Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Houdini letterhead I've never seen (updated)

The website Retronaut has a blog about "Famous Letterheads 1900-1997", which includes this Houdini stationary that I've never seen before. The site dates it as 1912.


Check out all the famous stationary -- which includes Groucho Marx, James Dean, Sigmund Freud, and some cool Star Wars and Bride of Frankenstein letterhead -- at Retronaut.

UPDATE: Reader Chuck Lyons offers up a wonderful contribution to this story. Forty years ago he visited the Library of Congress and got a copy of a Houdini letter on this very letterhead. What's amazing is the letter itself is about the letterhead! Houdini writes:

My 1909-10-11 Letter head. I never liked this one. I never had to write for work, but wanted a note head for general business. Harry Houdini, May 22/1916

Fantastic! Thank you Chuck.

8 comments:

  1. I have a phot copy of this very letterhead that I recieved when I went to the library of Congress in Washington as a boy. The curator brought out several pieces and offered to copy them for me as a soviener. Mine has Houdinis signature on it. I wish I could have gotten the original.

    Chuck Lyons

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    1. Cool. Thanks, Chuck. So we know this is the real deal then.

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  2. Yes it is originial.
    Chuck Lyons

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  3. I've seen this one too. The one that impressed me was the circus one that sold a few weeks ago. Although it was close to being a remnant, it was very interesting.

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  4. The letterhead is on Page 55 of the catalog for the Great Houdini Auction-Radner Collection, 2004.

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    1. Ah, cool, there it is. You're amazing, Eric! Can't see that it's blue in this shot, however. Looks like it was smaller, personal stationary as opposed to letter size. That's a great letter, btw.

      Looking back through this catalog... I wonder who got those two spears from Terror Island? I would have done everything I could to get those. I still kick myself for not attending this auction. But my head just wasn't in the Houdini game at the time.

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  5. I have an original piece of this stationery.

    Oh, by the way mine has a letter and signature!

    BTW: 1912 is correct—the one I have HH notes, "April 6, 1912 (My birthday 38th today)"

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