Published on
September 30, 2010 in
Blog.
Tony Curtis As Houdini
Tony Curtis Inscribed Photo To Joe
Tony Curtis Janet Leigh Postcard
Tony Curtis And The X-Wife
Tony Curtis With Me, My Daughter And Mom
Tony Curtis, My Bud
What can I say? Tony Curtis was my hero since I was 15 years old. He’s the reason why I became interested in Houdini. Now that he is gone, all this stuff seems a lot duller. Thanks for the great ride Tony. You will be missed by me.
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Published on
September 29, 2010 in
Blog.
Zarrow - Vernon - Fox Auction
If you collect magic in any form, this upcoming auction is for you. The auction has everything for the beginning to advanced magic collector. If you collect books, posters, apparatus, ephemera, Dai Vernon, Paul Fox, Thurston and yes, even Houdini, than get yourself registered for the next Potter & Potter auction. I don’t know how they do it, but every auction they produce is better than the last.
There are over 400 lots for every magic taste imaginable. The auction is on October 23rd, so get ready to spend. The link is below to buy the catalog or to view it online. There are dozens of pictures in the catalog and online that are a real treat. When you click on the link, plan on an hour or two to ponder what items you just can’t live without. Good luck to all. Here is the link:
http://www.potterauctions.com/Catalog/CurrentCatalog/tabid/949/Default.aspx?utm_source=Potter+%26+Potter+E-Newsletter&utm_campaign=9d8eda0802-Magic_Memorabilia_at_Auction9_28_2010&utm_medium=email
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Published on
September 27, 2010 in
Blog.
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Signed Houdini 8x10 $670.00
This photo closed last night on eBay. It sold for $670 with postage. I know the photo has some issues, but it looks-like an OK piece for the price. What I couldn’t understand was the bidding at the end. There were two bidders at the end of the auction. They both bid the same amount of $665.00. Now here’s the rub. The under-bidder had his bid in a second sooner than the top bidder, but the bidder with the later bid won the piece. I thought that in case of a tie in the bidding, the earliest bidder would win the item. Any thoughts on this?
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Published on
September 25, 2010 in
Blog.
Interesting Houdini Book
This could be a good deal for one our Houdini collectors or magic historians out there. I am not selling this item nor am I endorsing it. All I’m saying is if all the attributes to the book are good, and they look OK to me, this may be an item for some collector. The book is by Bill Gresham and is probably in your library already. The book has many things going for it. It has a clipped signature of Houdini, an invitation to the final seance in 1936, inscribed by Gresham and signed by John Mulholland, Jay Marshall, Milbourne Christopher and more. The opening bid is $495.00 with a “Buy-It-Now” price of $795.00. This copy of “Houdini: The Man Who Walked Through Walls” has the most bells and whistles that I ever saw in this title. This won’t be passed over like yesterday’s “Houdini” milk can was at auction. I think the book will sell. Here’s the link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Harry-Houdini-Autograph-Final-Seance-Invitation-Magic-/230530714476?pt=Antiquarian_Collectible&hash=item35acb38b6c
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Published on
September 24, 2010 in
Blog.
Houdini's 5 O'clock Shadow
This is an 8×10 close-up of Houdini very late in his life. His hair is gray and thinning out. If you look closely you can even see Houdini could use a shave. A very interesting image of Houdini to say the least. If you like to have this image in your collection, just send me $14.95 and I’ll send it anywhere in the USA.
Published on
September 22, 2010 in
Blog.
Working On The Site
I’m over in the store fixing the images. It seems that when I changed hosts, the pictures wouldn’t load anymore. So now I’m slogging through them all. Oofa!
If you see any other glitches, please feel free to let me know while I have my hammer out. 
Published on
September 21, 2010 in
Blog.
Kevin Connolly Collection
Well, no matter what you may think of Houdini, he sure could draw a crowd. This is a postcard, from a series of postcards, for Houdini’s jump from Newport Bridge in 1913. Just looking at the crowd from this angle, one could easily imagine Houdini selling out that night’s performance, if not the week. Click on the photo for a larger image. If you find Houdini, you’re a better man than me, Gunga Din!
Here’s a question I never heard before. Was it a good thing to be on the bill with Houdini? I know Will Rogers said to the effect that after Houdini was done with his turn, Rogers, who followed Houdini on the bill, might as well of gone ahead and smoked his rope. The audience was worn out. That’s amazing.
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Published on
September 20, 2010 in
Blog.
Kevin Connolly Collection
With the premiere of the new Hawaii Five-O right around the corner, I thought I could use this segue to the Houdini bookplate above. Book e’m Danno, bookplate..Get it? Yeah I know, it’s weak. You get what you pay for.
Now back to the Houdini bookplate. This is an original bookplate that was used by the Library Of Congress on some of the books they selected from Houdini’s library. Luckily for us collectors out there, they did leave some books for us to seek out. The seal of the Library Of Congress at the top is exceptional. Also, “THE BEQUEST OF HARRY HOUDINI 1927″ makes the piece. Please click on the image for a larger view.
Unlike other items I have posted in the past on this blog, this piece is available for purchase or trade. The price for this piece is $450.00. I will also consider a trade for other Houdini and related material. Just click on the email to contact me.
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Published on
September 18, 2010 in
Blog.
HOUDINI: Art and Magic
Well, here it is. This is the latest book on our boy, Harry Houdini. The title of the book is Houdini: Art and Magic by Brooke Kamin Rapaport. This is the book that is being published in conjunction with the cross-country Houdini exhibit that is being produced by The Jewish Museum of New York. The release date is November 1st. 2010, but it may be sooner.
I have only quickly flipped through the book and already I am impressed with it. Starting off with the die cut cover. (Someone connected with the museum must collect comic books.) 
I haven’t read anything of it yet, as I wanted to give you all the the heads-up to order it. Amazon has it on its’ site for $27.00 delivered to your door. The regular list price of the book is $40.00. Here is the Amazon link to pre-order the book:
http://www.amazon.com/Houdini-Art-Magic-Jewish-Museum/dp/0300146841/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1284841979&sr=1-1
So here are some quick details about the book. The book is hard bound with die cut cover. It has over 260 pages with many photos. As soon as I have time, I’ll add more to this post.
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