This auction will be conducted in two sessions on Saturday, October 23rd, at the firm's Chicago gallery - The morning session will feature the library and collection of legendary card magician Herb Zarrow. Zarrow's collection included a massive working library of texts in nearly every branch of magic, from close-up tricks and card magic to illusions and biography. The entire library, including many rare and out of print books, and a cache of signed and inscribed volumes. Other highlights from Zarrow's holdings include a rare mask, hand-crafted by Jeanne Verner (wife of Dai Vernon) for Mike Bornstein and accompanied by the elaborate costume Bornstein wore when performing under his stage name, Kolma; an unusual Doll House illusion designed by New Jersey magician Don Rose; ephemera and photographs of many of New York's best-known sleight-of-hand magicians; files of rare periodicals; and sought after books including the influential Magic of Robert Harbin.
The afternoon session will offer items complementing the Zarrow collection with a wide range of rarities, most specifically from the collections of Paul Fox and Dai Vernon. Fox, originally an Ohioan, influenced many of the great magicians of the early 20th century, refining and reshaping their best tricks. He was also an accomplished stage performer. Included in the sale will be many choice association items inscribed to Fox by Cardini, Vernon, and Charlie Miller, as well as many of the props used by Fox throughout his career, and his tuxedo. The Vernon material will include early original artwork executed by Vernon as a teenager, a risque silhouette cut by the great magician, personal memorabilia, photographs, and more. The sale will also feature a selection of choice books, autographs, automatons, and rare posters, making it not only one of Potter & Potter's largest auctions to date, but a sale suitable for collectors of virtually all specialties, at every level.
