Done
Chicago, IL, United States
Auction Details
The Ricky Jay Collection
Potter & Potter Auctions
Potter & Potter is thrilled to bring to auction the remarkable, singular, eclectic collection of Ricky Jay, the lauded actor, celebrated sleight-of-hand magician, and noted author, who curated his own extensive collection of magic, circus, and showbiz ephemera - a one of a kind wunderkammer. From literature of cheating, gambling and conmen, to vibrant circus and sideshow posters, flamboyant text-filled broadsides spanning the last four centuries, and memorabilia of magic shows of yesteryear, this, the first of three auctions promises to be a true celebration of curious characters and the rare relics that tell their stories.
Auction Curator:

Gabe Fajuri
PresidentTOP
![JAY, Ricky. Ricky Jay. On the Stem. [New York], 2003. One-s...](https://p1.liveauctioneers.com/928/274472/144311274_1_x.jpg?height=300&quality=70&version=1673893579)

![Is Conan Doyle Right? Cleveland: J. Morgan Litho., [1923]. ...](https://p1.liveauctioneers.com/928/274472/144311151_1_x.jpg?height=300&quality=70&version=1673893579)



![[KNIFE THROWING] [JUGGLING] The Great Chinese Feat! Impalin...: [KNIFE THROWING] [JUGGLING] The Great Chinese Feat! Impaling the Human Body. [London?], 1854. Large letterpress broadside with elaborate wood engraved image at its center depicting the](https://p1.liveauctioneers.com/928/274472/144311290_1_x.jpg?height=310&quality=70&version=1673893579)
![[KNIFE THROWING] [JUGGLING] The Original Chinese Magicians ...: [KNIFE THROWING] [JUGGLING] The Original Chinese Magicians and Jugglers, Arr Hee and Asham. Plymouth: Leviathan Broadside Press – I.W. N. Keys, 1860. Large letterpress broadside bearing a](https://p1.liveauctioneers.com/928/274472/144311291_1_x.jpg?height=310&quality=70&version=1673893579)

![KRATKY-BASCHIK, Anton (ca. 1821 – 89). Nine Portraits of Kr...: KRATKY-BASCHIK, Anton (ca. 1821 – 89). Nine Portraits of Kratky-Bashik, Magician and Musician. [Vienna?], ca. 1873. Handsome series of studio images picturing the Bohemia-born conjuror and](https://p1.liveauctioneers.com/928/274472/144311293_1_x.jpg?height=310&quality=70&version=1673893579)

![[DANIEL LAMBERT] The Heaviest Man that Ever Existed. The Li...: [DANIEL LAMBERT] The Heaviest Man that Ever Existed. The Life of…Daniel Lambert. Stamford: Printed by and for J. Drakard, ca. 1809. Wood-engraved frontispiece full-length image of Lambert,](https://p1.liveauctioneers.com/928/274472/144311295_1_x.jpg?height=310&quality=70&version=1673893579)
![[MAGIC LANTERN] 5th Annual Tour. B.A. Bamber’s Great Dime S...: [MAGIC LANTERN] 5th Annual Tour. B.A. Bamber’s Great Dime Show. American, ca. 1877. Tall broadside for the exhibition of “grand stereoptical dissolving views” by Bamber, including](https://p1.liveauctioneers.com/928/274472/144311296_1_x.jpg?height=310&quality=70&version=1673893579)

![[LETTERHEAD] Theatrical Letterhead Scrapbook. 1890s. Folio ...: [LETTERHEAD] Theatrical Letterhead Scrapbook. 1890s. Folio album likely kept by the acrobatic team of The Hugheses (T. Benton and Sallie), with embossed color cover containing approximately 100](https://p1.liveauctioneers.com/928/274472/144311298_1_x.jpg?height=310&quality=70&version=1673893579)
![[FOOT JUGGLING] MANSFIELD, George E. (d. 1906). Levantine. ...: [FOOT JUGGLING] MANSFIELD, George E. (d. 1906). Levantine. [Glasgow], 1880s. Large letterpress broadside with oversize wood engraved image of Levantine at its center, reclining on a special couch and](https://p1.liveauctioneers.com/928/274472/144311299_1_x.jpg?height=310&quality=70&version=1673893579)


![[LITTLE PEOPLE] Three Victorian Photo Albums Picturing Famo...: [LITTLE PEOPLE] Three Victorian Photo Albums Picturing Famous Dwarfs and Midgets, including Tom Thumb. 1860s – 90s. Trio of finely crafted ornately tooled gilt-edged photo albums with brass](https://p1.liveauctioneers.com/928/274472/144311302_1_x.jpg?height=310&quality=70&version=1673893579)
![[LITTLE PEOPLE] Drawing of a Dwarf in Military Costume. Cir...: [LITTLE PEOPLE] Drawing of a Dwarf in Military Costume. Circa 1800. Pen-and-ink sketch of a diminutive character in a beefeater-type hat with a saber slung over one shoulder and standing before the](https://p1.liveauctioneers.com/928/274472/144311303_1_x.jpg?height=310&quality=70&version=1673893579)
![[LITTLE PEOPLE] Thirteen Midget and Dwarf “Pitch” Books. Co...: [LITTLE PEOPLE] Thirteen Midget and Dwarf “Pitch” Books. Comprising of: History of the World’s Greatest Midgets, Major N.G.W. Winner and Wife. Winona, MN: Jones & Co., [1902].](https://p1.liveauctioneers.com/928/274472/144311304_1_x.jpg?height=310&quality=70&version=1673893579)






