Mario Carrandi passes away at 84

William Rauscher and Mario in 2000.

Sad news in the magic collecting world this week. Mario Carrandi passed away on Friday at age 84. Mario was a major magic collector and dealer, and a true Houdini insider. Dr. Bruce Averbook says, "He was a real force in the collecting world and helped establish Magic items as important, prominent pieces to collect and preserve."

Mario sold me some of my first Houdini collectibles. It was always an exciting day when a catalog from Mario arrived in my mailbox. Even when prices rose beyond my means, Mario's catalogs still offered a great record of what was out there, as did his Facebook Group, The Magiquarian (where Mario shared the above photo). I eventually had the pleasure of meeting Mario in person at the 43rd Magic Collectors Weekend in Chicago in 2012.

Thank you for the gift of your knowledge, Mario. Say hi to Harry for us.

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