Les Enluminures will present a special exhibition and catalogue at Les Enluminures New York from October 17 to 23, 2018. It consists of four books that are remarkable survivals of what people read in the Middle Ages - the finest of medieval Bibles (the greatest text of Western civilization), one of the oldest Books of Hours (the most famous medieval manuscripts of all), biography (the unique legend of an Anglo-Saxon princess), and the history of Troy (the oldest chivalric story in European history). 

These are all manuscripts unknown on the market for at least eighty years. One of the four was last described in print in 1588; the others were last catalogued for sale in 1909, 1932 and 1938 respectively. All are richly illustrated, with a total of 133 miniatures between them, as well as hundreds of borders and illuminated animals and grotesques. Some of the finest artists of the period were responsible for the miniatures, and at least two of them likely issue directly from the greatest of European courts. 

A lavishly illustrated publication accompanies the exhibition. Prize-winning author (“Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts”) Christopher de Hamel wrote the Introduction and Catalogue. Founder and President of Les Enluminures, Sandra Hindman is responsible for the Preface. 

Les Enluminures is an internationally recognized leader in the field of Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, miniatures, and finger rings. Dr. Sandra Hindman, an expert on medieval and Renaissance manuscript illumination and Professor Emerita at Northwestern University, founded Les Enluminures in Paris in 1991 in association with her Chicago-based business. The New York City location opened in May 2012. Keegan Goepfert (M.A., Courtauld) became Vice-President of the company in 2012. For over twenty-seven years, Les Enluminures has forged and maintained relationships with the world’s most prestigious public and private collections. International clients include the Musée du Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., the J. Paul Getty Museum, among many others. The gallery has exhibited in most major art fairs in the United States and Europe, and we organize three to four exhibitions in our gallery spaces annually. 

October 17- 23, 2018 

23 E. 73rd St., 7th floor New York, NY 10021 

Opening: Wednesday October 17, 6-9 pm 

Open Daily 10am-6pm 

Westport, CT - Important, historical items signed by Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln and Marilyn Monroe are just part of the incredible selection of autographed documents, books, manuscripts and relics set to come up for bid in University Archives’ next online-only auction, slated for Wednesday, August 22nd, at 10:30 am Eastern time. In all, 298 lots will be offered.

Other names in the auction include such diverse luminaries as Napoleon Bonaparte, Catherine the Great, Ty Cobb, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Woody Guthrie, Ernest Hemingway, Bruce Lee, J. D. Salinger, Joseph Stalin and Orville Wright. The full catalog with all lots can be viewed online now, at www.University Archives.com. Internet bidding will be provided by Invaluable.com.

“The historical market is showing great signs of strength, in many cases outpacing our strong economy,” said John Reznikoff, the president of University Archives. “It’s not often that we see such select items in the current seller’s market. We are particularly proud of the size and breadth of this sale but mostly the quality. Also worthy of noting is that the majority of items in this sale are offered for the first time or the first time in decades. Many of the items that have appeared before are offered at levels below their original sales price, offering some terrific opportunities.”

There are several Einstein lots in the sale, including a single page typed, signed scientific letter (in English) on Kepler and Quantum Law, the precursors to his special and general theory of relativity, dated Nov. 3, 1942 (est. $10,000-$12,000); and a rare and astounding life-size wax mold of Einstein’s head, commissioned by him personally and created by Katherine Stubergh (the wax sculptress of the stars), with human hair and signed by him (est. $15,000-$20,000).

Lincoln also makes multiple appearances in the auction. Lots include a one-page letter written and signed by Lincoln in 1863, a few months after issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, with association to freed slaves who fought with Gen. Ulysses S. Grant (est. $50,000-$60,000); and an actual fragment of Lincoln’s blood-stained shirt from the night of his assassination, with superb provenance, plus a copy of the book Obsequies of Abraham Lincoln (est. $25,000-$30,000).

Marilyn Monroe remains an enduring source of fascination to collectors. Several items signed by the screen goddess will come up for bid, to include the finest known photo signed by Monroe when she officially transformed from Norma Jean Baker to Marilyn Monroe. Taken circa 1947 and showing the starlet in a swimsuit pose, the 8 inch by 10 inch black and white photo is signed and inscribed with, “My very best wishes, Marilyn Monroe”. It should bring $20,000-$24,000.

From the same era, J. D. Salinger is another figure with lasting appeal for collectors. The famously reclusive author of The Catcher in the Rye is represented in the sale by a single-page letter, written and signed (“Love, Jerry”) entirely in Salinger’s hand, and addressed to Joyce Miller, a longtime friend, confidante and possible lover (no one is really sure). The letter, from May 1950, is jubilant, playful and suggestive. The envelope is included (est. $9,000-$10,000). 

The five lots dedicated to George Washington include an autograph manuscript, dated June 20, 1771, unsigned but penned by Washington on a single page as a survey and plot drawing that mark off reportedly violent Indian lands in the Ohio Valley (est. $20,000-$25,000); and a letter written and signed by Washington in January 1785, in which he introduces an Italian nobleman (the Count Castiglioni) to Governor William Moultrie of South Carolina (est. $14,000-$16,000).

A one-page letter written in French by Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), signed by him, should command $2,000-$2,400. The letter, dated May 22, 1807 and written from what is now Poland, is regarding the surrender of Gdansk and the capture of the H.M.S. Dauntless. Also, a document from summer 1786 in which the Russian Empress Catherine II (Catherine the Great) promotes a Dutch engineer to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, has a pre-auction estimate of $3,000-$3,500.

A single-page letter written circa 1922 and signed by the author F. Scott Fitzgerald, to journalist Marguerite Marshall, in response to her interview of him following the publication of his novel, The Beautiful and the Damned, should garner $5,000-$6,000. Also, a two-page typed letter, signed by literary giant Ernest Hemingway, to the writer Peter Viertel, dated Aug. 8, 1948, where he discourses on writing, fishing, hunting, marriage and religion, is estimated at $4,000-$4,500.

A rare reproduction photo print signed by former Russian leader Joseph Stalin, one of only three known and accompanied by great association and provenance, should hit $15,000-$20,000. The photo, boldly signed by Stalin in Cyrillic (“J Stalin”), is from 1930 and shows two other men. Also, a single-page letter handwritten and signed by Clarence Anglin, an escapee from Alcatraz prison, to his mother, dated Feb. 19, 1950, with provenance, has an estimate of $2,500-$3,000.

It doesn’t get any more diverse than Bruce Lee and Ty Cobb. An 11-page letter hand-penned and signed by Cobb, dated “8/29/59”, in which he makes predictions as to which teams will reach that year’s World Series, with envelope, should fetch $4,000-$5,000; while Bruce Lee’s iconic wood-handled rubber tube jump rope that the martial arts legend used for footwork training, is expected to breeze to $3,500-$4,000. The jump rope was gifted to Lee by a friend.

Woody Guthrie’s two-page handwritten lyrics for a song he never recorded, titled Why, penned at the Brooklyn State Hospital in May 1956, where he was being treated for Huntington’s Disease, signed three times by the singer, should go for $5,000,$6,000; and an original piece of aviation pioneer Orville Wright’s plane, with a photo of the famous Wright Brothers’ first flight and a check signed by Orville, all in a matted display presentation, should make $3,000-$4,000.

As with all University Archives online auctions, this one is packed with important, scarce and collectible signed documents and other items relating to some of the most famous names in all of history. The firm has become world-renowned as a go-to source for rare material of this nature.

University Archives was founded in 1979, as a division of University Stamp Company, by John Reznikoff, who started collecting stamps and coins in 1968, while in the third grade. Industry-wide, Reznikoff is considered the leading authenticity expert for manuscripts and documents. He consults with law enforcement, dealers, auction houses and both major authentication companies.

For more information about University Archives and the Wednesday, June 20th online auction, please visit www.universityarchives.com.

Boston - Charles De Gaulle's handwritten Bastille Day speech will be auctioned by Boston-based RR Auciton. 

The one-page manuscript in French by Charles de Gaulle, signed within the heading, "Gen. de Gaulle," one page, July 14, 1941. A speech headed (translated): "Communique of Gen. de Gaulle to the Troops, 14.7.1941." In full (translated): "To the soldiers, to the sailors, to the airmen, to the people of France. July 14 is for us the anniversary of faith and national hope. Faith because never, despite the tears of France, we have no longer firmly believed in her and in her destiny. Hope because we see on the horizon all the data of Victory. Soldiers, sailors, airmen, Frenchmen, my dear companions, be firm, pure and faithful; because at the end of our troubles, there is the greatest glory in the world: that of men who have not yielded." In fine condition. 

General de Gaulle gave this rousing message during a Bastille Day ceremony at Marchand Stadium in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo (then the capital of French Equatorial Africa), during which he awarded three soldiers with the Cross of Liberation. 

During this period, de Gaulle was leading the Free France movement, a government-in-exile that continued to fight against the Axis powers after the fall of France. A superb wartime message from the exiled French leader.

“It’s a superb wartime message from the exiled French leader,” said Bobby Livingston, Executive VP at RR Auction. 

Highlights among the more than 80 World War II related lots include: 

Charles de Gaulle letter "from warlord to warlord," de Gaulle writes to FDR: "General de Gaulle, he has only one goal, to defeat the enemy wherever he is.”

George S. Patton matte-finish photo in uniform, along with a typed letter. The superb pairing of two WWII-era items signed by Patton to General R. B. Lord, Chief of Staff of S.O.S 'Service of Supply' and Communications, Headquartered in Paris.

Original hand-painted wooden sign removed from the headquarters of the 600th Bomb Squadron (398th Bombardment Group, Eighth Air Force) in Nuthampstead, Hertfordshire, England.

Remarkable grouping of World War II military apparel belonging to Staff Sergeant William C. King, a B-24 aerial gunner with the 576th Bomb Squadron in Wendling, England.

Iconic World War II-era Irvin Royal Air Force fleece-lined leather flight jacket, the standard issue flying jacket used by British air crews during wartime.

The Fine Autographs and Artifacts auction featuring World War II from RR Auction will conclude on Aug 8.  More details can be found online at www.rrauction.com. 

Dr. Jörn Günther Rare Books returns to TEFAF New York (27-31 October 2018, stand 336) with an exquisite selection of museum quality, medieval and Renaissance illuminated manuscripts, miniatures, and early printed books. At the core of this year’s exhibition are extremely rare, unique manuscripts of important literary works that have become beloved classics over the centuries. Readers all over the world continue to read, interpret and appreciate works by Ovid, Boccaccio, and Livy, making these beautifully painted books all the more significant for present-day collectors. 

The line-up of classics begins with a singular and extremely rare compilation of five of Ovid’s Heroides, in French translation by Octovien de Saint-Gelais, made for Anne of Brittany, queen consort of France. The letters by abandoned women to their faithless lovers, including the stories of Ariadne, Dido, and Oenone, are part of Ovid’s early work. The subject matter, the heroines of antiquity telling events from their - female - perspective, might have encouraged Saint-Gelais to offer these translations to the Queen, whose own life was just as dramatically at the mercy of men as Ovid’s female letter-writers. Heiress of Brittany, Anne was forced to marry Charles VIII and agree that, if widowed, she would remarry only his successor. The Ovid translations are bound in one volume, together with three French poems that were presumably written for an exclusive audience, possibly explaining the extreme rarity of this compilation. The manuscript includes eight full-page compositions with outstanding illumination by the Master of the Chronique scandaleuse. One of the full-page miniatures shows Anne of Brittany herself, portrayed with her identified court ladies. This extraordinary manuscript has only recently come on the market and will be presented at TEFAF New York for the first time with an asking price of 1,200,000 euro. 

Another timeless classic is Giovanni Boccaccio’s collection of stories about the fortunes and calamities of the rich and famous, translated into French as Des cas des nobles hommes et femmes. The text starts with the biblical Adam, continues with mythological and historical figures from Antiquity, and concludes with several of Boccaccio’s own 14th-century Florentine contemporaries. This manuscript is a notable addition to the Parisian luxury books associated with an artist who is commonly referred to as Maître François. Its miniatures mark the openings of the nine books of Boccaccio’s work, which offers a moral commentary on overcoming misfortune by adhering to virtue. At the French princely courts, the destinies of famous men and women of all ages were read as popular, inspiring models. This beautiful manuscript is on the market at an asking price of 650,000 euro.

Dr. Jörn Günther Rare Books will also bring to New York an extraordinary copy of Livy’s History of Rome, translated into French as Les décades. Its text is a copy of the first translation of any major classical author into French, originally commissioned by the French King John II the Good. The manuscript is outstanding not only in historical importance, but also in size. The sheer dimensions of this 15th-century manuscript make it a showstopper highlight of the exhibition. Measuring 450 x 318 mm and with 87 large miniatures, this manuscript is the most profusely illustrated of all known copies of Livy. The extremely fine 16th-century binding à la fanfare is equally spectacular. 

The engaging illustrations are a medieval feast for the eyes in a profusion of colour, evoking a world of chivalric splendour with knights in armour, kings, and maidens, battle scenes, jousts, and banquets. Extraordinarily, on the last leaf of the book, the makers of this manuscript are not only named, but are also pictured, including a self-portrait of the artist, a portrait of the scribe, and a portrait of their patron. This outstanding work is on the market at an asking price of 1,650,000 euro.

Boxborough, MA — Flamingo Eventz is pleased to announce the return of the popular Boxborough Paper Town - The Vintage Paper, Books & Advertising Collectibles Show. This is the original Boxborough Paper Show where you’ll find all things Paper - from classic Ephemera to Books, Board Games, Postcards, Advertising, Classic Vinyl, and more! A long time favorite of both dealers and customers, we continue to make changes and improvements to ensure continued growth and success. We’re bigger, better, more diverse, and with lots of new dealers…this is the paper show to attend for the rare, unusual and hard-to-find treasure!

Scheduled for Saturday September 15, 2018 at the Boxborough Regency Hotel & Conference Center in Boxborough, MA, Exhibitors from across the Northeast will gather to present an outstanding array of fine, rare & unusual old ephemera, books, maps, postcards, autographs, prints, posters, advertising, and much, much more. Plus, we have appraisals by well-known appraiser John Bruno, star of the PBS series Market Warriors, and guest appraisers from 12-2pm. Interested parties - both dealers & customers - should contact Flamingo Eventz at 603.509.2639 / info@flamingoeventz.com.

Exhibitor Specialties include: Advertising Covers, African American, Americana, Architecture, Art, Art Deco, Auctions, Autographs, Aviation, Baseball, Books, Bibles, Black History, Black Power, Calendars, Calling Cards, Christmas, Circus, Civil War, Cook Books, Charts, Children’s Books, Cocktails, Design, Dogs, Die Cuts, Documents, Engineering, Engraving, Ephemera, Erotica, Esoterica, Fantasy, Fashion, Fishing, Floridiana, Folklore, Folk Music, Foreign Language, Furniture, Games, Gardens & Horticulture, Graphics, Historic Documents, Horses, Hunting, Illustrated Books, Interior Design, Japan, Judaica, Letters, Logbooks, Manuscripts, Maps, Maritime, Medicine, Middle East, Military, Modernism, Music, Native American, Natural History, Nautical, Naval, New York City, New York State, New Jersey, Novelties, Olympic Games, Pacifica, Photographs, Photography, Pochoir, Polar, Pop-Ups & Moveable Books, Poetry, Postcards, Posters, Presentation Copies, Presidential Archives, Press Books, Prints, Pulitzer Prize Winners, Psychedelica, Puppetry, Puzzles, Railroad, Reference, Revolutionary War, Russia, Scholarly, Science, Science Fiction, Sports, Sporting, Technical, Theatre, Theology, Trade Cards, Trade Catalogues, Travel & Exploration, Travel Brochures, Typography, U.S. Coastal History, Vanity Fair Prints, Valentines, Voyages, Watercolors, Whaling, Wine, Yachting. These, and many other specialties, will be found at this event. Be sure to check our website, FlamingoEventz.com, for complete details and easily downloaded Discount Coupons.

Date/Hours: Saturday, September 15, 2018, 9am-3pm

Location: The Boxborough Holiday Inn, 242 Adams Place, Boxborough, MA 01709. Directly off I-495, exit 28.

Admission: Adults: $7 ($1 Discount with Ad or Website Coupon), Young Collectors 12-21: $4, plenty of free parking.

Appraisals: By John Bruno, Star of Market Warriors, and guest appraisers 12-2pm at $5/Item.

Directions: I-495 Exit 28, East on Massachusetts Ave (Rt. 111), right on Adams Place to Hotel. Check our website: flamingoeventz.com for easily downloaded maps.

Miscellaneous: Food & refreshment available at the Hotel restaurant during show hours.

Information: For Dealer or Customer information, please call or click 603.509.2639 / info@flamingoeventz.com

The 46th Annual Rochester Antiquarian Book Fair, the oldest continually running regional antiquarian book fair in the U.S., will take place on Saturday, September 8 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Main Street Armory, 900 East Main Street, Rochester, New York.

Presented by the Rochester Area Booksellers Association (RABA), the event features dealers from across the nation. Beyond the rare and antiquarian books, collectors can expect to find good secondhand titles of wide breadth and interest, including scholarly texts, as well as prints, maps, photographica and collectible ephemera embracing an equally broad range of subject categories.

The fair represents a unique opportunity for book and print enthusiasts to converse with numerous professionals in the field all in one place, some of whom do not maintain ‘brick and mortar’ shops. The diversity of vendors ensures that there is something for everyone, from affordable curiosities to valuable treasures.

The Main Street Armory, a spacious building with a historical feel that complements this event well, has hosted the event for the last several years. Ample parking is available in the vicinity, and concessions will be available during the fair.

Admission to the Book Fair is $5, or free to students who present a current student ID. This year advance admission tickets are available online through RABA’s website: (www.rochesterbooksellers.com). You can also buy tickets through their event page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rochesterantiquarianbookfair. Advertisements in local publications can be redeemed the day of the Fair for discount admission.

For more information, visit www.rochesterbooksellers.com or call Jonathan Smalter (of Yesterday’s Muse Books) at 585-265-9295.

Chicago — Potter & Potter Auctions is pleased to announce their 467 lot Summer Magic Auction to be held on Saturday, August 25th, 2018 starting at 10am at the company's gallery, located at 3759 N. Ravenswood Ave., Chicago, IL 60613. The sale includes 13 lots from the Bob Swadling collection that will be sold to help cover the healthcare costs of Sebastian Midtvaage, a young magician recovering from brain cancer. All items from this upcoming sale will be on display and available for public preview on Thursday, August 23rd and Friday, August 24th from 10:00am to 5:00pm in the Potter & Potter facility. 

This event's offering of books related to all things magic spans an astonishing five centuries, with titles from the 1600's onward.  Lot #9, a near fine, first edition of Isaak de Caus' New and Rare Inventions of Water-Works from 1659 is estimated at $10,000-15,000. This important volume features 26 copper engraved plates, woodcut text illustrations, and the engraved bookplate and ownership signature of Sir John Cope. Its contents promise to "Shew the earliest waies to raise water higher than the spring. By which invention the perpetual motion is proposed many hard labours performed and varieties of motions and sounds produced."  Lot 16, a fine, crisp copy of Thomas Richardson's c. 1830 The Whole Art of Legerdemain; or, The Conjurer Unmasked includes a gloriously hand-colored engraved folding frontispiece depicting a conjuror flanked by a demon and a coiled snake.  It is estimated at $2,500-3,500.  And not escaping the spotlight is lot 98, a copy of Harry Houdini's 1920 Miracle Mongers and Their Methods.  This example, published by E.P. Dutton & Co. in New York, is inscribed and signed by Houdini, “To Edward J. Rice/The man Germain hypnotized?/Good Luck/Houdini/”My Brain is the key that sets me free”/Oct 28/25”.  It is estimated at $1,200-1,600.

Books specifically about witchcraft also cast their spell over this magic sale.  Two absolute rarities include lot 28, Reginald Scot's The Discoverie of Witchcraft from 1665 and lot 27, William Pinchbeck's Witchcraft: or, the Art of Fortune-Telling Unveiled from 1805.  They are estimated at $6,000-9,000 and $5,000-7,000 respectively.  Pinchbeck's work is reputed to be only the third conjuring book published in the United States.

This sale presents robust selections of modern and vintage magic apparatus, with some examples carrying impressive provenance.  Lot 455, Bob Swadling’s Magic Kettle, is estimated at $10,000-15,000.  This mechanically complex vessel enables the magician to pour four different beverages at the request of the audience. It was designed and constructed by Bob Swadling and used by Paul Daniels on British TV in 1979. Daniels performed for decades on British TV and was one of the nation’s best-recognized stars of the time. This kettle is one of the items that will be sold to help defray the costs of Sebastian Midtvaage's cancer treatments.  Lot 425, a pair of John McKinven custom made maple passe-passe lidded vases, is estimated at $2,500-3,500. Each of these finely tuned vases operates as an independent giant Morison pill box and measures approximately twice the height of a standard McKinven-made pill box.  

Vintage highlights include lot 330, an all original, late nineteenth century French conjuring set with eighteen turned boxwood props, and lot 341, a c. 1925 Conradi card and watch pistol. The conjuring set includes eleven instruction sheets folded in a narrow side compartment; the pistol is realistically rendered with a Bakelite-like grip and an engraved stock. These visually stunning and fully functional antique are estimated at $1,600-2,400 and $1,00-1,500 respectively.  

Potter & Potter has established itself as the worldwide leader in representing the best magic-related archives at auction.  Recent successes include a two-volume spiritualism scrapbook signed, kept, and annotated by Harry Houdini; it was estimated at $30,000-40,000 and realized $66,000 in April, 2018.  Following in this tradition, this sale also offers several choice, one-in-a-lifetime archival offerings. Lot 209, a Servais LeRoy & Co. illusion instruction archive from 1912, is estimated at $4,000-6,000. This collection includes typed and manuscript instructions and advertisements for illusions, gimmicks, pocket, and parlor tricks sold and manufactured by this short-lived but important London-based magic company.  Lot 166, a Chicago Magic Roundtable 1946 cloth covered scrapbook containing signatures and club related ephemera, is estimated at $2,000-3,000. This volume features the autographs of about 500 magicians as well as brochures, business cards, signed photographs, letters, promotional materials, and clippings.  The Roundtable was informal luncheon club that met at the same restaurant day after day, year after year; attendees were invited to socialize, dine, and perform for each other and guests.  And it’s easy to picture collectors getting excited over lot 255, a collection of more than 200 photographs of magicians from the 1940's through the 1990's. These images - some signed - include portraits, studio poses, and action shots of top tier talent including Doug Henning, Ali Bongo, Paul Daniels, Lance Burton, Jack Gwynne, Blackstone Jr, and many others. This comprehensive grouping is estimated at $400-800.  

Prints, drawings, and posters are another eye-catching collectible category in this sale. These visual treats are also perfect for adding a distinctive, decorative highlight to an important personal or professional interior space. Lot 282, a 1916 three sheet, linen backed color litho featuring Howard Thurston as Thurston the Great is estimated at $15,000-25,000.  This rarity features Thurston, assisted by imps, levitating an assistant, with Kellar’s endorsement quoted in the lower margin.   Lot 315, a hand-colored, cartoon-style aquatint by James Gillray titled The Theatrical Bubble is estimated at $400-600.  It dates from 1810 and depicts Sheridan as Punchinello blowing soap bubbles. And lot 321, a portfolio of hundreds of mid-nineteenth to early 20th century conjuring prints and illustrations from the collection of Bob Read is estimated at $300-500.  These items were collection from publications including Le Pêle-Mêle; Pasouino; La Vie Parisienne; La Caricature; Lo Spirito Folletto; Gil Blas; and others.  

This sale rounds out with world-class offerings of autographs, props, cards, automata, and other magical-themed treasures.  Lot 198, a letter on personal stationery from Harry Houdini to Ellis Stanyon dated Dec. 21, 1923 is estimated at $1,000-1,500.  It reads, “Just a line to wish you Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Regards/Sincerely yours,/Houdini”.  Lot 431, four sealed decks of cards commemorating Dai Vernon’s 88th birthday, housed in the original custom display case decorated with Vernon’s silhouette, is estimated at $200-300.  The cards were produced by Congress Playing Cards in June, 1982; two packs reproduce the famous Hal Phyfe photo of Vernon.  Lot 258, two c.1930's era film reels featuring The Great Raymond and Litzka is estimated at $200-400.  The first film shows the couple in various candid everyday scenarios and the second one is a theatrical film trailer for upcoming live performances by Raymond.  And finally, tongues will be a-wag over lot 439, a 2003 ventriloquist’s cane with provenance to the Watertown, Massachusetts Magic Art Studio. It features a plaster dummy head with oversized green glass pupil eyes. The eyes and mouth can be moved in very lifelike ways through invisibly placed hand controls.    

According to Gabe Fajuri, President at Potter & Potter Auctions, "It's hard to pick a highlight in this auction. Though we have had many magic auctions in our decade-long history, each new offering includes items I consider true prizes. In this sale, the LeRoy archive and associated material strikes me as truly historic and important, and a few of the books are genuine rarities. For show-stoppers, the Thurston three-sheets certainly fit the bill."