![]() ![]() “The auction will include posters in every price range, as many modestly priced, attractive vintage posters were among those we found.” said Fajuri. The massive poster (estimate: $2,500-$3,500), one of only three examples known, includes vignettes of Nicola’s crowd-drawing stunts – escaping from prison cells, water-filled cans, tied to a railroad track, and from shackles and handcuffs. Another highlight is a rare eight-sheet (7 feet x 9 feet) billboard advertising The Great Nicola, who also performed escapes and stunts, ala Houdini. It was printed in 1902.ĭozens of other magicians’ posters were in the collection. One of the savviest publicists of all time, Houdini commissioned the poster to capitalize on the favorable verdict. After being decried a fraud by a German police officer, Houdini brought suit against the policeman for slander – and won. The lithograph depicts Houdini, locked in handcuffs and standing in front of a judge and jury at the royal court of Cologne, Germany in 1902. The Houdini image is the most important and valuable of the posters in the collection. “This is the kind of big find you see on TV, but never expect to happen to you.” “That’s what makes this exciting,” Fajuri added. Today, however, prices are significantly higher. At that time, vintage lithographs of this nature rarely traded hands for more than $50. Most of the posters were purchased in the 1970s, before the explosion of interest in collecting began. It would take a lifetime to build a collection like this.” Now all of the images will go up for sale. It was obvious to me – immediately on seeing the collection – that we had uncovered something very special. “Finding them all in one fell swoop was the kind of discovery collectors and consignors dream of. “These posters were one man’s collection, but had been in storage for decades,” said Gabe Fajuri, president of Potter & Potter Auctions. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding. ![]() It is one of only five such posters known to exist. ![]() CHICAGO – A rare Houdini poster, one of more than 100 rare and valuable vintage magic posters discovered in a suburban Chicago home last year, is the star attraction of a Potter & Potter auction, Satureday, March 26. Image courtesy of Potter & Potter Auctions. The poster measures 43 inches by 31 1/4 inches and carries a $15,000-$20,000 estimate. This rare lithograph depicts Harry Houdini pursuing a slander case in a German courtroom. ![]()
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