5/25/2018 Chicago, IL

This highly anticipated event follows on the heels of the company's $400,000 Baldwin Collection sale held in October, 2016.

Chicago, IL, May 25, 2018

Potter & Potter Auctions is pleased to announce the 435 lot David Baldwin Magic Collection II sale to be held on Saturday, June 16th, 2018 starting at 10am at the company's gallery, located at 3759 N. Ravenswood Ave., Chicago, IL 60613. David M. Baldwin (1928 – 2014) had a lifelong passion for magic and a remarkable eye for the extraordinary.  Professionally, he worked in New York real estate with Harry Helmsley.  Baldwin assembled one of the most important and finely curated collections of antique magic apparatus and memorabilia in the world. All lots from this upcoming sale from are on display and available for public preview on Wednesday, June 13th, Thursday, June 14th, and Friday, June 15th from 10:00am to 5:00pm in the Potter & Potter facility. Baldwin was keenly interested in mystery clocks, especially those made or inspired by 19th-century French magician and clockmaker Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin.  Robert-Houdin was the "father of modern magic" and the inspiration behind Harry Houdini's professional name. This sale features several examples of these mind-bending timekeepers.

All eyes will be on lot #28, a Robert-Houdin glass column mystery clock, estimated at $40,000-60,000.  This lavishly decorated rarity tells the time via a single arrow-shaped hand, which is set against a gilt-brass framed glass dial with Roman numerals. The clock is handsomely detailed with a glass column supported by four griffins, a velvet-covered platform, and a gilt wooden and ebonized base. Lot #30, a marked, two handled Robert-Houdin square dial mystery clock is estimated at $30,000-50,000.  This gilt-framed example features a beveled dial with Roman and Arabic numerals and a dotted minute track, a marble platform, and two decorative swans.  And it's the best of all worlds with lot #32, a c. 1860 French magician automaton mantel clock, estimated at $10,000-20,000.  This utterly amazing and entertaining timepiece features a magician who on the hour - or at will - turns his head and produces and transposes objects from his table.  Two other figures peek out from the containers at his side.  This masterpiece, with provenance to Sotheby’s London, has a rectangular wooden case with gilt-brass and beaded moldings, a four-inch enamel Roman numeral dial, serpent hands, and a signed Vincenti movement. 

This sale also features a full spectrum of old to new magic apparatus, with several breathtaking examples from legacy manufacturers. Many of the antique selections were also owned and used by The Great Raymond (Maurice Francois Raymond, 1877-1948.) Lot #239, The Great Raymond’s Matter Through Matter device, is estimated at $4,000-6,000.  This 1908 Asian inspired piece is marked and was made in New York by Okito.  It was featured in William V. Rauscher's The Great Raymond on page 295. Lot #12, a spirit bell and clock dial combination, is estimated at $5,000-7,000. It was made around 1900 in Germany by Carl Willmann. And lot #1, a c. 1890 European card bouquet, formerly owned by the proprietors of the Petrie-Lewis (P&L) magic company of New Haven, CT, is estimated at $6,000-8,000. This mechanically complex device is believed to be the only known example of this effect.

More modern apparatus includes lot #175, an elegant, gold trimmed Hofzinser 52 Card Rise Box. Estimated at $8,000-12,000, it enables any card specified to rise from top of the box.  This example, one of three made, was produced in Cincinnati by Joseph Young in 1999. The original Hofzinser card rise was constructed in the 1840's for the master magician, Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser. Hofzinser’s version is now in the Library of Congress. And lot #178, an unusual c. 1970's red tooled leather over machined brass coin casket made by Charles Kalish in New York, is estimated at $1,500-2,000.    

Now let's focus on another key category in this sake, magic-themed photography.  Several important images of Harry Houdini take the spotlight here.  Lot #307, a 1925 glossy silver print of Houdini with eight of Teddy Roosevelt’s grandchildren, is estimated at $500-700. Lot #317, a 1920 banquet photo taken at a dinner given by The Magicians’ Club in London is estimated at $600-900. The Houdinis are shown standing beside the chairman of the dinner, Maurice Raymond.  And lot #315, a silver print of Houdini performing outside The Oregonian Building in Portland, OR, is estimated at $600-900.  It depicts a large crowd witnessing Houdini free himself from a straitjacket while suspended high above the street. There is certain to be more than a passing interest in this auction's phenomenal offerings of magic related ephemera.  Lot #256, an archive of Great Raymond materials including scrapbooks and photographs, is estimated at $2,000-3,000. This career-spanning collection is a treasure trove of unpublished and candid images and scarce printed matter. It includes clippings and programs, as well as illusion, backstage, performance, snapshot, travel, friends, and family photos spanning the 1900-1940 timeframe.  Lot #377, Hartz’s 1873 Illustrated Descriptive Catalogue of Conjuring and Magical Apparatus, is estimated at $500-700. This time capsule is illustrated with apparatus available at the Hartz Magical Repository, located at 850 Broadway in New York.  It is believed that Hartz, which opened in 1870, was the first American magic store. Lot #306, a set of two bound volumes of Conjurers’ Monthly Magazine from 1906-1908 in a custom drop-spine box, is estimated at $1,500-2,500.  Both front flyleaves are inscribed and signed “Best wishes from/Harry Houdini." And lot #304, a German letterpress theatre program dated October 4, 1903 billing Houdini as the "Handcuff King" is estimated at $1,800-2,600.  This performance was held at the Central Theater in Dresden and also featured other acts.  

This sale's selections of stunning, linen-backed broadsides are certain to cast a spell over magic enthusiasts.  Lot #359, an eight-sheet color lithograph The World’s Greatest Psychic Sensation. Samri S. and Miss Baldwin in Oriental Hypnotic Dream Visions is estimated at $3,000-5,000.  This large, c. 1895 graphic pictures Miss Baldwin - blindfolded and empowered with second sight by magical forces - sitting and surrounded by red imps rushing to her with questions.  Lot #281, The Weird Witches Cabinet, is estimated at $1,500-2,000. This c. 1910 half sheet color lithograph features The Great Raymond and a cacophony of spirits, ghosts, a witch, and binocular toting imps.  And lot #285, simply titled Enchantress, is estimated at $1,000-1,500.  This c. 1920, six-sheet color lithograph poster is illustrated with a mystical looking woman whose form appears from the flames of a pedestal and question slips at her feet. This sale comes full circle with museum-quality selections of books, tricks, props, and other rarities. Lot #36, a c. 1900 magician musical automaton from the Parisian firm Leopold Lambert, is estimated at $8,000-12,000.  As his music box plays, the magician - blinking his eyes and turning his head - raises the cup that he holds in each hand and objects vanish, appear, and transpose underneath them.  And lot #382, a first edition of the two volume La Magie de Robert-Houdin. Secrets et Souvenirs de Soirées Fantastiques from 2005 is estimated at $600-900. The first book describes the secrets of Robert-Houdin’s tricks; the second is a faux tome containing recreated Robert-Houdin souvenirs, including booklets, bank notes, and a DVD. 

According to Gabe Fajuri, President at Potter & Potter Auctions, "We are thrilled to offer the second installment of the David Baldwin Magic collection. His mystery clocks are so appealing and clearly a highlight in this upcoming sale.  Although they can sell for a pretty penny - one went for $60,000 in the first sale - we also have recreated versions for those "on a budget" at this event.  The Great Raymond merchandise is also important, and I wonder what secrets will emerge from his unpublished archives. David Baldwin, after buying half of the Raymond/Gibson collection, sponsored the publication of a book on Raymond. Many of the items in our June auction are included in this book. Others, which we sold in the October, 2016 auction, set truly astonishing prices.  With any luck, we'll repeat our previous success this time around."

For more information on this sale and Potter & Potter Auctions, please see www.potterauctions.com. If you can't make the auction in person, bids for these extraordinary offerings can be placed directly on the company's website, by phone by arrangement, or via an absentee bid form, which can be accessed by clicking here.

5/23/2018 Chicago, IL

This annual signature event, featuring the Bob Rosenberger collection of books, apparatus, and ephemera, was the strongest gambling sale in the company's eleven-year history.  

 

Chicago, IL, May 23, 2018

Collectors hit the jackpot at Potter & Potter's recent gambling memorabilia sale. When the frenzied bidding finally came to an end, 31 lots realized between $1,000-1,999; 37 lots realized between $2,000-$9,999; and three lots exceeded the five-figure mark, in a most impressive way! Prices noted include the company's 20% buyer's premium.

Enthusiasts from the four corners of the globe took notice of this sale's phenomenal collection of antique gambling books.  The odds-on favorite for the auction's top sale - lot #151, Alfred Trumble's Faro Exposed; or The Gambler and his Prey. Being a Complete Explanation of the Famous Game, its Origin and Development, and how its Skins are Worked - did not disappoint.  This extraordinarily rare 1882 publication dealing with the subject of advantage play made $24,000; a possible new world's record for a gambling book.  Collectors also anted up to lot #126, F.R. Ritter's Advantage Card Playing and Draw Poker. This book from 1905, featuring the first photograph of a Jacob's Ladder-style holdout ever printed, Ritter’s 20 rules for playing poker, and images of cards marked with "blockout" work, more than doubled its low estimate to sell for $14,400.  This exciting auction also featured a number of additional best sellers in its book category. Lot #7, John Blackbridge's 1875 The Complete Poker Player, realized $2,640 on its $500-750 estimate. And lot #139, an original, first edition copy of R.A. Smith's Poker to Win from 1925 made $1,800 on its $300-500 estimate.  The book included a treatise on card sharping, including false shuffles, false deals, cons, tricks, and other sleight-of-hand poker dodges. Collectors didn't keep things close to the vest in regards to the spectacular dice, cards, and chips on offer through this sale.  Lot #455, a crooked dice making jig with a pair of dice, rolled to $1,140 on its $100-200 estimate.  Good things came in threes with lot #467, a trio of scrimshawed ivory mustang dice which more than tripled it high estimate to make $1,560. Lot #325, a deck of Steamboat No. 1999 playing cards made $660 on a $100-200 estimate.  This exceptional deck, which was made by the Dorrity Card Manufacturing Company of New York, featured a very rare joker.

You can bet your bottom dollar that this auction presented a breathtaking array of gambling accessories and devices.  Lot #254, an adjustable brass card edge notcher with a turned wooden handle was estimated at $1,200-2,000 and sold for $5,760. This c. 1890 tool was used to prepare cards for four-pin dealing boxes.  And lot #260, a Shiner ring and instruction sheet, ran circles around its $100-200 estimate to make $1,320.  This reflective piece of jewelry was used to read cards as they were dealt off the top of the deck.

Will & Finck's cheating devices, game accessories, and company ephemera remain the "gold standard" amongst gambling memorabilia collectors today. All eyes were on lot #249, a c. 1880 Jacob's Ladder style brass sleeve holdout mounted on a porcelain display hand.  Estimated at $3,000-5,000, it quadrupled its low estimate to realize $12,000. Lot #262, a particularly petite, c. 1880 ivory handled brass card trimmer in its original wooden packing crate, was estimated at $3,000-4,000 but shuffled its way to $9,600. And lot #207, a Will & Finck gambling catalog in its original mailing envelope and a small archive of related company ephemera from 1894 sold for $6,000 on its $2,500-3,500 estimate. It was the only known original Will & Finck gambling supply catalog in private hands.

This Gambling Memorabilia sale came full circle with museum quality selections of photos, coin-op machines, and other rarities.  Lot #488, a c. 1880 traveling roulette wheel in a wooden crate spun to $7,200 - more than seven times its low estimate.  The clock was ticking on lot #297, a photograph of crowd at a casino in Goldfield, NV on October 1, 1910 at midnight.  It made $1,020 on its $50-100 estimate.  And what made the subject matter of this black and white moment so appealing? Gambling became illegal in the state of Nevada after midnight that day. And finally, bidders took aim at lot #497, a Gambler's palm pistol with pearl grips that made $9,600 - more than twice its high estimate.  It was made by the Chicago Fire Arms Co., in 1893 and was accompanied by its original box, a box of 50 cartridges, and three manufacturer's parts sheets with prices. 

According to Gabe Fajuri, President at Potter & Potter Auctions, "Strong participation in all categories made for a spirited, lively, and profitable auction on Saturday. Highlights included cheating books - including the $24,000 sale of Faro Exposed, possibly a record for a book on gambling at auction - as well as gambling devices, poker chips, and rare playing cards. Uncommon trade catalogs also fared well. This was our most successful gambling memorabilia sale to date." 

4/16/2018 Chicago, IL

April 16th, 2018

Our Spring Magic Auction boasts a large and notable collection of Houdiniana as its main feature, ranging from glass slides and photographs to autographs and scrapbooks, as well as myriad of complementary vintage and antiquarian magic books, posters, broadsides, ephemera and magic apparatus.

The most significant items in the sale are two recently rediscovered Houdini scrapbooks, never before made available in a public sale. The two-volume set, from the collection of magician and mentalist Joseph Dunninger, spans 1922-25 (with a few additions as late as 1930). Both volumes pertain to spiritualism and related subjects, with the second volume almost entirely devoted to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s belief in spiritualism and the supernatural. This one of a kind two-volume set is estimated between $30,000 to $40,000.

Other outstanding pieces of Houdiniana include a group of seven glass photo negatives owned by Houdini (estimated between $2,000 and $3,000), unpublished Houdini history consisting of
Elliot Sanford’s Houdini manuscripts (estimated between $10,000 and $15,000), and Houdini’s throwing knives (estimated between $1,500 and $2,000).

Hundreds of uncommon and collectible magic books pepper the sale, including a first edition of Edwin T. Sachs’s Sleight of Hand, valued between $1,000 and $1,500, as well as Volumes I-IV of The Vernon Chronicles: Lost Inner Secrets signed by Dai Vernon, Bruce Cervon and Larry Jennings, richly bound in leather. One of only fourteen presentation copies, the set is estimated between $3,000 and $5,000.

Among the vintage apparatus offered is a finely constructed Eclipse Vanishing and Appearing Lamp set, built by Owen Magic Supreme in 1966, estimated between $4,000 and $5,000. Another example is a piece entitled Matter Through Matter, which is elaborately decorated in the style of Okito and is valued between $800 and $1,200.

Rounding out the sale is an array of ephemera and posters, featuring pen and ink artwork for publication of Dunninger’s Magic Tricks (estimated between $700 and $1,000), an overwhelming archive of handwritten Ed Marlo manuscripts, (valued between $5,000 and $8,000), and a bright ochre Chung Ling Soo poster (estimated between $3,000 and $5,000).

For more information, the catalog can be viewed at www.potterauctions.com. A pre-auction exhibition will be held at our Chicago gallery: 3759 Ravenswood Ave., Ste. 121, Chicago, IL 60613, on April 26^th & 27^th  from 10am-5pm. Please contact us by email at info@potterauctions.com or by phone at 773- 472- 1442 with inquiries.

Clicker HERE to register to bid.

3/15/2018 Chicago, IL

CHICAGO - March 15^th, 2018

From Garbo to the Golden Girls, the silent era to Modern Times, the stage, small screen, and the big top alike, thousands of pieces of entertainment memorabilia will go up for auction on April 7^th in at Potter & Potter Auctions in Chicago. The sale is expected to generate over $300,000.00 in revenue.

Many of the items offered are personal relics of Hollywood and television stars of yesteryear. Chief among these are items from the life and career of the luminous Greta Garbo, including her monogrammed full length mink coat with buttons stamped with “G” estimated between $9,000 and $12,000, along with the keys to her safe deposit box, movie stills from many of her famous roles, and other objects. Among the props used in film and television going on the block, two items stand out. The oilcan bass Buddy Ebsen played on the show The Beverly Hillbillies is estimated to bring between $1,600 and $2,500, and is accompanied by two photographs of Ebsen with the instrument, as well as a file of related information. His suit and hat from the famous television program will also go up for sale. A prop shark tooth from the legendary film Jaws, framed and matted with a color snapshot of the shark, a handbill from the attraction where the prop was on display and a color print of the movie poster artwork, is also available for sale, and is estimated to fetch between $800 and $1,200.

Of the myriad of film, circus, and music posters, an original one-sheet poster for Casablanca is sure to be a highlight. Rarely seen in the unrestored condition – as this example is -- the poster is valued between $40,000 and $60,000. Other posters of note include those advertising the 1954 classic Dial “M” for Murder starring Ray Milland and Grace Kelly, ($1,800 - $2,400) and a dazzling example of the poster for the thriller Don’t Bother to Knock, which features its star Marilyn Monroe in a sultry pose ($1,200 - $1,600). Well over 500 vintage posters will be offered in the sale.  

A large array of comic and animation-related memorabilia will also be auctioned, with a poster for Chapter 6, Vault of Vengeance, of the 1940s fifteen-part Captain America serial estimated between $700 and $900. The serial is notable for being the first theatrical release to feature a Marvel (then known as Timely) superhero. Other items from the genre include a framed painting of Superman estimated between $250 and $300, and a photo of Christopher Reeve in the role of Superman signed by Reeve ($300 and $400). The auction also includes hundreds of autographs, chief among them signatures of sports celebrities and film stars. Other sessions in the sale include personal artifacts from the life and career of Rue McClanahan (of Golden Girls fame), signed guitars and music memorabilia (including Elvis Presley’s bathrobe), an array of memorabilia related movies with magic or magicians as their theme, and more.

For more information, the catalogue can be viewed at www.potterauctions.com. A pre-auction exhibition will be held at our Chicago gallery: 3759 Ravenswood Ave., Ste. 121, Chicago, IL 60613, on March 1-2 from 10am-5pm. Please contact us by email at info@potterauctions.com or by phone at 773- 472- 1442 with inquiries.

Click HERE to bid online.

2/21/2018 Chicago, IL

CHICAGO- February 21, 2018

Our first magic auction of 2018 features the collection of John Daniel. The consummate collector, Daniel was also a formidable performer, builder, mover and shaker in the magic world for decades. His collection includes rarities from the shop and lathe of Floyd Thayer, vintage magic posters, spook show memorabilia, personal artifacts and relics from the show of Dante (Harry August Jansen), and illusions, tricks, trunks, theatrical material, and costumes from the Virgil & Julie show, among other curiosities.

Some highlights of the collection include: The Great Virgil’s Disembodied Princess, a large illusion estimated between $1,000-$1,500, a variety of Virgil touring trunks filled with various illusions and stage memorabilia between $400-$600, and The Whispering Buddha, given to Daniel by Owen, estimated at $4,000-$6,000. Other items offered in the sale complement Daniel’s collection such as Houdini Circus Busch Water Torture Cell Bill Card estimated between $1,000 and $1,500, Doctor Q Spirit Hand between $800 and $1,200, and Spirit Painting, a rare apparatus valued between $2,000 and $4,000.

After falling in love with magic as a Cub Scout, Daniel became the owner of his own shop, Daniel’s Magic Den and later a magic illusion manufacturer under the name Trickmasters. In the 40s and 50s, Daniel began touring with a spook show called Dr. Doom’s Dungeon of Death. In 1958, Daniel redesigned the Sawing A Lady in Half illusion, originally created by Turkey’s Zati Sungar, and catapulted him into the magic limelight. After teaming up with famous illusion builder Carl Owen (John later became the owner of Owen magic productions), they built two of Daniel’s famous shows- “John Daniel’s World of Fantasy” and “Shazzam”. Shazzam set new standards for illusionists everywhere, which led to Daniel becoming the first magician to earn The Magic Castle’s title of Stage Magician of the Year. In 2011, long after Daniel had retired, The Magic Castle presented Daniel with its Lifetime Achievement Award.

For more information about the auction, the catalogue can be viewed at www.potterauctions.com. A pre-auction exhibition of all items will be held at our Chicago gallery located at 3759 Ravenswood Ave Ste. 121 on March 1-2 from 10am-5pm. Please contact us by email through info@potterauctions.com or by phone at 773- 472- 1442 with inquiries.

Click HERE to bid online.

2/15/2018 Chicago, IL

2/15/2018

One of the most frequently asked questions here at Potter & Potter is: “How do I bid in your auctions?” In the past, we have directed customers to third party bidding platforms as well as our website where you could print out a registration form for absentee and phone bidding. While this system has worked well for us, we are pleased to announce that the bidding process is getting simpler. Potter & Potter is launching our very own bidding platform.

Customers will now be able to register for absentee and telephone bids on our website as well as bid live during our auctions. Our new platform will permit us to centralize and streamline bidding, giving our customers the ability to track bids, shipments and user activity with ease. Below is a  link to register as a user and bidder.

Click HERE to register as a bidder.

 

11/27/2017 Chicago, IL

11/27/2017

With a flurry of activity both on the auction floor and online, Potter and Potter’s November 18th 2017 Circus, Sideshow and Wild West auction exceeded pre-sale expectations, bringing in some $420,000 against a pre-sale estimate of $250,000.

Among the 150 posters offered, a rare P.T. Barnum Jumbo poster surpassed the high estimate by more than half, selling for $18,000. Few posters featuring Barnum’s greatest attraction survive, making this example a prized and scarce object.

In the midst of the poster bidding, perhaps the biggest surprise and delight came from a lithograph depicting Dan Rice’s Blind Horse, selling for $12,000 (against a pre-sale estimate of $400/$600). This small poster was the first the firm of Strobridge produced for the circus. Later, Strogridge was perhaps best-known as the printer for Ringling Brothers and other circuses. It has been reported that in one year, Strobridge printed in excess of one million sheets of circus "paper."

After much anticipation and a great amount of buzz, the collection of Edward J. Kelty photographs brought a total of $50,000, with images of sideshows, clowns, circus casts, and the Ringling Brothers "Congress of Freaks" bringing between $2,400.00 and $6,000.00 each.

Other highly anticipated objects, including four panels of 1920s-era tattoo flash brought three times more than estimated, and a pristine poster of the "Greek Albanian" tattooed man, Captain Costentenus, doubled its estimate, selling for $10,080.00.

Potter & Potter is in the early stages of planning a circus, sideshow, and wild-west-themed auction for 2018. To discuss consignments, contact our specialists via email at info@potterauctions.com or by phone at 773-472-1442.

11/1/2017 Chicago, IL

Taken almost a century ago, the rare photographs of Edward Kelty offer an unprecedented visual narrative of the American circus in the 1920s and 30s. With over 40 original prints, Potter & Potter is pleased to present the largest collection of Kelty photographs ever to be offered at public auction on November 18^th.

Edward J. Kelty (1888-1967) is one of the most famous and mysterious circus photographers in American history. After finishing his service in the Navy, Kelty moved to New York City and established Century Flashlight Photographers, his first studio. Beginning in 1922, Kelty traveled across the country photographing the Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey, Hagenbeck-Wallace, Clyde Beatty, and Cole Brothers circuses as well as many trunk, wagon, and train shows. Kelty produced all photographs out of his truck, which he transformed into a studio, darkroom and living space and offered prints to the public for $1.25 each.

His panoramic views reveal the magnificence of the circus both inside and outside the big top. Kelty has been called “the Cecil B. DeMille of still photography” due to the precision and artistry exhibited in his large format photographs. The perfectly orchestrated images have an undeniable cinematic quality that captures the grandeur and glamor of the circus in its prime.

In the early 1940s, Kelty cashed in all of his negatives in order to pay off a large bar tab, moved to Chicago and as far as anyone knows, never took another photograph. Working as a vendor at Wrigley Field, Kelty lived out his days in modest fashion. When he passed away in 1967, his estranged family found only a single camera lens as evidence of his former life documenting America’s circuses.

The pre-auction estimate of the Kelty collection falls between $16,000 and $23,000, with each photograph estimated between $200 and $1,000.

Other highlights of the sale include over 1,000 posters and broadsides advertising circus, carnival and Wild West shows, Buffalo Bill and Tom Thumb ephemera, as well as many side show CDVs and cabinet cards.

A public exhibition of the 650 lots in the sale will be held November 18th at the auction house’s Chicago gallery located at 3759 Ravenswood Ave. A full color auction catalog is available to order or download on Potter & Potter’s website. Live Internet bidding will be hosted through Liveauctioneers.com, Bidsquare.com, and Invaluable.com.

4/12/2017 Chicago, IL

6/1/2017

In 2016 and 2017, Potter & Potter was pleased to offer the collection of Norm Nielsen at auction. The record-setting sale of vintage magic posters were memorable not only for their content, but the catalogs produced to commemorate them. Now Potter & Potter is pleased to announce a deluxe coffee-table book, produced in a strictly limited edition, that showcases hundreds of posters from Nielsen's storied collection.

This volume is vastly different from the auction catalogs: completely redesigned and bound in a single large format (9 x 12") volume of over 300 pages, the book is complete with a handsome cloth slipcase and ribbon bookmark. Nearly 100 posters not featured in the auction catalogs have been added to the volume. Each numbered volume has been signed by Norm and Lupe Nielsen, as well as Gabe Fajuri (author), Stina Henslee (designer), and David Linsell (photographer).

Only 200 copies of this publication will be available for sale. Books are expected to ship in mid-July. CLICK HERE to order your copy of what is sure to be not only a lovely souvenir of this legendary collection, but a valuable reference work for years to come. The price is $200 plus postage.

2/4/2017 Chicago, IL

2/4/2017

A rare poster depicting Harry Houdini performing his famous Water Torture Cell escape has sold for a world record price of $114,000.00 at Potter & Potter Auctions in Chicago. That price now stands as the most expensive magic poster ever sold at public auction.

The anonymous winning bidder participated by phone.

Printed in London in 1912, the poster depicts Houdini locked upside down and underwater in the Torture Cell, perhaps the most famous escape the magician ever invented and performed. The poster was produced one year after the trick’s invention.

“Advance buzz for the auction was high, and especially for the Houdini posters,” said Gabe Fajuri, President of Potter & Potter. “Chatter on social media included considerable speculation about just how high the price would go,” he added. “Several outlets wondered if we’d set a new world record. We’re glad they were right!”

Another Houdini poster, Houdini – King of Cards also set a record in the auction, bringing in $24,000.00. The poster was printed in 1898 in Chicago, several years before Houdini became a star. The previous record for the image (also held by Potter & Potter) was $20,400.00.

The posters were two of some 1000 vintage lithographs from the collection of professional magician Norm Nielsen. Offered for sale on February 4^th, 2017 as part of an auction entitled The Golden Age of Magic Posters, Part II, the posters were collected of the course of 25 years. The first sale from Nielsen’s collection was conducted in June of 2016. In all, the two auctions from Nielsen’s collection totaled of over $1,400,000.00.

10/26/2016 Chicago, IL

2/4/2017

Not a day goes by that we don't receive an inquiry from a customer along the lines of: "Do you have _________ available or know where I can get one?" For years, we've answered as best we can, tracking down unusual books and collectibles on a case-by-case basis.

Now, we have an even better answer to the question: a new website called Quicker Than The Eye.

A subsidiary of Potter & Potter, QTTE will be updated on a weekly basis with rare, uncommon, and unusual collectibles related to magic and its allied arts (gambling, juggling, origami, puzzles, etc.). There are nearly 2000 items listed for sale on the site as of this writing, with plenty more to come. So, should you or someone you know have an interest in an item that's out-of-print or hard to find, please direct them to Quicker Than the Eye. With any luck, you'll find what you're looking for.

5/1/2016 Chicago, IL

Potter & Potter held their remarkable auction of "Houdiniana" today, and the results did not disappoint. It was a wild ride with some lots soaring to new highs while others offered up surprise bargains.

As I've already reported, the most publicized lot, the unpublished manuscript for The Cancer of Superstition, sold for $28,000 (all prices noted here are before 23% buyer's premium). A collection of letters from Houdini's manager, Martin Beck, which I considered to be the most historically significant item in the entire auction, went for $26,000. A Houdini scrapbook sold for $43,000 in what I believe was the highest price realized. Houdini scrapbooks have certainly become hot auction items lately! The Castle Lock display case featured in the 1953 Houdini biopic starring Tony Curtis locked up $27,000. (It sold for $22,000 in the 2014 Pat Croce auction.) A Houdini lock pick brought $3,200 while a ball and chain, authenticated by Dunninger, went for $8,000. A pair of black McKenzie Mitts grabbed $5,500. A set of Houdini's Needles, complete with box, fetched $18,000. Twenty-six minutes of film footage, including film of Houdini's funeral and some missing footage from The Master Mystery, brought in $4,000. A 1904 "Caught" and "Flown" Christmas card sold for $3,200 while a colorful 1908 Christmas card sold for $3,000.

Photos sold fast and furious and ran the gamut of prices. An original photo of Houdini and Ching Ling Foo sold for what I thought was a low $300 (estimate was $400 – $500), while an 8x10 from The Grim Game sold for a surprisingly high $1,500 (estimate $600 – $800). Grim Game stills in general seemed to fetch premium prices. A pic of Houdini and the Roosevelt grandchildren (his toughest audience) sold for $750. A street scene of Houdini shooting a movie sold for $1,900. But the image I thought was the photo of the auction -- and the one I most wanted for myself -- was the infamous "frenemies" shot of Houdini and Margery at Lime Street. I bowed out and let it go at $1,300 (and will probably kick myself forever). A postcard showing Houdini's historic Australian flight flew away with an impressive $3,200 (estimate $1,000 – $1,200). Another postcard showing Hardeen and his two "prize winning" pups brought $400 (another one I'll kick myself over). A wonderful pen and ink cartoon from 1905 -- "Oh! He’s here again, is he!" -- drew $2,600.

The best bargains seemed to be books. A copy of Handcuff Secrets in very good condition sold for $375. A near fine copy of Magical Rope Ties and Escapes went for a low $250, and The Right Way To Do Wrong for $175. The pitchbook Houdini: His Life and Work in Prose and Picture by Hardeen sold for only $60. Surprisingly, posters came in at the lower end of their auction estimates. The famous "Houdini for President" lithograph featured on the auction catalog cover sold for $12,000 (estimate $12,000 – $18,000). A King of Cards sold for $9,500, below the estimate of $12,000 – $15,00. In a 2014 Potter & Potter auction a King of Cards sold for $17,000. Finally, a sensational original lobby display and transport case was a steal, IMO, at $7,000 (estimate $7,000 – $9,000).

If you log into Live Auctioneers you can see all the auction results. Congrats to Potter & Potter and all the buyers and sellers in what was yet another historic and exciting Houdini auction.