Fantasy Mythical and Magic - Magic and Magician Memorabilia
Magic, of course is not a collectible. But magic produces a host of things that are. Vintage Magician Memorabilia from legendary magicians such as Houdini are understandably are very scarce. Most Magician Memorabilia collections consist largely of books, magazines, magic tokens, magician tokens and paper such as posters, photographs, programs and handbills.
Magician Memorabilia began to attract attention in the 1970s and during this time the number of collectors multiplied many times and auction houses began to carry the memorabilia. The value of Magician Memorabilia began to increase accordingly. Aside from occasional auctions, there are few sources for magic collectibles.
Paper memorabilia turns up wherever paper collectibles are sold, books at rare books dealers and magician apparatus at auctions and flea markets. Some smaller tricks are often mistakenly identied as toys. Shops specializing in new magic items are listed as Magician Supplies in the telephone directory of larger cities and are also a good source for old magic collectible.
Fantasy Mythical and Magic - Magic and Magician Memorabilia
The value of Magician Memorabilia depends on the age, the magician associated with the item, workmanship and availability. The oldest collectible props date from the 1870s. Pieces from the early 1900s are more accessible. Some old and new Magician Memorabilia can be found on
eBay. Below are links to the different Magician Memorabilia both old and new that can be found there.
Harry Houdini
In 1891, Ehrich Weiss became a professional magician, and began calling himself
Harry Houdini because he was influenced by French magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin. Harry Houdini died in 1926 and remains as the best known magician in America. He was a master of the impossible excape and self promotion. Although Houdini excelled in all forms of stage magic, he was famous for his ability to excape shackles and jails.
