Winter Magic Auction

The Winter Magic Auction, offered by Potter & Potter Auctions, is anchored by antique magic and allied arts books from the collection of Giovanni Pasqua (stage name “Roxy”). One available book is Le Livre Magique (1863), which is an example of a magician’s “blow book.” The contents of the book seem to change each time the magician blows on it and flips through the pages. This version includes twelve changes: birds, soldiers, flower bouquets, trained monkeys, captive bears, a church and castle, and more.

Also presented in the sale is an assortment of props, including a pair of handcuffs owned by Harry Houdini. These Bean Cobb handcuffs are worn but still in working condition. Thirteen additional pairs of handcuffs or restraints are available in the sale. More than 50 posters are also under the gavel, including one advertising the conjuring work of Chung Ling Soo (the stage name of William Ellsworth Robinson). In this colorful poster, Soo is pictured with a hand to his brow, sitting under a pagoda and looking out over a lake at sunset. View any of these lots and register to bid on Potter & Potter Auctions.