Weekend Potter auction was a wild one!

On Saturday, Potter & Potter held their Magicana of the Golden Age auction. There were many outstanding Houdini lots, and the prices certainly reflected this! For me, the gem was this original cabinet portrait from 1898. This appeared in Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini 1897-1899 and was used to create Houdini's famed King of Cards poster. The estimate was 5K-7K, but it sold for a stunning of $45,600 (including buyer's premium).

This photo had belonged to Dr. Timothy Moore. In November, Dr. Moore sold his entire collection to the new Chicago-based magic venue, The Hand & The Eye. I recognized that many of the Houdini lots came from the Moore collection. I'm not sure how many non-Houdini lots came from the collection, nor do I know if there are still plans for a magic museum at the venue, as was promised. But this auction certainly felt like a very well-curated collection.

According to Potter & Potter, the auction brought in $1.17 million, making it one of the highest-grossing magic auctions of all time.

Congrats to everyone.

Related:

• Dr. Timothy Moore sells his entire magic collection
• Everyone's first Houdini poster
• ESCAPING OBSCURITY: Reviews & Reactions

Houdini Returns: The Centennial Auction

Here's something to add to your 2026 Houdini calendar. Potter & Potter have announced "Houdini Returns: The Centennial Auction" for October 31, 2026. The auction will be held at The Magic Castle in Hollywood.

Marking 100 years since the death of Harry Houdini, Potter & Potter will present a landmark sale of Houdini memorabilia on October 31, 2026 at the famed Magic Castle in Hollywood, California. The sale brings to the public for the very first time 100 historic items from the collection of Kevin Connolly, many of which were personally owned by Houdini.

Click here to view a few preview auction items, including the famed Welsh Bros group photo that graces the cover of Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899. This should be a good one!

Related:

• Potter & Potter Houdiniana head scratcher
• When the Welsh Bros. came to town
• The Magic Castle reorganizes with Houdini's help

Potter & Potter Houdiniana head scratcher

Yesterday was Potter & Potter's latest auction of "Houdiniana and Magic Memorabilia." As always, some real gems were passed on to some lucky buyers. Among these were a copy of Houdini's Paper Magic, lovingly inscribed by Houdini to Bess ($31,200), candid Bess photographs and memorabilia from her family, a Buried Alive poster ($9,600), and some nice Ian McColl handcuff reproductions, including the Mirror Handcuffs ($10,200).

But the lot that made my head spin was this packing case challenge from Koch & Co., which sold for a whopping $19,200 (including buyer's premium). This was actually the third-highest-selling lot of the entire auction. But I have NO idea why this went so high. To my eye, this is a standard Houdini challenge handbill. It isn't particularly rare, nor was this a historic challenge. Baffling.

I have noticed Houdini challenges from New York-based department stores have been going higher than one would expect lately. So maybe New York department stores are the focus of two competing collectors, and Koch & Co. was yesterday's prize?

In case you are wondering, H.C.F. Koch & Co. was a Harlem-based department store located on 125th Street between Lenox and 7th Avenues. Houdini took on this challenge at Keith & Proctor's 125th Street Theatre on April 12, 1907.

Koch & Co. closed in 1930, but the building still stands today, which is pretty cool.

Congratulations to all the sellers and buyers at yesterday's auction. We love Potter & Potter!

Related:

• Guest Blog: The Replica Mirror Cuffs
• The Challenge Packing Case escape

The auction that launched a thousand blog posts

It was 20 years ago today that a rare Terror Island poster sold for $12,650 during Swann Galleries' auction of The Christian Fechner Collection of American & English Magic, Part I. Why am I reporting on such old news? It's because this auction ad started this website. 

2005

I had never seen this poster. Very few people had. So when I saw this ad in a Swann newsletter, I thought, "Wouldn't it be great if there were someplace that tracked all Houdini activity like this?" Instead of waiting for that to happen, I started doing it myself. First, a small electronic newsletter (2 issues), then a website www.houdini-lives.com, which ran for 5 years, and then WILD ABOUT HARRY, which will turn 15 on November 10th.

Today, this poster hangs in David Copperfield's incredible International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts in Las Vegas. Ironically, I'm able to be in the same room with it precisely because it inspired me to start a blog. So whenever I see it there, a part of me remembers that day in 2005.

Related:

• Rare 'Terror Island' poster at auction
• Houdini Lives will die on June 30
• Welcome to Wild About Harry

Houdini playing cards deal out $35,000 at auction

A deck of playing cards purported to have belonged to Houdini in his early years sold for $35,000 (43K including premium) at a Goldin auction on Sunday. Wild to think this might have been "one of the first decks used by Houdini," as the accompanying note reads.

Offered is a legendary piece of illusionist history, a deck of playing cards personally owned by the great Harry Houdini, famed escapist and stunt performer. This relic has a long history in the magic community after originally leaving the possession of Houdini in 1926. Houdini passed away in 1926, leaving this deck of playing cards to his wife, Bess Houdini. Bess gifted the deck to a fellow magician Audley S. Dunham, who after Bess' death gifted the deck to legendary "Society Magician," J. Elder Blackledge. Blackledge was well regarded amongst magicians of the time, and worked from the 1920s through the 1950s as a "society magician," performing in the White House for Franklin D. Roosevelt on several occasions. Blackledge popularized in America the famous magic act, "The Chinese Linking Rings," and performed them on occasion in Leland, Michigan. After Blackledge's passing in 1961, the deck was gifted by his widow to fellow magician and Leland resident William B.F. Hall. Hall passed in 1968, and his widow Sally Hall would pass the deck to their final owner Lawrence L. Michaels.

The deck of cards consists of 46 individual pieces. There are 45 playing cards in the offered deck, including a single Joker card. The deck appears to be missing a single Ace, Queen, 10, 9, 6, 5, 4, and 3. The reverse of the cards features a detailed blue/white back design, and traditional Jugendstil design on the obverse. The deck is also accompanied by a blank card, with "THIS DECK was one of the first used by Houdini (about 1890). Mrs. Houdini gave it to Audley S. Dunham who gave it to me December 14, 1943," along with a blue ink signature seemingly of J. Elder Blackledge. The playing cards exhibit heavy general wear, small tears, and associated creases, with soiling throughout the obverse and reverse of each card. Some cards display some minor peeling from the corners, separating the front and back of the card. Some of the cards detailing on the obverse have faded, partially removing the corner symbols on some cards. Several cards display corners that have been clipped or torn.

The auction does not specify the make of this deck, but if you've read that fine book Escaping Obscurity, you'll know that early in his career, Houdini endorsed U.S. and National Playing Cards as "the very best and finest." Those may be what Houdini is handling in the famous image from 1898 that was later used to illustrate his "King of Cards" poster. You can see that the Ace of Spades and card backs do not match the auction cards.

Thanks to Jim Klodzen for the Ace of Spades image and Roger Dreyer for the King of Cards photo.

Related:

• Paging Professor Murat
• The King of Cards in 1926
• Harry Houdini, card cheat

Escaping Obscurity book signing at the Magic Castle

Just a reminder that I will be joining Mike Caveney, Bruce Averbook, and Michael Albright for a discussion and signing of our book Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899 next Monday, September 8, at the Magic Castle. The event is open to all AMA members. It will also stream live on the Magic Castle website.

Looking forward to a magical evening at the Magic Castle! If you are a member, I hope to see you there.

Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899 is available exclusively at Mike Caveney's Magic Words.

If you can't make the event but still want a signed copy, know that I'm currently listing one of 25 signed Author Copies on eBay. The auction ends on Wednesday.

Related:

• YOU CAN NOW OWN HOUDINI'S FIRST DIARY
• ESCAPING OBSCURITY: Reviews & Reactions
• Escaping Obscurity event at the Magic Castle, Sept 8

Rare Houdini book defaced with fake signature

This is distressing. This beautiful condition copy of Houdini's 1921 book, Magical Rope Ties & Escapes, has been defaced with a fake autopen Houdini signature on the cover. The same autopen is used inside the book.

This autopen signature has appeared at numerous auctions over the past few years. In some cases, it has appeared on books and photos published after Houdini's death. However, here it is on what is actually a valuable book that would sell well at auction. But this signature makes it worthless.

The auction house is Norwood Auctions in Norwood, Pennsylvania. I don't know anything about them. Roger Dreyer of Houdini Revealed has fought the good fight in trying to get these fakes taken down, but Live Auctioneers seems to do a brisk trade in selling fakes to gullible buyers. Don't be a gullible buyer!

I actually have a suspicion about who is behind these fakes, but I have no proof.

R.I.P. to this once-beautiful copy of Magical Ropes Ties & Escapes. 

On my Patreon, I have a "Fraud Pack" that collects images of fakes so people can be aware of them and become familiar with the look of this autopen signature. This is FREE for everyone to download by clicking below. 

UPDATE: I contacted Norwood Auctions. They are standing by this and tell me it was consigned to them by "a well-known elderly collector with a long history of dealing in historical items and artifacts." I remain skeptical.

Related:

• Houdini now signing books from beyond the grave
• There's a skilled Houdini forger out there
• Houdini fakes are flooding online auction sites

Houdini book release dates

Determining the exact release dates of Houdini books can be challenging. I typically have to estimate the date based on when reviews begin to appear. However, in some cases, I have been able to nail down a specific date. Here are a few:

• June 7, 1928: Houdini: His Life Story by Harold Kellock.
• Aug 3, 1959: Houdini: The Man Who Walked Through Walls by William Lindsay Gresham.
• March 21, 1969: Houdini: The Untold Story by Milbourne Christopher.
• Dec 1, 1977: Houdini: His Legend and His Magic by Doug Henning and Charles Reynolds.
• Oct 31, 2006: The Secret Life of Houdini by William Kalush and Larry Sloman.
• Oct 31, 2010: Houdini The Key by Patrick Culliton.

No Silverman? Nope. I have never been able to find an exact release date for my favorite Houdini biography. But I know it was sometime in October 1996.

Regarding my own book, Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899, I'm happy to firmly establish the release date as June 25, 2025. That is the day publisher Mike Caveney picked the books up from the shipper, the day it first went live on his website, and the day of the first sales. June 25. Locked!

So what other Houdini events happened on June 25? Here's a list:

• 1894: The Brothers Houdini begin their second week at Vacca's West End Casino in Coney Island.
• 1896: Houdini escapes handcuffs at a police station in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
• 1898: The Welsh Bros. Circus plays Hamburg, Pennsylvania.
• 1906: Harry Thaw shoots Stanford White at the Madison Square Garden rooftop theater. (Not Houdini related, but HH was in NYC at the time and would have been following the news of this famous crime and scandal.)
• 1919: Houdini makes a personal appearance at Clune's in Los Angeles during the 9:30 showing of The Master Mystery.
• 1920: Houdini attends séance with ectoplasmic medium Eva C. at 20 Hanover Square in London.
• 1953: Paramount's Houdini premieres at the Des Moines Theater in Iowa.

I'm offering a copy of Escaping Obscurity, signed on June 25, on eBay. This is the first author-signed edition, and the only one signed on the day of its release. If you're interested, the auction can be viewed HERE. It ends on Wednesday, July 16.

You can purchase Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899 from Mike Caveney's Magic Words.

Related:

• ESCAPING OBSCURITY: Reviews & Reactions
• ESCAPING OBSCURITY: Discoveries & Corrections
• YOU CAN NOW OWN HOUDINI'S FIRST DIARY

Houdini's secret leg braces?

Potter & Potter held their fourth auction of memorabilia from Ken Klosterman's The Salon de Magie yesterday. One lot that really captured my attention was a set of leather leg braces said to have been used by Houdini during his suspended straitjacket escapes. They sold for $6000 (including premium). This may seem low, but that's likely because there is no record of Houdini using such devices. However, I think these may be the real deal, and a long-concealed Houdini secret.

By my current count, Houdini did 78 suspended straitjacket escapes. It makes sense to me that at some point he would devise some kind of ankle protection, and I can see these coming from his inventive mind. (Can we now say Houdini invented gravity boots?)

The auction description states that Joseph Yadah acquired the braces from Hardeen. Yadah eventually sold them to The Salon de Magie. A letter of provenance was part of the lot, but not pictured. Coming from Hardeen is good. We know he inherited his brother's escape apparatus, and Hardeen himself never did a suspended straitjacket escape (as far as I can find).

Unfortunately, there are no known photos showing Houdini using these braces. But there are some photos that might. Below is a shot of Houdini doing a suspended straitjacket escape in Times Square in 1917. Note the unnatural sharp protrusions at the knees. This really looks like it could be the top edge of the braces. Also, bending at the waist as we see Houdini doing here would be far easier (and safer) if he were wearing braces like these.

Here's another shot from Houdini's famous 1918 Ladies Home Journal spread (How I Get Out Of A Strait-Jacket). Houdini's left pant leg is sliding down, giving a glimpse of his leg. That could just be his sock. But it looks a little thicker and sturdier to me. Could it be a brace?

Finally, there is a sentence from the November 6, 1916, Pittsburgh Sun describing Houdini's suspended straitjacket escape in that city. Could this "special appliance" be a reference to these braces?

Then Houdini's ankles were fastened to the rope by a special appliance that prevented injury, but insured safety.

Why wouldn't Houdini wear these on the outside of his pants? That I don't know. But I suspect he felt it was visually more appealing to conceal them. And why show this clever device to his competitors? Let them break their ankles! So, in their own way, these braces were a well-kept Houdini secret.

None of this is conclusive, but I will continue the search for evidence. In the meantime, congratulations to the winner. I think you might have landed a very special and unique piece of Houdini history.

Related:

• Houdini's greatest outdoor stunt determined!
• Suspended straitjacket escape in 1913, but it's not Houdini
• Guest blog: Houdini in Pittsburgh by Zabrecky

Houdini art fanzine from 1980

Here's an eBay oddity that caught my attention. This is a 1980 fanzine produced in Bristol, England, called HOUDINI. It's not a magazine about Houdini himself, but a fanzine devoted to music and theater art. However, the man himself is featured on the cover of issue #1, and there appears to be an article about "The Self-Liberator" by Jim Newman. Was there ever an issue #2, I wonder?

You can view the auction HERE.

The real Houdini was no stranger to Bristol, playing the city in 1904 (2x), 1909, 1913, 1914, and 1920.

District Free Press, March 13, 1909. 

Related:

• This post by Tom Interval is Dynamite
• Genii & Houdini: The lost decade
• Houdini Periodical Bibliography Revised 3rd Edition

Houdini traveling trunk rolls away with $48,000

The bidding was fast and furious at Potter & Potter's auction of Houdiniana and Magic Memorabilia today. As expected, the Houdini traveling trunk, which was featured on the catalog cover, was the top seller at a $48,000 (hammer price).

The real surprise was a 1925 challenge playbill from Gimbel Bros, which sold for a whopping $8000! Most challenges like this sell in the neighborhood for $400. I have no idea why this challenge went so high. Apart from the recognizable Gimbels name, I see nothing special about it. Maybe two deep-pocketed Gimbels collectors were competing?

Many of the Houdini lots in today's auction came from the Kevin Connolly collection. As always, congrats to the buyers.

Related:

• Houdini's spirit cabinet scares up $50K at auction
• This is Houdini's original sub trunk
• A Houdini birthday present from Kevin Connolly

Mastery Mystery Episode 10 poster sells for 31K

A one-sheet lithograph for The Master Mystery Episode 10 sold on Friday for $31,000 at Poster Store Auction. This does not include the steep 31% buyers premium. It's unclear if this was the same poster that was sold by Haversat & Ewing in 2020.

The auction listing touted this as "only copy of this fabulous poster known to have survived," but this is not the case. There are at least two others in private hands. But it's a beauty and I think this might be a new record for a Master Mystery poster at auction.

Related:

• Master Mystery episode 10 poster sells for $24,570
• Mystifier, Second Quarter 1998
• The Master Mystery posters

Potter & Potter 'Houdiniana' auction April 26

Need something to look forward to? How about a Houdiniana auction from Potter & Potter! That happens on April 26, and if past Houdiniana auctions from Potter are anything to go by, this will have some stunners!

If you need more to look forward to, I recently updated my patrons on the progress of my first Houdini Chronology book. That will have some stunners too!

Related:

• Rare pitchbooks highlight 'Houdiniana' auction (2018)
• Potter & Potter Houdiniana auction results (2016)
• Potter & Potter's Houdiniana auction results (2014)

Houdini (1953) production stills sell at auction

A remarkable set of 150 production photos from Paramount's Houdini (1953) sold last week at Bonhams "Gone With The Wind: The Walter O'Conner Collection" auction for $3,072 (including buyer premium). This blew away the auction estimate of $300-$500. Lot description is below.

A Houdini Group of Set Stills Paramount Pictures, 1953 

Comprising approximately 150 silver gelatin photographs, all 8 x 10 in., many date stamped (Oct. 1952) to verso, featuring various scene setups including the honeymoon room, the island bridge, the machine shop, Coney Island, the Virginia Theatre, the Houdini home, the Alhambra dressing room and theatre, and many more, most with the scene identification chalkboards indicating the production number and director George Marshall's name and other details, a few featuring the stars of the film including Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Please note that there may be some duplication of photographs.

Congratulations to the winner of this important Houdini (1953) history. I would love to get a look at these someday.

Related:

• Houdini rises at Paramount
• Houdini (1953) Confidential
• LIFE photos reveals cut wing walking scene from Houdini (1953)

Houdini glass negatives collection sells at auction

A remarkable collection of original Houdini glass negatives still contained in their original boxes sold at an auction in Newark, Ohio, last Friday. Apple Tree Auction Center offered the slides in two lots. One lot sold for $12,500 and the other for $8,000.

Along with the unpublished images, what I really love here are the notes on the boxes explaining their contents. I have seen one other box like this in the Copperfield collection. These were labeled and annotated by Houdini himself.

Where did these come from? Our good friend Charles Greene III, author of the acclaimed Ionia and the newly released A Complete History of Friedländer Lithography, broke the news of this sale and shared images on his Magic Poster Gallery Facebook page (which is how I learned about it). Charles offered some additional information not found in the auction listing:

Original Houdini glass negatives were sold today at auction in Ohio. F. Kukol name is on original container. On 13 September 2024, after 100 years, these slides escaped the darkness of their bounds in a safety deposit box and reappeared for all the world to see. The images were taken at different times and at various locations, including Australia, Germany, and United States. Condition varied on each slide, but overall they are in excellent condition considering their fragility. Of the images, some are familiar and can be seen in print. Some of the images have never been seen in print. Are these security deposit box negatives from Houdini's long lost "secret vault" as mentioned by Joe Notaro? Enquiring minds will want to know.

Where they will go after today's sale remains a mystery. But, for how long? After today, depending on who buys them, they may disappear again to rarely be seen. Enjoy these images. After today, they may disappear forev...

I reached out to Apple Tree Auction Center for more details but have yet to hear back.

To my eye, this appears to have been a liquidation sale. I don't think the auction house fully understood what it had here. The lots started at $5! It was a 4-day auction without fanfare that was easy to miss. While the combined price of $20,500 is perfectly respectable, I think these could have gone for more, considering the historical significance of this find. And some of the images are stunners!

Want more? If you'd like to see some of the rarer slides as positives, I've converted a selection of 15 images from the original auction listings and have shared them on my Patreon below.

Thanks to Charles Greene III. 

Related:

• Five original Houdini glass negatives sell on eBay
• More Houdini glass negatives materialize on eBay
• Rare Houdini images from House of Roulx 

Houdini's belt buckle secures $37,820

A silver belt buckle that Houdini was wearing when he went into Grace Hospital sold over the weekend in a Goldin auction for $37,820 (with buyer's premium). You may recall this same belt buckle sold for $90,000 in Potter & Potter's 2021 auction of the Salon de Magie collection. It appears the winner of that auction removed it from the frame, which gives us a nice look at the back.

The precipitous drop in price marks, in my opinion, a return to sanity. As precious as this is, I thought $90,000 was far beyond its value. This price feels right. Could this be an indication that Houdini auction prices are coming back down to earth? I guess we'll find out when the next big ticket item shows up.

By the way, is Houdini wearing the buckle on the below pic? Hard to tell, but maybe.

Congratulations to the winner.

Want more? I've archived more photos of the buckle and its excellent letter of provenance on my Patreon.

Related:

• Houdini's belt buckle sells for $90,000
• "Houdini cares not for showy clothes"
• Andrew Basso now owns Houdini's tuxedo collar

Did Houdini escape from Scrubs?

This photo sold over the weekend in Haversat & Ewing Galleries Auction #45 for $354. The auction description says it came from the Houdini family in the 1990s. On it, we see a notion in Houdini's hand reading: "Wormwood Scrubs Jail entrance London."

Still in operation today, Wormwood Scrubs is located in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Houdini did perform at the Hammersmith Palace the week of October 31, 1910. So could this mean he did a jailbreak from Scrubs that week?

I have no record of a jailbreak at this time, and 1910 is a little late for such an escape. Houdini was well into bridge jumps as his preferred outdoor stunt. Scrubs is also not listed among the jails that David De-Val escaped from. De-Val is said to have escaped from all the surviving jails that Houdini escaped from in the UK.

It's still possible Houdini did a jailbreak from Scrubs that was not widely reported. Or maybe the old jailbreaker just found this an impressive-looking building, as it still is today!

Congrats on the winner of this intriguing rarity. And thank you to our friends at Haversat & Ewing for being regular advertisers. Click the image below to see the prices realized on their latest auction.

Related:

• David De-Val reveals 'The Real Secret' of Houdini's cell escapes
• Houdini in Blackpool's new "Showtown" museum
• Did Houdini do a jail escape in 1923? (UPDATE)

Trunk from The Great Houdinis sells at auction

The original Metamorphosis prop trunk used in the 1976 television biopic The Great Houdinis sold at Heritage auctions on March 20 for $2,625.00 (including Buyer's Premium). Below is the trunk and auction description.

The Great Houdini (ABC Circle, 1976), Paul Michael Glaser "Harry Houdini" Escape Trunk. Vintage original trunk made of wood and covered in painted cardboard, featuring metal latches and accents. "The Great Houdini" is hand-painted on the front in black lettering. The back of the trunk includes a panel attached with metal hinges that can be detached, enabling the illusion of an escape trunk. It measures approx. 51" x 25" x 20". This trunk appears in the early part of the film during one of Houdini's (Paul Michael Glaser) performances. Displays production wear and age. Much of the cardboard has eroded and there is paint chipped throughout. Special shipping arrangements will apply. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions.

Here's the scene from the movie in which you can see the trunk. The idea of Bess getting stuck in the Metamorphosis trunk comes from a real-life incident (read: Boxed Bess).

Related:

• Making the great Great Houdinis
• Water Torture Cell used in 'The Great Houdinis' up for auction
• Watch The Great Houdinis (1976)

Milk Can poster sets new auction record at $180,000

Let's kick off 2024 with the big news that happened during my holiday break. 

An original Houdini Milk Can poster sold at Potter & Potter's "Select Secrets" magic auction on December 9th for $180,000 (including buyer's premium). That is a new record for a magic poster. The auction description says this poster originally came from 278 and is one of only five known to exist.

This is easily one of my favorite Houdini posters. It just perfectly captures the drama of this famous escape. In Houdini: A Mind in Chains, Bernard Meyer suggests the imagery is womb-like. Sure, I see that. What I also see are Houdini's brothers doing the locking. The man in the goatee and glasses certainly appears to be Leopold Weiss. I'm betting the other men are Nathan and Bill. Has anyone else ever noticed this?

Another auction lot of note was a copy of The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin inscribed to Terror Island director James Cruze during the production of the film. That went for a not unreasonable $3000.

Want more? You can watch video of the historic sale of this poster as a member of my Patreon below.

Related:

• When failure meant a drowning death
• The greatest Houdini auction ever
• Houdini Water Torture Cell poster makes history at Potter & Potter auction

Banner day for Houdini at auction

A large banner poster (42¼ × 108¾") advertising Houdini's "3 Shows in One" sold yesterday at Potter & Potter's Ricky Jay Collection Part II auction for $14,400 (with buyers premium). A reasonable price for a Houdini poster. I've always loved this artwork as the Halloween imagery makes it eerily prescient.

Another standout was a 4-page flyer from early 1900 advertising Houdini "Assisted by Mme. Beatrice Houdini," which sold for $9,600 (with buyers premium). The auction notes it as "the first example we have encountered." 

Congrats to the winners!

Related:

• The last Houdini poster
• Houdini's grand finale: 3 Shows In One
• Martin Beck and the nine Houdini "knockers"