Potter & Potter Auctions is pleased to announce a 345-lot sale to be held on Saturday, April 8, starting at 10 a.m. CDT. This event, featuring Harry Houdini (born Erik Weisz, 1874–1926) themed merchandise, will be held live at Potter & Potter's gallery in Chicago, Ill. It will also be live-streamed at www.potterauctions.com. Phone and absentee bids are welcome.
The unique collection of Houdini's signature apparatus make up several of the top expected lot slots. Houdini's strait jacket escape jacket is estimated at $50,000-$100,000. This heavy canvas jacket is reinforced with leather across the neck, back, arms, and waist. The fabric is worn from use but overall intact and well-kept. This remarkable piece of magicana history is accompanied by numerous documents, newspaper articles, and photographs tracing the ownership of the jacket from Houdini to his brother, Hardeen, and then to Hardeen’s assistant, magician Armand Landry. Houdini’s packing crate is estimated at $40,000-$80,000. This ca. 1915 wooden crate was used by Houdini to transport his props and personal articles on two transatlantic voyages. It retains numerous trip labels as well as a notation in Houdini’s hand, reading, “All Strait Jackets, Oct. 1920.” It is accompanied by a protective wooden and plexiglass display stand. The crate comes with a COA from Sidney Radner, a former owner and a noted Houdini collector. This crate was among the original Houdini memorabilia featured on the NBC Television special “Houdini: Unlocking His Secrets” and was exhibited for many years at the Magic and Movie Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, Nev.
Houdini’s “spirit cabinet” escape is estimated at $30,000-$60,000. This furniture-grade hardwood constructed prop is outfitted with brass handles and locks. In performance, Houdini was placed atop a short four-legged base, and then a series of four open boxes was lowered over him, one at a time, each successive section being locked and secured to the others below it. Once enclosed, four separate metal rods were lowered through holes in the apparatus, further locking them together. Even so, after being only briefly concealed, Houdini “dematerialized” from the device, which, when examined by a committee from the audience, was shown to still be solidly and securely fastened together. This prop comes with a COA by Houdini collector Sidney Radner, a former owner of the device, and a photograph of the concealed internal mechanism.
Extraordinary posters and broadsides promoting Houdini appearances are also well represented in this sale. “Harry Houdini King of Cards” is estimated at $12,000-$18,000. It was printed in Chicago by National Printing and Engraving around 1898. This half-sheet, linen-backed, color poster was used by Houdini as a young performer and features his bust portrait at the center and vignettes depicting his facility with a deck of cards above and below. This is one of the first posters produced to advertise the magician just before he attained fame. “The World Famous Houdini/Master Mystifier” is estimated at $6,000-$8,000. This ca. 1925 three-color card is printed on heavy stock and was made to advertise a Chicago venue of Houdini’s final U.S. tour. It is only one of two examples known for this appearance and found in the rafters of a Chicago bungalow along with other theatrical posters. It was the subject of a segment on the PBS TV series, “The History Detectives.” “First Performance of the Water Torture Cell” is estimated at $5,000-$8,000. It was printed in Berlin by Plakat-Druckerei Eduard Jackel in 1912. This letterpress broadside heralded an appearance of Houdini on Sept. 21, 1912 (and the following day), at the Circus Busch, the famous German variety theater, presenting for the first time his Water Torture Cell escape, the first public performance of this signature feat.
Also on offer are remarkable images of Houdini over the course of his life. A tintype portrait of Houdini as a young man is estimated at $6,000-$9,000. This ca. 1891 full-length image of Houdini was likely taken at Coney Island. He is seated on a bench and wearing a boater, bow tie, and evening clothes, with a seaside backdrop featuring the Coney Island Elephant hotel.
A transatlantic photo album is estimated at $5,000-$8,000. This oblong album holds six total mounted silver gelatin print photos of Houdini and his wife aboard the S.S. Imperator on their trip to Europe from America in 1913. This is a rare and personal keepsake from the Houdini family’s own files. An inscribed and signed portrait is estimated at $4,000-$6,000. This ca. 1906 half-length portrait of Houdini was taken at the age of 30 and was used to promote the publication of his periodical, Conjurer’s Monthly Magazine.
Important books by, about, or owned by Houdini are certain to catch the eye of collectors worldwide. “A Magician Among the Spirits” is estimated at $6,000-$12,000. This first edition was published in New York by Harper & Brothers in 1924. This copy is inscribed, signed, and initialed by Houdini to fellow magician Howard Thurston.
Ephemera, artwork, and other important Houdiniana round out this can't-miss sale. A collection of nine “Grim Game” mini lobby cards is estimated at $15,000-$20,000. These were produced in New York by Famous Players-Lasky Corporation in 1919. This set of matte-finish sepia tone images was issued to promote the film at various theaters. Not to be confused with movie stills, these studio-issued cards are rarities in their own right and are the only examples of their kind that the auction house experts have encountered or traced at auction.
Houdini's S.A.M. 1918 banquet committee badge is estimated at $3,000-$5,000. It was made in Reading, Pa., by The Weber Badge and Novelty Co. in 1918. It consists of a framed, celluloid bust portrait of Houdini, a multi-colored ribbon, hardware spacers, and a celluloid badge reading, “The Society of American Magicians/Committee/Banquet 1918,” with decorative scrollwork. A bronze bust of Houdini is estimated at $1,500-$2,500. It was made in Glendale by Spectral Motion, a Hollywood special effects company, in the 2000s. This finely sculpted bust of the famed magician in coat and bow tie has Houdini’s name lettered on the plinth below his likeness. It is numbered 13/40 and measures 12.5 inches tall.
"We've offered many rarities and props from Houdini's life, dating back to our first sale in 2008. And yet, the hits keep on coming. This offering of Houdiniana is among the best we have brought to market, as it includes such a diverse range of objects from his storied career. Personal favorites include several association copies of books inscribed by Houdini to fellow magicians (Howard Thurston, T. Nelson Downs, and W.J. Hilliar), though it is hard to dispute that a Houdini packing case, strait jacket, or the mirror from his Harlem brownstone are showstoppers, too," said Gabe Fajuri, president at Potter & Potter Auctions.
For more information, call 773-472-1442 or visit www.potterauctions.com.