Figures carved by sideshow legend Johnny Eck stomp their estimate at Potter and Potter

Leaping black horse from a set of six wooden figures carved in the 1930s by sideshow star Johnny Eck, which sold for $4,250 at Potter & Potter Auctions.

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CHICAGO – Though he entered the world as the younger of a pair of fraternal twins, John Eckhardt Jr. (1911-1991) was unique from the start. He had a birth defect that afflicted the lower half of his body. In his words, he looked as if he was “snapped off at the waist,” and he enhanced this effect with custom-tailored clothes that concealed his underdeveloped legs and feet.

At the tender age of 12, Eckhardt was recruited to perform in a sideshow and transformed himself into Johnny Eck, billed during the course of his unusual career as “The Most Remarkable Man Alive” and “The Amazing Half-Boy.” His best-known and most enduring role was his film debut as the Half-Boy in Tod Browning’s 1932 cult classic Freaks.

Eck’s talents were many and wide-raging, and they were on full display in a lot offered in Potter & Potter Auctions’ July 29 sale titled Circus, Sideshow & Oddities. It was a group of six wooden circus figurines, carved with a pen knife sometime in the 1930s. They consisted of two leaping horses, one white and one black, and four human performers. All stood about two inches tall, and though the lot notes don’t state it explicitly, Eck personally carved them all for a show of his that rendered the Johnny J. Jones Exposition as miniatures. Estimated at $600-$900, the Eck figures earned $4,250.

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Set of six wooden figures carved in the 1930s by sideshow star Johnny Eck, which sold for $4,250 at Potter & Potter Auctions.
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Leaping black horse from a set of six wooden figures carved in the 1930s by sideshow star Johnny Eck, which sold for $4,250 at Potter & Potter Auctions.
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Leaping white horse from a set of six wooden figures carved in the 1930s by sideshow star Johnny Eck, which sold for $4,250 at Potter & Potter Auctions.
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Quartet of human circus performer figures from a set of six carved in the 1930s by sideshow star Johnny Eck, which sold for $4,250 at Potter & Potter Auctions.
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Potter & Potter plans one more magicana sale before summer disappears, Aug. 26

1898 poster Harry Houdini, King of Cards, estimated at $10,000-$20,000
1898 poster Harry Houdini, King of Cards, estimated at $10,000-$20,000

CHICAGO  – Potter & Potter Auctions will conduct a 379-lot Vintage and Modern Magicana Auction on Saturday, August 26 starting at 10 am Central time. It will showcase Harry Houdini-related materials, including inscribed and signed books, images, posters and ephemera, as well as century-spanning magic props from the most respected firms and artisans. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Coveted first editions dominate Potter & Potter’s Aug. 17 rare books sale

J.R.R. Tolkien, ‘The Hobbit or There and Back Again,’ estimated at $10,000-$15,000
J.R.R. Tolkien, ‘The Hobbit or There and Back Again,’ estimated at $10,000-$15,000
J.R.R. Tolkien, ‘The Hobbit or There and Back Again,’ estimated at $10,000-$15,000

CHICAGO – Potter & Potter Auctions will hold a 382-lot sale of the collection of Robin and Kathryn Smiley, the co-publishers and editors of Firsts: The Book Collector’s Magazine, on Thursday, August 17, starting at 10 am Central time. The Smiley collection features modern firsts of literature, mystery and detective fiction, and western literature, with a special emphasis on books into film. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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House party: Don Baum creation was among outsider highlights at Potter & Potter sale

One of Don Baum's untitled assemblage art houses, $2,400. Image courtesy of Potter & Potter Auctions
One of Don Baum's untitled assemblage art houses, $2,400. Image courtesy of Potter & Potter Auctions
Don Baum, untitled art house assembled from multiple pieces, $2,400. Courtesy Potter & Potter Auctions

CHICAGO – Potter & Potter Auctions‘ Outsider, Folk, and Fine Art Sale, which took place on June 28, totaled nearly $271,000. The sale offered 570 category-spanning lots and was the debut auction for Aron Packer, the company’s new director and specialist of its Fine & Outsider Art division. Absentee and Internet live bidding was facilitated through LiveAuctioneers.

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It’s no illusion: Potter & Potter Summer Magic auction totals $425K

Ouija prediction watch magic apparatus, $21,600
Ouija prediction watch magic apparatus, $21,600
Ouija prediction watch magic apparatus, $21,600

CHICAGO – Potter & Potter Auctions‘ Summer Magic Auction, held on June 17, was worthy of applause, totaling $425,000. The sale offered 568 lots and had a 99% sell through rate. Absentee and Internet live bidding was facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.

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Sacred and profane mingle at Potter & Potter’s quirky June 28 sale

Howard Finster, ‘Early Paradise Garden Painting Pre-Numbering,’ estimated at $10,000-$20,000. Image courtesy of Potter & Potter Auctions
Howard Finster, ‘Early Paradise Garden Painting Pre-Numbering,’ estimated at $10,000-$20,000. Image courtesy of Potter & Potter Auctions
Howard Finster, ‘Early Paradise Garden Painting Pre-Numbering,’ estimated at $10,000-$20,000. Image courtesy of Potter & Potter Auctions

CHICAGO – Potter & Potter Auctions will conduct a 570-lot Outsider, Folk, and Fine Art Sale on Wednesday, June 28, starting at 10 am Central time. Among the highlights is a canvas mixed media work by Chicago street artist Lee Goldie. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Dickens met Lovecraft in the top 10 at Potter & Potter’s books sale

H.P. Lovecraft, ‘The Outsider and Others,’ $11,400

 

H.P. Lovecraft, ‘The Outsider and Others,’ $11,400
H.P. Lovecraft, ‘The Outsider and Others,’ $11,400

CHICAGO – Potter & Potter Auctions‘ June 1 Fine Books & Manuscripts sale achieved a total of $628,000. It featured 510 lots and had a 97% sell through rate. Absentee and Internet live bidding was facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.

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Potter & Potter to conjure Summer Magic with June 17 sale

Butterfly silk production magic apparatus by Jon Martin, dating to 1933, estimated at $4,000-$8,000
Butterfly silk production magic apparatus by Jon Martin, dating to 1933, estimated at $4,000-$8,000
Butterfly silk production magic apparatus by Jon Martin, dating to 1933, estimated at $4,000-$8,000

CHICAGO – Potter & Potter Auctions will conduct a 560+ lot Summer Magic Auction on Saturday, June 17 starting at 10 am Central time. It will feature antique to contemporary magic apparatus, important posters, ephemera and research archives as well as selections from the collections of Jim Deloach, William Trotter, and Ken Klosterman’s Salon de Magie library. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Books from author Larry McMurtry’s collection offered at Potter & Potter, June 1

Henry Roth, ‘Call it Sleep,’ estimated at $3,000-$5,000
Henry Roth, ‘Call it Sleep,’ estimated at $3,000-$5,000
Henry Roth, ‘Call it Sleep,’ estimated at $3,000-$5,000

CHICAGO – Potter & Potter Auctions and InkQ Rare Books LLC of Addison, Texas have acquired the Larry McMurtry collection, and the first installment at auction will appear as part of Potter & Potter’s Fine Books & Manuscripts sale on Thursday, June 1. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Place your bids in Potter & Potter’s gambling memorabilia sale, May 18

Circa-1930 gaffed, or rigged, roulette wheel by A. Ball & Bro Makers, estimated at $4,000-$5,000
Circa-1930 gaffed, or rigged, roulette wheel by A. Ball & Bro Makers, estimated at $4,000-$5,000
Circa-1930 gaffed, or rigged, roulette wheel by A. Ball & Bro Makers, estimated at $4,000-$5,000

CHICAGO – On Thursday, May 18, Potter & Potter Auctions will hold its signature Spring Gambling Memorabilia sale, starting at 10 am Central time. More than 540 lots of gambling- and cheating-related books, materials and apparatus will be offered, as well as exceptional examples of antique to modern playing cards and gambling chips. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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