Public Auction #032 Magic Memorabilia Including Apparatus, Books, Ephemera, Posters and Conjuring Curiosa For sale at Magic Live! at The Orleans Hotel & Casino 4500 W. Tropicana Blvd. Las Vegas, Nevada 89103 August 12th 2015 - 1:00 pm Exhibition August 10 - 12 Potter & Potter Auctions, Inc. 3759 N. Ravenswood Ave. -Suite 121- Chicago, IL 60613 2 4 3 3 (detail) 1 6 5 2 • Potter & Potter Auctions 6 (detail) 7 1. Alexander (Claude Alexander Conlin). Alexander Crystal 4. Bellew, Frank. The Art of Amusing. New York: Carleton, Seer. [Bombay, Av Yaga], ca. 1920. Lithographed panel (14 ¼ 1866. FirSt edition. Gilt decorated brown cloth, beveled edges. x 41 ½”) bearing a striking portrait of Alexander’s turban clad “With nearly 150 illustrations by the author.” 12mo. Very good. head surrounded by skulls, hovering over a crystal ball. Tiny Toole Stott 89. nice copy. chips and closed tears; A-. Linen backed. 250/350 500/600 Includes chapters on games, mesmerism, charades, Punch & Judy, “hanky panky,” fireworks, and dozens of other Victorian amusements. 2. Annemann, Ted (Theodore Squires). Photograph of Annemann performing the Bullet Catch. I.J. Newman, 1933. 5. Black Art of Magic and Ventriloquism Combined. New Candid photograph of Annemann standing with three police York: Benedict Popular Publishing, ca. 1874. Pictorial wraps in officers. Two of them examine bullets, one holds a rifle. 8 ¾ x 6 black and red. Illustrated, including diagrams of “The Turk.” ¼”. Very good. 8vo. Front cover detached, chipped, and soiled. Internally very 200/300 good. See Toole Stott 95, which lists a different publisher. Scarce. Taken one year before Annemann began publishing his famous 500/700 periodical, The Jinx, this photograph shows the 29-year-old wizard set to perform his signature feat: catching a bullet in his teeth. Since the 6. Blackstone, Harry (Henry Boughton). Blackstone’s Secrets of trick’s invention, many methods have been devised to accomplish it, Magic. New York: George Sully & Company, 1929. First edition. some safer than others. Annemann’s was perhaps the riskiest of all, as Publisher’s cloth stamped in black and white. Illustrated with it required a marksman – not always a trained professional - to fire a line drawings. 8vo. Very good. Boldly inScriBed and Signed by live round just over his shoulder. Harry Blackstone on the flyleaf. 150/250 3. Baker, Al. Pet Secrets. [New York]: George Starke, 1952. Black cloth, gilt stamped. Number 54 from the first edition of 500 7. Paul Fox Candy Bowl. Phoenix, Danny Dew, ca. 1970. Finely signed and numbered copies. Illustrated by Clayton Rawson. made brass candy bowl transforms a quantity of confetti into 8vo. Very good. Signed by Al Baker. any other object. Includes inner ring to accommodate a hat coil. 100/200 5 ¾” in diameter. Tarnished; good. 250/350 August 12, 2015 • 3 8 11 8 (detail) 8 (detail) 8. Card Sword. Hamburg, Janos Bartl, ca. 1930. Selected cards are impaled on the blade of a sword when the pack is thrown in the air and the sword is thrust through the falling pasteboards. Nickel-plated brass. 36 ¾” long. Very good. rare. 900/1,200 Perhaps the most mechanically complex card sword ever produced, this model includes a pair of spring-loaded trap doors in the hilt which conceal the cards, a pulley system incorporated into the blade, and an extra feature in the hilt which allows the sword to apparently be plunged into a person and pulled out again without harming the participant. The craftsmanship and finish are exceedingly fine. 9. Cardini (Richard Valentine Pitchford). Cardini “cartoon” souvenir photo. Artist unknown (initials “D.E.”), ca. 1934. Photograph of a group of black-and-white drawings depicting 9 scenes from Cardini’s act. 5 3/8 x 7”. Fine. 150/250 10. Clarke, Sidney. The Annals of Conjuring Typescript. N.p., ca. 1924. Typescript of the work. 266 pages, rectos only, on 4to sheets. Wrappers, housed in a ¼ red morocco slipcase. 1,500/2,000 Likely the original typescript of the Annals of Conjuring, this manuscript was at one time in the files of New York collector Neil See. Serialized in The Magic Wand from 1924 to 1928, Clarke’s work remains a vital and important historcial work. 11. Coffee Vase. Colon, Abbott’s Magic Novelty Co., ca. 1949 [?]. Handsome chrome plated vase changes cotton or handkerchiefs into steaming hot coffee. With chrome plated cover. 9 ½” tall. 10 Fine. 200/300 4 • Potter & Potter Auctions 13 12 12. CW Coin Classic. Virginia, Collectors’ Workshop, ca. 1995. Four half-dollars pass through a glass balanced atop a deck of cards, falling into a glass below the pack one at a time. Includes mechanical device, two card boxes, and carrying case. Very good. 150/250 14 13. Engraved Copper Cups. Italy, Vittorio Balli, ca. 1980. Set of three handsome spun copper cups with concentric engraved bands below the shoulder of each cup. Mouths 2 3/8” across, cups 2 ½” high. Uncommon. Fine. 200/300 14. Chrome Paul Fox Cups. Phoenix, Danny Dew, 1970s. Set of three chrome plated brass cups manufactured and sold by Danny Dew. Designed by Paul Fox. Good. 500/700 15. [Cups and Balls] Patrioty. Egire (fuite) en 1849 du Sultan Mahomet Vasistas 1er. (Allégorie no.4). [Paris], Fernique et Cie, [1849]. Hand-colored lithograph depicting the flight from the Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers of the revolutionary politician and amateur conjuror Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin dressed in a sultan’s costume, with cup, balls, wand and gibecière. 10 ½ x 13 ¾”. Laid down. 250/350 15 August 12, 2015 • 5 18 17 16. Dante (Harry August Jansen). Dante the Famous Magician. Beauty the Arabian Steed. Vanishes in Mid Air. $50,000 Illusion. Cleveland, Otis Lithograph Co., ca. 1924. Three-sheet (41 x 76 ½”) color lithograph picturing Dante’s vanishing horse illusion, the apparatus suspended in the air. Closed tears and minor wear; B+. Linen backed. See rear cover. 2,000/2,500 17. Devant, David (David Wighton). Real Photo Postcard of David Devant. London, ca. 1915. Handsome portrait of Devant in driving togs, an umbrella and cigar in his hands. Divided back. Two tiny puncture marks; very good. 200/300 18. Fechner, Christian. Soirées Fantastiques. Paris: F.C.F. Editions, 1988. One of an unspecified limitation of the deluxe edition. Two cloth volumes stamped in black and gold, in matching slipcase. Second volume a book-shaped box containing blueprints and flipbooks. Oversize 4tos. Minor wear and soiling to slipcase and cloth; very good. 800/1,200 19. Barstool Levitation Automaton. Paris, Pierre Mayer, ca. 2004. As the crank is turned, the figure of a man clad in a suit and tie raises his arms as he levitates above the stool on which he sits. 5 ¾ x 3 ¾ x 11”. Signed by the maker. Near fine. 1,000/1,500 This automaton is a tribute to Christian Fechner’s FISM award- winning performance, which featured his clever and memorable barstool levitation. The figure in this version of the automaton is unique, as it was painted to represent the original owner, not Fechner, 19 as was the case with all others offered for sale. 6 • Potter & Potter Auctions 21 21 20. George, Grover. Triumphant American Tour. George the Supreme Master of Magic. Cleveland, Otis Litho., ca. 1926. Half-sheet (19 ¼ x 26”) color lithograph with flapping ducks, a Buddha, and other magical objects filling the image. Borders toned. A. 250/350 21. Gwynne, Jack. Jack Gwynne’s Aerial Fishing Props. Circa 1948. Apparatus used by Jack Gwynne to catch live fish in mid air. Includes ungimmicked fishing pole, fish “bait” gimmicks, bait box, and gimmicked fish tank. Lucite tank with brass insert and lighted base measures 14 ¼ x 6 x 11”. With original cloth- lined wooden packing box and cloth cover. Shows wear from professional use. 700/900 Gwynne used this, his own version of a Stull-type fish bowl, to perform Professor Mingus’s classic effect. He refrained from performing the routine in nightclubs in deference to his friend John Booth, who made 20 a feature of the trick. Possibly taking a cue from McDonald Birch, Gwynne’s tank was lit from below by two bright bulbs, to better illuminate the fish as they swam about. A photograph of Gwynne performing with these props at New York’s Times Hall in 1951 accompanies the lot. 22. Henning Doug. Doug Henning’s Performing Fellowship Award. Hollywood, 1996. Awarded to Henning by The Academy of Magical Arts (The Magic Castle) “in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the art of magic.” Framed to an overall size of 13 ¼ x 17 ¼”. Embossed seal loose in frame. Signed by Mark Wilson and Bruce Cervon. 200/300 22 August 12, 2015 • 7 26 23 23. Henning, Doug. The Sensational Houdini Water Torture Escape. Designed by Seymour Chwast, 1975. One-sheet (30 x 46”) color poster advertising Doug Henning’s television special featuring the famous Houdini underwater escape. Linen backed. A. 300/500 This, Henning’s first television special, featured co-stars Orson Welles, Bill Cosby, and Julie Newmar. Over 50 million viewers tuned in. 24. Herrmann, Adelaide. Autographed portrait of Adelaide Herrmann. New York: Unity Studio, ca. 1927. Bust portrait of the famous “Queen of Magic” taken on her 73rd birthday. 8 x 10”. Photographer’s stamp and holographic notations on verso, including several possibly in Herrmann’s hand. inScriBed and Signed, “Yours truly Adelaide Herrmann.” 300/400 25. Herrmann, Alexander. Alexander Herrmann Engraved 24 Bank Draft. American, ca. 1891. Unused engraved bank draft No. 451, featuring a bust portrait of the famous French magician. Stub attached. Scrapbook remnants on verso of stub; good. 200/300 26. Herrmann, Alexander. Portrait of Alexander Herrmann. LeClair & Major, Detroit, ca. 1890. Three-quarter length portrait of the famous French magician. Boudouir card format, on an 25 embossed mount, 6 ¾ x 9 7/8”. Herrmann’s name written in ink on the mount. Very good. 1,500/2,000 8 • Potter & Potter Auctions