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_PlanNameAxis=hgbl_TwoZeroOneZeroNonqualifiedStockOptionPlanOrTwoThousandAndSixteenStockOptionPlanMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_RelatedPartyTransactionsByRelatedPartyAxis=hgbl_EmployeesOfNLEXIncludingExecutivesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionAxis=hgbl_NLEXMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_TypeOfArrangementAxis=hgbl_RestrictedStockAgreementMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_RelatedPartyTransactionsByRelatedPartyAxis=us-gaap_PresidentMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis=us-gaap_RestrictedStockMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_RelatedPartyTransactionsByRelatedPartyAxis=hgbl_TomLudwigMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

Subsequent Events (Narrative) (Details) - $ / shares		3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	36 Months Ended
Subsequent Events (Narrative) (Details) - $ / shares	Jun. 01, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Jun. 01, 2019	Jun. 01, 2021	Dec. 31, 2017
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Common stock, par value		$ 0.01			$ 0.01
Options to purchase, Granted (in shares)		226,500
Employment Agreements [Member] \| Scenario, Forecast [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Effective date of agreement	Jun. 01, 2018
Extended term of employment agreements	5 years
Employment Agreements [Member] \| Certain Employees of NLEX Excluding Executives [Member] \| 2010 Non-Qualified Stock Option Plan or 2016 Stock Option Plan [Member] \| Scenario, Forecast [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Options to purchase, Granted (in shares)	300,000
Stock Option Award Vesting Period	4 years
Employment Agreements [Member] \| Employees of NLEX Including Executives [Member] \| 2010 Non-Qualified Stock Option Plan or 2016 Stock Option Plan [Member] \| Scenario, Forecast [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Options to purchase, Granted (in shares)			200,000	600,000
Employment Agreements [Member] \| NLEX [Member] \| Scenario, Forecast [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Percentage of net operating income allocated to sales and marketing pool	30.00%
Percentage of principal net operating income allocated to principal sales and marketing pool	20.00%
Restricted Stock Agreement [Member] \| David Ludwig [Member] \| Restricted Stock [Member] \| Scenario, Forecast [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Number of restricted stock awards granted	300,000
Common stock, par value	$ 0.01
Restricted Stock Agreement [Member] \| Tom Ludwig [Member] \| Restricted Stock [Member] \| Scenario, Forecast [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Number of restricted stock awards granted	300,000
Common stock, par value	$ 0.01