Klosterman magic collection returns to Potter & Potter, March 26

CHICAGO – Potter & Potter Auctions will host Salon De Magie -The Klosterman Collection Part II, a 281-lot sale scheduled for Saturday, March 26, starting at 10 am Central time. This is a much-anticipated event; Part 1, offered at Potter & Potter in October 2021, was the highest-grossing exclusively magic sale of all time, realizing more than $1.9 million. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

Posters promoting Harry Kellar (American, 1849-1922) and Harry Houdini (Hungarian-American, 1874-1926) will likely claim several of the top slots in the March 26 sale. Starting with the Kellar selection, a 1904 poster dubbed Kellar’s Mysteries / The 20th Century Marvel / “Well, I’m ___ !!!” / Presented by Paul Valadon, is estimated at $10,000-$20,000. It shows Valadon, once the apparent successor to Kellar, performing a trick in which a woman standing atop a table was covered by a cloth, then vanished. This is the first example of this poster that Potter & Potter experts have seen.

A second strong Kellar poster on offer is Kellar, Levitation, also from 1904 and estimated at $10,000-$20,000. The lithograph pictures Kellar in a Moorish setting with an assistant floating in midair above him, his hands outstretched underneath her and a supplicant bowing before him.

Carrying an identical estimate is the poster Harry Houdini, King of Cards, printed in the late 1800s. The half-sheet color lithograph features a bust portrait of the young magician at the center, and vignettes depicting his facility with a deck of cards above and below.

Naturally enough, the auction lineup includes 19th- and 20th-century apparatus owned by, or made by, the most recognized names in magic history. Johann N. Hofzinser’s (Austrian-Hungarian, 1806-1875) crystal ball casket, dating to circa 1860, is estimated at $15,000-$25,000. This illusion consists of a metal box with glass sides, lid and bottom through which the audience can clearly see. The casket is empty. On command, it instantly and visibly fills with cloth-covered balls. It is the same casket pictured in Ottokar Fischer’s seminal 1942 work J. N. Hofzinser Zauberkuenste.

A spirit lock made by Jon Martin in London in the 1940s carries an estimate of $5,000-$10,000. With this illusion, a large metal lock is displayed and locked, and it visibly and instantly opens on the command of the performer. This working apparatus is crafted from aluminum and includes two keys and one resetting pin. It is one of a handful of surviving examples.

Dell O’Dell’s specially modified double blooming rose bush from 1945 is estimated at $4,000-$8,000. Here, a barren plant in a large pot sits at center stage. On command, it slowly blooms real flowers that can be cut and distributed to the audience. This trick was owned and used by female nightclub magician Dell O’Dell (American, 1902-1962) and was considered one of the most expensive and elaborate products offered for sale from the celebrated Petrie & Lewis company of New Haven, Connecticut.

Magic-related archives and collections are also key categories in the March 26 auction. Among them are Karl Germain’s (Charles Mattmuller, American, 1878-1959) early Germain magic scrapbook, estimated at $4,000-$6,000. This lot consists of a scrapbook with 30 leaves of materials and loose additional related ephemera. It holds clippings, programs and paperwork from 1894 to around 1912 chronicling the career of this notable magician.

Also featured is the Klosterman magic postcard collection, estimated at $4,000-$8,000. This lifetime collection is housed in two binders and includes roughly 500 postcards, both used and unused. Subjects include individual magicians, magic shops, escape artists, playing cards and related subjects. It includes real-photo cards and modern advertising cards, dating from the early 1900s to the 2020s. This is the largest magic-related postcard collection ever offered through Potter & Potter Auctions.

The Klosterman collection of magicians’ bookplates is estimated at $800-$1,200. It contains around 400 bookplates, seals, embossed labels and stickers, is organized in sleeves in three binders and represents principally 20th-century American and English performers. Included are materials from Ricky Jay, James Findlay, James Alfredson, Tony Andruzzi, Virgil Anjos, David Devant, Vin Carey, Robelly, Paul Fleming and Karl Germain.

Signed magicana is guaranteed to conjure up significant interest. Leading the choices is a framed, autographed one page letter written to artist Jean-Pierre Dantan (French, 1800-1869) from magician Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin (French, 1805-1871) dated February 9, 1849. Its estimate is $10,000-$15,000. Translated, it reads in part: “My dear Dantan, I send you these two seats for my first representation, if you could come I would be pleased; friendly faces give me courage when it is necessary.”

A framed, typed signed letter from Harry Houdini to Remigius Weiss, dated June 6, 1925, is estimated at $1,500-$2,500. In it, Houdini addresses the ex-medium regarding a range of topics, including books he is seeking and affidavits. In a post-script, Houdini notes, “Until you hear further from me, please accept this $25 and buy some creature comforts … ”

In addition, a framed, inscribed and signed portrait of Harry Houdini is estimated at $2,000-$4,000. Taken in Seattle at the Lapine Studio around 1915, this handsome half-length silver print image shows the magician in a bow tie and coat, his arms crossed before him. It is boldly signed, “Best wishes / Houdini.”

Antiques, costumes, photographs and other delights on offer include a set of oval Harry and Bess Houdini pocket mirrors, estimated at $4,000-$6,000. These small “mirror cards” were presented to members of the Houdini Club of Philadelphia by Beatrice at its annual banquet on January 7, 1933. Fewer than 10 sets are known. In 2020, Potter & Potter sold a similar pair for $9,000.

A circa-1940 working, all-original musical gypsy automaton is estimated at $3,000-$6,000. This example raises two cones in her hands repeatedly; each time they are lifted, the objects underneath change, vanish, or transpose.

The final highlight is a group of five silver print snapshots of Harry Houdini and Felecien Trewey (French, 1848-1920), estimated at $1,500-$2,500. Dating to roughly 1920, the images show the two magicians posing before a building, most likely in France.

 

View top auction results on LiveAuctioneers here: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/pages/recent-auction-sales/