A letter from Houdini was among the items in magician Paul Daniels’ private collection that was sold for £160,000.
More than 350 posters, tricks, and other items were auctioned off at Special Auction Services in Newbury on Wednesday and Thursday.
Debbie McGee had hoped to earn £200,000 by selling the illusions and accessories that belonged to her late husband.
A poster for the Victorian magic act Maskelyne and Cooke, who performed at St. James’s Great Hall in London in 1873, brought in £5,720 while Daniels’ toupee brought in £2,730.
The legacy of Paul
The collection had been kept in their Wargrave, near Henley-on-Thames, home, where the magician had died in 2016 at the age of 77. McGee, 63, said she feels the time is right to sell the collection.
She told the BBC,
“I simply thought that it was incredibly necessary for me to pass on Paul’s legacy. It feels like you’re giving them away since this is the final piece of them that’s still here.
Transposition cloaks went for £3,250, while the illusion blade-sword box went for £4,420.
The Geometrix illusion, which was presented on The Paul Daniels Magic Show on the BBC, was one of the things that failed to find a buyer.
The couple’s favorite illusion to perform, with a price tag of between £8,000 and £12,000, was made by Daniels’ father especially to fit his wife.
“I found these great letters,” McGee remarked, “and I found these wonderful images of magicians from the Edwardian days.”
“I believe that he liked magic the most, but I think his poster collection was what he absolutely loved the most.”
Magic, according to Thomas Forrester, director of special auction services, takes individuals back to their younger selves.
We are honored and thrilled to be selling Paul Daniels’ exceptional collection because of the sense of awe he instilled in his audiences throughout his distinguished career, the man stated.
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