A signed photo and handwritten letter by Bess, in which she talks about the dressing room punch and her final moments with Harry, was estimated at $200-$400. It sold for $4,500 (including buyers premium). A cache of letters from Houdini and Bess to Dearn, estimated at $2000-$3000, fetched $17,000.
A collection of material assembled by Houdini on The Davenport Brothers sold for $13,000 (estimate $1,500-$2000). A large lot of magicians photos and ephemera, including unpublished shots of Houdini and Bess, beat the $2,500-$3,500 estimate and sold for $13,000. An original King of Cards poster grabbed a respectable $7000 (estimate $800-$1,200).
A good day for magic collectors!
UPDATE: The great David Ben has posted a blog at Magicana about how there was and still is no mention of this major auction on magic forums and collectors communities. Of course, this auction was no secret to readers of this magic blog. Still, as Ben writes, it is A Curious Lot.
UPDATE 2: Lawsons sale makes news in Australia
yes, I thought the estimates were spectacularly low - missed out on my item :(. Think Lawsons didn't get a good idea on how fascinating this stuff is to many - did you pick up any thing wonderful?
ReplyDeleteI didn't bid on anything. knew it would be too rich for my blood.
DeleteGreat to see all the items and fascinating. No chance at all here,but hopefully others will share more info on their acquisitions. Narinder
ReplyDeleteNot even I could escape with an item! ;)
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