Potter & Potter Archives - Auction Central News

Most important George Washington document in private hands showcased at Potter & Potter April 18

George Washington commission document as general and commander in chief of the United Colonies Army, estimated at $150,000-$250,000 at Potter & Potter.

CHICAGO — Potter & Potter president Gabe Fajuri calls consignor Eric Caren the “Babe Ruth” of the historic document collecting world, and rightly so. Caren’s collection returns to market for its ninth edition on Thursday, April 18 with a trove of George Washington-related ephemera, including the most important Washington document not owned by an institution or the federal government. The complete catalog is now available for bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

The sale’s top-estimated lot is George Washington’s commission as Commander In Chief. Written by and signed in the hand of Charles Thomson, secretary of the Continental Congress, it’s dated June 19, 1775, and appoints Washington as General and Commander in Chief of the Army of the United Colonies. It reads:

To George Washington Esquire. We reposing especial trust and confidence in your patriotism, conduct and fidelity Do by these presents constitute and appoint you to be general and commander in chief of the army of the United Colonies and of all the forces raised or to be raised by them and of all others who shall voluntarily offer their service and join the said army for the defence of American Liberty and for repelling every hostile invasion thereof…” Thomson signed the document as secretary and on behalf of “John Hancock, President.”

Provenance traces it to General Washington’s acquaintance Dr. George Whitfield Avery, who hung it in his office for many years, and to Richard M. Ahlstrom, who purchased the document in 1969 at an antique show in Ohio. It is estimated at $150,000-$250,000.

Caren noted, “I have owned literally millions of historical documents in my six decades of collecting, and this is, by far, the most important piece of all of them.”

In all, the sale features 21 Washington-related items with a wide range of estimates. They include:

A framed and glazed broadside from January 6th, 1800 mourning the death of George Washington and detailing the city of Boston’s memorial observances, which is estimated at $2,000-$3,000.
A one-page document dated May 13, 1796 and signed by Washington appointing the first Surveyor General, which is estimated at $15,000-$25,000.

George Washington commission document as general and commander in chief of the United Colonies Army, estimated at $150,000-$250,000 at Potter & Potter.

Broadside announcing the death of George Washington, estimated at $2,000-$3,000 at Potter & Potter.

Document dated May 13, 1796 and signed by Washington appointing the first Surveyor General, estimated at $15,000-$25,000 at Potter & Potter.

Thomas Edison, Patent for Edison’s Improvements on the 'Electric-Light', No. 219,628, estimated at $2,000-$3,000 at Potter & Potter.

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte has worked in editorial, design and the toy and auction industries for more than 30 years. He co-founded Auction Central News in 2007.

Harry Houdini artifacts take the stage at Potter & Potter April 13

Houdini 'Buried Alive!' 1924 promotional poster, estimated at $8,000-$12,000 at Potter & Potter.

CHICAGO — Props, advertising, and hand-signed items from the life and times of famed illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini (Erik Weisz, 1874-1926) take the stage at Potter & Potter on Saturday, April 13. Its Houdiniana & Magic Memorabilia catalog is now available for review and bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

A 1908 first edition presentation copy of The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin by Harry Houdini is the sale’s top lot. Signed and personally inscribed by the author, it was apparently given to his brother, Leo Weiss, MD. The inscription reads: To my real Pal / Doc / with best wishes / and compliments of the / author. May you / enjoy reading my / book with as much pleasure / as the gathering of the / contents gave me. / Harry Houdini / (Ehrich Weiss). Potter & Potter notes this is the only example in Houdini’s hand where he identifies himself with the Americanized version of his birth name. The book is estimated at $25,000-$35,000.

Four sets of leg irons used by Houdini as part of his escape act are included in the sale. The two leading lots are both estimated at $8,000-$12,000. This set of Egyptian leg irons features a twisted link of chain stretched between the manacles. It comes with a letter of authenticity and was previously sold in 2004 at CRG Auctions. Also sold at the same 2004 sale and scheduled to be offered on April 13 is a set of Romer leg irons dating to 1900. They are originally from the Radner Houdini collection, who had acquired them from Theodore Hardeen, Houdini’s brother.

Another favored lot is a massive eight-sheet color lithographed poster advertising a sensational stunt that Houdini would never perform – his escape from a coffin buried under mounds of heavy earth. Dating to 1924, just two years before his untimely death from peritonitis, the 109 by 89in poster is in excellent restored condition, is linen backed, and is estimated at $8,000-$12,000.

The final highlighted Houdini lot is a complete 1919 Paramount Pictures lobby card set for The Grim Game, Houdini’s silent action-adventure film. In it, he portrays a man who is falsely accused, convicted, and imprisoned for a murder he did not commit. He escapes (of course) and pursues the real killers, who have kidnapped his girlfriend. The set is accompanied by a signed business card for Irving V. Willat, the film’s director, leading Potter & Potter experts to surmise that the set may have been his personal copy. With a title card and seven monochrome stills, the set is estimated at $8,000-$12,000.

Signed presentation copy of 'The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin' by Harry Houdini, estimated at $25,000-$35,000 at Potter & Potter.

Houdini Egyptian leg iron, estimated at $8,000-$12,000 at Potter & Potter.

Houdini Romer leg irons, estimated at $8,000-$12,000 at Potter & Potter.

Houdini 'Buried Alive!' 1924 promotional poster, estimated at $8,000-$12,000 at Potter & Potter.

'The Grim Game' complete lobby card set, estimated at $8,000-$12,000 at Potter & Potter.

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte has worked in editorial, design and the toy and auction industries for more than 30 years. He co-founded Auction Central News in 2007.

Erik Weisz Harry Houdini Harry Houdini's The Unmasking Of Robert-Houdin Houdini leg irons Houdini poster magic memorabilia Potter & Potter Potter & Potter Auctions The Grim Game The Unmasking Of Robert-Houdin

Silent films, Walt Disney, and Michael Jordan represented at Potter and Potter’s March 28 pop culture sale

CHICAGO – Potter & Potter has announced a 626-lot Entertainment, Toys & Collectibles sale for Thursday, March 28. The sale is topped with lots tied to two iconic American celebrities. The complete catalog can now received presale bids at LiveAuctioneers.

Founded in 1988, Upper Deck was the first sports-related trading card company to address card counterfeiting by affixing a company-logo hologram to each card it made. Upper Deck sold out its entire print runs for 1989 and 1990 Major League Baseball card sets, and began a series of ‘Authenticated’ product releases with licenses with key sports figures. In 1996, Upper Deck released Wings, a panoramic print of Michael Jordan in a run of 500. Each was signed by Jordan; this example is number 282. Measuring nearly 41 by 16.5in, the lot is accompanied by an Upper Deck certificate of authenticity and other paperwork. It is estimated at $5,000-$7,000.

Sharing top-lot status in the March 28 sale is a signed copy of Walt Disney’s Sketch Book of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, estimated at $5,000-$7,000. Printed in London and Glasgow by Wm. Collins Sons & Co. in 1938, this first edition publication is signed by Disney (1901-1966) and is illustrated with Disney Studios sketches of Snow White characters and 12 mounted color plates.

Though largely forgotten today, Harry Langdon (1884-1944) was one of the most famous silent-era movie comedians, ranking with Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd. A lifetime collection of 55 Langdon-related items is really the hidden gem of Potter & Potter’s sale. The tranche ranges from incredibly rare one-sheets and lobby cards to a signed contract. The leading one-sheet is for Long Pants, a 1927 First National release starring Langdon and directed by a very young Frank Capra. So acrimonious was their on-set collaboration that Capra was fired at Langdon’s demand. The one-sheet has minor restoration but is otherwise excellent, and is estimated at $1,200-$1,800.

Equal parts creepy and uniquely interesting is a 1970s-era complete Ronald McDonald costume accompanied by a selection of magic tricks that the actor who wore it would perform at birthday parties and promotional events. Made by Milwaukee’s Eder Mfg. Co., the costume has it all – shoes, wig, gown, gloves, and more. Potter & Potter notes that complete Ronald McDonald costumes are scarce. It’s estimated at $2,000-$4,000.

Michael Jordan-autographed 'Wings' Upper Deck framed print, estimated at $5,000-$7,000 at Potter & Potter.

Walt Disney-signed 'Walt Disney’s Sketch Book of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,' estimated at $5,000-$7,000 at Potter & Potter.

Harry Langdon one-sheet for 'Long Pants,' estimated at $1,200-$1,800 at Potter & Potter.

Complete 1970s Ronald McDonald costume, estimated at $2,000-$4,000 at Potter & Potter.

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte has worked in editorial, design and the toy and auction industries for more than 30 years. He co-founded Auction Central News in 2007.

Harry Langdon Potter & Potter Potter & Potter Auctions Ronald McDonald Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Upper Deck Walt Disney

Unique Adelaide Herrmann poster conjures $57K in magical $863K sale at Potter and Potter

CHICAGO – Potter & Potter‘s February 24 sale of the Edwin A. Dawes (1925-2023) magicana collection netted $863,000, more than $300,000 above the presale high estimate. With a 99% sell-through rate, the performance reinforced the high demand for quality magic-related memorabilia in the contemporary market. Complete results are available at LiveAuctioneers.

Dawes was a singular figure in the world of magic and magicians, and the most prolific chronicler of conjuring history in the 20th century. The sale’s top earner was Adelaide Herrmann and Company. The Flight of the Favorite. Estimated at $10,000-$15,000, it traded hands at an amazing $48,000 ($57,600 with buyer’s premium). This bright, one-sheet stone lithographed promotional poster was published around 1905 in New York by The Metropolitan Printing Co. and featured Hermann’s (1853-1932) signature transposition effect from her vaudeville magic show. According to Potter & Potter’s experts, this was the only known example of this poster to survive.

Chung Ling Soo Chinese Conjurer was estimated at $8,000-$12,000 and sold for $34,000 ($40,800 with buyer’s premium). The poster was printed in Ashton-Under-Lyne by Horrocks & Co. around 1910 and features a central full-length portrait of Soo (actually Brooklyn-born William E. Robinson, 1861-1918), flanked by Chinese characters. This was one of only a handful of three-sheet Soo posters extant of any design, and was the first of its kind ever seen or handled by Potter & Potter’s experts.

Hocus Pocus Junior, The Anatomy of Legerdemain, Or, The Art of Juggling set forth in proper Colours, was estimated at $10,000-$15,000 and delivered $30,000 ($36,000 with buyer’s premium). Printed in London by G. Dawson in 1663, this example of the book was noted as the sixth edition, ‘with many additions.’ This was only one of two known examples of this exact edition and was purchased by Dr. Dawes a Sotheby’s auction in 1979.

One of the more surprising performances was achieved by Chung Ling Soo’s address book, which was estimated at $4,000-$8,000 and made $26,000 ($31,200 with buyer’s premium). Owned by the man dubbed the ‘Marvelous Chinese Conjurer,’ the address book was filled with entries in ink in his own hand, including many key contacts important to his career as an entertainer.

Ionia, Goddess of Mystery was estimated at $4,000-$6,000 and rang up $22,000 ($26,400 with buyer’s premium). This full-color half-sheet stone lithograph poster showed performer Ionia (born Clementine DeVere, 1888-1973) beside a trunk decorated with Egyptian iconography, from which a woman appears.

According to Potter & Potter Auctions President Gabe Fajuri, “It’s gratifying to bring unique pieces of history to the auction block. Some of the material in the Dawes collection has not been on the market in over 50 years – or longer – and the results for this kind of fresh to the market, one-of-a-kind material speak for themselves.”

Adelaide Herrmann and Company, The Flight of the Favorite, which sold for $48,000 ($57,600 with buyer’s premium) at Potter & Potter.

Chung Ling Soo Chinese Conjurer, which sold for $34,000 ($40,800 with buyer’s premium) at Potter & Potter.

Hocus Pocus Junior, The Anatomy of Legerdemain, Or, The Art of Juggling set forth in proper Colours, which sold for $30,000 ($36,000 with buyer’s premium) at Potter & Potter.

Ionia, Goddess of Mystery, which sold for $22,000 ($26,400 with buyer’s premium) at Potter & Potter.

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte has worked in editorial, design and the toy and auction industries for more than 30 years. He co-founded Auction Central News in 2007.

Adelaide Herrmann Chung Ling Soo Ionia Potter & Potter Potter & Potter Auctions vintage magic posters

A Study in Sherlock, Part II realizes $217K at Potter & Potter

Doyle's 'The Lost World' with its virtually unobtainable original dust jacket, which sold for $12,000 at Potter & Potter.

CHICAGO — Collectors of Arthur Conan Doyle and anything Sherlock Holmes-related got their second chance to purchase rarities from the combined collections of Robert Hess and Roy Pilot February 15 at Potter & Potter. The 336-lot sale brought the consignors $217,000 in a ringing endorsement of the collection’s quality. Complete results are available at LiveAuctioneers.

Potter & Potter president Gabe Fajuri quipped, “It was all but elementary here on auction day — we saw strong bidding on many unusual and elusive items from the Arthur Conan Doyle cannon, and are looking forward to — perhaps — yet another installment in this series of auctions in 2025.”

The sale’s top lot was Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1896 autograph manuscript of the novel Uncle Bernac. Estimated at $30,000-$40,000, it traded hands at $34,000 ($42,500 with buyer’s premium). The lot included the complete manuscript as published in the original serialization and is also known by its provisional title Boulogne. A Memory of the Empire.

Also on offer was a copy of Doyle’s The Lost World, complete with its virtually unobtainable original dust jacket. Originally published in London by Hodder and Stoughton on October 15th, 1912, this example was the first English trade edition, featuring the iconic image of Arthur Conan Doyle disguised as Professor Challenger on its dust jacket. This exact copy was the only one to ever appear at auction in the past; it was previously sold through Swann Galleries on June 20, 2013 and via Sotheby’s London on October 20, 2016. Estimated at $8,000-$10,000, the book hammered for $10,000 ($12,000 with buyer’s premium).

Demand for Jeremy Brett-related memorabilia continues to be strong. Brett (1933-1995) is best remembered for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes on British television. Coming directly from his estate was a pair of photo albums featuring Brett as Holmes and in other roles, including 80 behind-the-scenes shots from the TV series. Estimated at just $150-$250, it hammered for $5,500 ($6,600 with buyer’s premium).

In addition, an archive of 40 audio cassettes of Jeremy Brett’s performances, commercials, interviews, and more was estimated at $100-$200 and scored $3,000 ($3,600 with buyer’s premium), Made in England in the 1980s and 1990s, they were primarily 90-minute cassettes with hand-written captions in an unknown hand on inserts.

Arthur Conan Doyle's autograph manuscript of the novel 'Uncle Bernac,' which sold for $42,500 at Potter & Potter.

Doyle's 'The Lost World' with its virtually unobtainable original dust jacket, which sold for $12,000 at Potter & Potter.

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte has worked in editorial, design and the toy and auction industries for more than 30 years. He co-founded Auction Central News in 2007.

Arthur Conan Doyle Jeremy Brett Potter & Potter Potter & Potter Auctions Sherlock Holmes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle The Lost World Uncle Bernac

Americana and ephemera collection lets bidders step back in time at Potter and Potter March 7

70 cigar and tobacco labels and trade cards, estimated at $2,000-$4,000 at Potter & Potter.

CHICAGO — More than 650 lots of Americana and ephemera ranging from Civil War items to advertising come to market at Potter & Potter on Thursday, March 7. The catalog is now available for bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

The collection of Mark Rucker includes photographs, trade cards, advertising, baseball memorabilia, and a wide range of printed paper ephemera. There are sizable groupings of African Americana and items surrounding pre- and post-revolution Cuba.

Brooks Locomotive Works of Dunkirk, New York was a manufacturer of steam locomotives for the growing American market. This salesman’s album contains 47 albumen prints mounted to board to preview designs and options for prospective customers. Used only internally by its sales team, the book may be unique. Brooks was founded in 1869, and this book covers locomotives built between 1871 and 1880. Brooks was part of the great merger in 1901 that created The American Locomotive Company (ALCO). The book is estimated at $1,500-$10,000.

Tobacco was one of the biggest consumer goods in the 19th century, and marketers went to great expense to establish and differentiate the countless brands of cigars, cigarettes, and chewing and snuff tobacco. This set of 70 tobacco trade cards and box labels is a colorful survey of the often ingenious and humorous caricatures used to keep brands top of mind. The lot is estimated at $2,000-$4,000.

Color lithography was highly sought after in all aspects of commercial life at the turn of the previous century, largely because of its novelty. This collection of nearly 500 sheet music sets covers jazz, marches, patriotic songs, waltzes, and more. It is estimated at $3,000-$6,000.

A morbid but interesting element to the Rucker collection is this U.S. Army silver star removed from the wreckage of a 1938 Cadillac staff car in which General George Patton suffered the injury that lead to his death in December 1945. It is accompanied by a file photo of the wreck and the name and address of the Army soldier who recovered it, and it has an estimate of $1,500-$3,000.

Regino Mamelo Garcia was a catcher for 12 seasons in the Cuban winter baseball leagues. From 1905 to 1907, he was also a batting champion, and the league presented him with this award in 1907 to mark his feat. The highest-estimated lot in the sale, it is estimated at $20,000-$40,000.

Brooks Locomotive Works sales album, estimated at $1,500-$10,000 at Potter & Potter.

70 cigar and tobacco labels and trade cards, estimated at $2,000-$4,000 at Potter & Potter.

Nearly 500 early 20th-century sheet music sets, estimated at $3,000-$6,000 at Potter & Potter.

Metal star taken from General George Patton’s command car, in which he was fatally injured, estimated at $1,500-$3,000 at Potter & Potter.

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte has worked in editorial, design and the toy and auction industries for more than 30 years. He co-founded Auction Central News in 2007.

advertising African Americana americana baseball memorabilia Brooks Locomotive Works ephemera Photographs Potter & Potter Potter & Potter Auctions salesman's album sheet music steam locomotives tobacco trade cards trade cards US Army silver star

Edwin Dawes lifetime collection of magic memorabilia to appear at Potter and Potter Feb. 24

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CHICAGO — Edwin A. Dawes (1925-2023) was a noted English biochemist who spent his career at the University of Hull in the United Kingdom, where he founded its department of biochemistry. But in his after hours, Dawes and his wife Amy were avid magicians, performing as Professor Bluffman and Madame Patrice. Dawes was also a prolific writer on the history of magic, authoring the authoritative works Great Illusionists and The Encyclopedia of Magic.

Amy predeceased Edwin in 2014, and now, with his passing at age 97, the first sale of his lifetime collection comes to market at Potter & Potter, with 448 lots crossing the block on Saturday, February 24. The catalog is now available for bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

According to Gabe Fajuri, president at Potter & Potter Auctions, “There is no one in the magic collecting community whose name, accomplishments, and reputation commands more respect than Eddie Dawes. Perhaps more than anyone in the twentieth century, he has contributed to a wider scholarly knowledge of magic history through his writing and scholarship. I’m honored — thrilled, actually — to offer rarities from his collection at Potter & Potter. This is the first of several sales we will conduct from Eddie’s archives, and therefore the tip of the proverbial iceberg.”

Two lots share the top estimate of $10,000-$15,000. The first is a book printed in 1663 London and represents the sixth edition ‘with many additions.’ Hocus Pocus Junior. The Anatomy of Legerdemain. Or, The Art of Juggling set forth in proper Colours features 32 unnumbered leaves, a woodcut frontispiece, and woodcuts in the text. This is only one of two known examples of this exact edition. Dr. Dawes purchased it at a Sotheby’s auction in 1979.

Known as the ‘Queen of Magic,’ Adelaide Herrmann (1853-1932) began her career as the performing assistant to her husband, Alexander (1834-1896), popularly known as ‘Professor Herrmann’ or ‘Herrmann the Great.’ When he passed unexpectedly, Adelaide continued the act and performed into her seventies, finally retiring in 1928. This stone-lithograph poster dating to circa 1905 shows her solo act, billed then as The Flight of the Favorite. In this illusion, a Geisha character in one cabinet vanishes, only to reappear in a similar box some distance away. According to Potter & Potter’s experts, this is the only known example of this poster. It, too, is estimated at $10,000-$15,000.

American William Ellsworth Robinson (1861-1918) spent his entire magic career performing as Chung Ling Soo, Chinese Conjurer. He met an untimely demise as part of a bullet-catch trick that went awry. Chung Ling Soo. Chinese Conjurer is a circa-1910 three-sheet stone-litho poster from his heyday and is the first such example ever handled or seen by Potter & Potter’s magic experts. It carries an estimate of $8,000-$12,000.

One of the earliest works in English on magic tricks, the copy of The Discovery of Witchcraft by Reginald Scot (1538-1599) that appears in the sale was printed in London in 1665 as a third edition. It has an estimate of $7,000-$9,000. And an autographed headshot of Harry Houdini (Erik Weisz, 1874-1926) brings up the spirit of the late conjurer for an affordable $1,500-$2,500.
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‘Hocus Pocus Junior. The Anatomy of Legerdemain,’ estimated at $10,000-$15,000 at Potter & Potter.
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Adelaide Herrmann, ‘The Flight of the Favorite’ poster, estimated at $10,000-$15,000 at Potter & Potter.
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William E. Robinson, ‘Chung Ling Soo. Chinese Conjurer’ poster, estimated at $8,000-$12,000 at Potter & Potter.
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Reginald Scot, ‘The Discovery of Witchcraft,’ estimated at $7,000-$9,000 at Potter & Potter.
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Signed portrait of Harry Houdini, estimated at $1,500-$2,500 at Potter & Potter.
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Adelaide Herrmann Chung Ling Soo Edwin A. Dawes first edition Harry Houdini magic book Potter & Potter Potter & Potter Auctions Reginald Scot Reginald Scot’s The Discoverie of Witchcraft William Robinson

Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes return to Potter and Potter with A Study in Sherlock Part II Feb. 15

[av_heading heading=’Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes return to Potter and Potter with A Study in Sherlock Part II Feb. 15′ tag=’h1′ style=” subheading_active=” show_icon=” icon=’ue800′ font=’entypo-fontello’ size=” av-desktop-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” subheading_size=” av-desktop-font-size=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” icon_size=” av-desktop-font-size-1=” av-medium-font-size-1=” av-small-font-size-1=” av-mini-font-size-1=” color=” custom_font=” subheading_color=” seperator_color=” icon_color=” margin=’,,35px,’ av-desktop-margin=” av-desktop-margin_sync=’true’ av-medium-margin=” av-medium-margin_sync=’true’ av-small-margin=’,,20px,’ av-mini-margin=” av-mini-margin_sync=’true’ headline_padding=” headline_padding_sync=’true’ av-desktop-headline_padding=” av-desktop-headline_padding_sync=’true’ av-medium-headline_padding=” av-medium-headline_padding_sync=’true’ av-small-headline_padding=” av-small-headline_padding_sync=’true’ av-mini-headline_padding=” av-mini-headline_padding_sync=’true’ padding=’10’ av-desktop-padding=” av-medium-padding=” av-small-padding=” av-mini-padding=” icon_padding=’10’ av-desktop-icon_padding=” av-medium-icon_padding=” av-small-icon_padding=” av-mini-icon_padding=” link=” link_target=” title_attr=” id=” custom_class=” template_class=” av_uid=’av-lr9gxv18′ sc_version=’1.0′ admin_preview_bg=”][/av_heading]

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CHICAGO — The second wave of Robert Hess’ massive Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes collection hits the market Thursday, February 15 at Potter and Potter. The first sale in April 2023 was just a sampling of the amazing collection that Hess has amassed since the 1980s. Bidding is now available at LiveAuctioneers.

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) is best remembered for his series of Sherlock Holmes adventures, but like other working authors of the period, he would accept commissions to write from outside parties. One such work, titled Uncle Bernac, was written by Doyle as part of the Gerard Saga, which appeared in The Queen and Manchester Weekly Times. Written completely by hand and apparently with much consternation (“I am labouring heavily over that wretched little Napoleonic book. It has cost me more than any big book. I never seem to be quite key, but I must slog through it somehow”), it was completed in 1896 in both Egypt and London. The lot is estimated at $30,000-$40,000.

Conan Doyle’s The Lost World, a 1912 adventure about dinosaurs roaming the earth, would become a huge silent film hit worldwide. This first English edition, second issue of the large paper edition of the book comes with an incredibly rare dust jacket featuring a dinosaur footprint, and is noted by Potter and Potter to be the first such copy ever to appear at auction. It has an estimate of $15,000-$18,000.

First National Pictures licensed The Lost World for its 1925 adventure-romance film that is best remembered for the amazing stop-motion animation of Willis O’Brien, who would go on to animate King Kong in 1933. Potter and Potter believes this title lobby card is the only example to remain in existence, and gave it an estimate of $5,000-$10,000.

Sidney Paget (1860-1908) served as illustrator on Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes works. This dressing gown, aka bathrobe, was the inspiration for Paget’s illustrations of Holmes wearing a dressing gown in at least six illustrations (out of a total of 13 illustrations of Holmes in a dressing gown). It is estimated at $2,000-$4,000.

The Sign of Four was a British motion picture released in 1932, just two years after Conan Doyle’s passing. Starring Arthur Wonter as the esteemed detective, the film is an adaptation of Doyle’s second novel, originally released in February of 1880. These two British half-sheet theatrical posters have been professional restored and present very well. Together they carry an estimate of $1,000-$2,000.
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Arthur Conan Doyle autograph manuscript of the novel ‘Uncle Bernac,’ estimated at $30,000-$40,000 at Potter and Potter.
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Arthur Conan Doyle, ‘The Lost World,’ first English edition, second issue of the large paper edition with dust jacket, estimated at $15,000-$18,000 at Potter and Potter.
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First National Pictures title lobby card for the 1925 film ‘The Lost World,’ estimated at $5,000-$10,000 at Potter and Potter.
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Sidney Paget’s personal dressing gown, which served as inspiration for Sherlock Holmes’ gown as illustrated by Paget, estimated at $2,000-$4,000 at Potter and Potter.
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Two Half-Sheets for the 1932 film ‘The Sign of Four,’ estimated at $1,000-$2,000 at Potter and Potter.
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Arthur Conan Doyle lobby cards Potter & Potter Potter & Potter Auctions Sherlock Holmes Sidney Paget Sir Arthur Conan Doyle The Lost World The Sign of Four Uncle Bernac vintage movie posters

1908 Harry Houdini poster commands $180K and a new world auction record at Potter and Potter

1908 Harry Houdini poster showing him performing his Milk Can Escape, which hammered for $150,000 and sold for a record $180,000 with buyer’s premium at Potter & Potter.

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CHICAGO – At its December 9 Select Secrets sale, Potter & Potter Auctions reclaimed the world auction record for any magic poster, tallied a total of $720,000, and enjoyed a 99.3 percent sell-through rate. Complete results for the sale are available at LiveAuctioneers.

The top lot was the new record-holder: a 1908 one sheet-color stone lithograph poster showing Harry Houdini in the process of performing his famed Milk Can Escape. It touted the feat loudly and proudly, calling it ‘Houdini’s Death-Defying Mystery’ and warning ‘Failure Means a Drowning Death.’ Estimated at $40,000-$60,000, it hammered for $150,000 and sold for $180,000 with buyer’s premium.

The sum bests a record set in October 2021 at Sotheby’s sale of the Ricky Jay Collection, which included a circa-1913-1915 poster showing a tight shot of Houdini’s grimacing face and his crooked right arm as he floated upside-down in a water tank during another of his famed escapes. It, too, was estimated at $40,000-$60,000 and sold for $151,200.

Prior to the Sotheby’s sale, Potter & Potter had claimed the world auction record with a 1912 version of the Harry Houdini water tank escape poster that shows him in full, with his feet sticking out of the top of the padlocked tank. Offered in February 2017, it sold for $95,000 ($114,000 with buyer’s premium).

The Houdini poster was not the only one on offer that turned in an impressive performance. A 1908 Howard Thurston poster showing him literally inheriting the mantle of the magician Kellar as a devil-like figure looks on, estimated at $15,000-$25,000, sold for $40,000 ($48,000 with buyer’s premium).

All seven lots of material relating to the woman magician Suzy Wandas (born Jeanne Van Dyk, 1896-1986) found new homes, with most selling above their estimates and a few within their estimates. Outpacing the rest was a lot consisting of her performing props and almost everything she used in her stage act. These included pails, holders, metal stands, a vanishing cane and an appearing cane, palming coins, multiplying billiard balls, her make-up bag and makeup, silks and flags, dummy cigarettes and gimmicked matchboxes, a breakaway fan, and playing cards. An unnamed Potter & Potter expert called the lot “a remarkable time capsule of one of the few female performers to excel as a variety artist in the twentieth century as a magician – not to mention as part of a family act, on circus, and as a musician, on two sides of the Atlantic.” Estimated at $5,000-$8,000, this Suzy Wandas lot sold for $32,000 ($38,400 with buyer’s premium).

Potter & Potter also had a house first in the form of a souvenir book of miniature pages of sheet music, printed circa 1845 in Paris and produced by Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin, seemingly out of thin air, when he performed his Cone of Abundance trick. The music was composed by Aristide le Carpentier, who Robert-Houdin considered “one of my best and closest friends.” This was the first example of the souvenir sheet music the house has handled. Estimated at $1,000-$2,000, it sold for $24,000 ($28,800 with buyer’s premium).

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1908 Harry Houdini poster showing him performing his Milk Can Escape, which hammered for $150,000 and sold for a record $180,000 with buyer’s premium at Potter & Potter.
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1908 poster titled ‘Thurston, Kellar’s Successor. Invested with the Mantle of Magic,’ which sold for $40,000 ($48,000 with buyer’s premium) at Potter & Potter.
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Performing apparatus used by the magician Suzy Wandas, which sold for $30,000 ($38,400 with buyer’s premium) at Potter & Potter.
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Circa-1845 set of miniature pieces of sheet music that the magician Robert Houdin produced in his Cone of Abundance trick, which sold for $24,000 ($28,800 with buyer’s premium) at Potter & Potter.

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Harry Houdini Harry Houdini poster Howard Thurston Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin Kellar new world auction record Potter & Potter Potter & Potter Auctions Suzy Wandas vintage magic poster

Wonderful ‘Alice in Wonderland’ collection realized $230K at Potter and Potter

First edition of the 1923 Russian translation of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,’ done under a pseudonym by Vladimir Nabokov, which once belonged to the former Alice Liddell, aka the real-world Alice. It sold for $36,000 ($45,000 with buyer’s premium) at Potter & Potter.

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CHICAGO – The staying power of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – a story invented by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson to delight a small girl and her sisters in Oxford, England, and later published by him under the pen name of Lewis Carroll – cannot be denied. Stephen and Nancy Faber set out to build a book collection anchored by the beloved 19th-century story and its sequel, and ultimately consigned it to Potter & Potter Auctions. Offered on November 30, the collection earned a total of $230,000 and a sell-through rate of 92 percent. Absentee and Internet live bidding was provided through LiveAuctioneers.

The top lot overall was a first edition of the 1923 Russian translation of Alice, done under a pseudonym by Vladimir Nabokov. It once belonged to the former Alice Liddell, aka the real-world Alice, and was signed by her with her married name of Hargreaves in brown ink on the front pastedown. Estimated at $10,000-$15,000, it hammered for $36,000 and sold for $45,000 with buyer’s premium.

Two lots by two different creative legends, illustrator Barry Moser and Surrealist artist Salvador Dali, demonstrated how captivating the tale of Alice is and continues to be. Moser’s 1982 Pennyroyal Press version, which combined Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel, Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There into one volume had an estimate of $3,000-$5,000 and brought $6,500 ($7,800 with buyer’s premium). Dali’s take, produced in 1969 in a limited edition of 2,500, went for $6,000 ($7,500 with buyer’s premium).

Other standouts included a group of circa-1940s-1950s Pelham Puppets of Alice characters, which attained $3,000 ($3,750 with buyer’s premium) against an estimate of $400-$600, and two Alice-themed wooden jigsaw puzzles by the Vermont firm Stave Puzzles, one dating to 1991 and the other to 1997. Both estimated at $600-$800, the 1991 puzzle, which depicted a landscape view of Wonderland, earned $1,700 ($2,125 with buyer’s premium), and the 1997 version, which was shaped like a teapot and placed the Mad Hatter’s tea party at its center, realized $2,000 ($2,500 with buyer’s premium).

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First edition of the 1923 Russian translation of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,’ done under a pseudonym by Vladimir Nabokov, which once belonged to the former Alice Liddell, aka the real-world Alice. It sold for $36,000 ($45,000 with buyer’s premium) at Potter & Potter.
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Barry Moser’s 1982 Pennyroyal press release of the two ‘Alice’ books, which sold for $6,500 ($7,800 with buyer’s premium) at Potter & Potter.
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Salvador Dali’s 1969 take on ‘Alice,’ one from a limited edition of 2,500, which sold for $6,000 ($7,500 with buyer’s premium) at Potter & Potter.
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Group of circa-1940s-1950s Pelham Puppets of ‘Alice’ characters, which sold for $3,000 ($3,750 with buyer’s premium) at Potter & Potter.
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One of two Alice-themed wooden jigsaw puzzles by the Vermont firm Stave Puzzles offered in the auction, which sold for $2,000 ($2,500 with buyer’s premium) at Potter & Potter.

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Alice in Wonderland Alice Liddell Alice Liddell Hargreaves Charles Lutwidge Dodgson Lewis Carroll Potter & Potter Potter & Potter Auctions Vladimir Nabokov

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte

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