Houdiniana's Coming to Town

There is a rash of Houdini events taking place this week: official and unofficial seances, the U.S. Postal Service’s unveiling of a Houdini stamp–and the annual magic auction at Swann Galleries in New York, where sleight-of-hand artist Doug Edwards’ trove of Houdiniana will be auctioned off on the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 30. Just in time for the 75th anniversary of the great escape artist’s death.

In the auction catalog at swanngalleries.com, Lot 34 is a cloth pocket, embroidered "HH," from the pajamas that Houdini was wearing when he entered the hospital where he died on Halloween 1926. "I like that pocket. It’s almost like the relic of a saint," I tell Edwards. I’d tracked down the 42-year-old Flushing resident through his e-mail address, "houdiniking."

Asked what are the most valuable pieces in the collection, Edwards begins with a description of Houdini’s wallet (est. $12,000-$18,000), which is not pictured in the catalog. "It has his name on it in gilt. It’s evenly worn. You can tell that this was not something that was done recently, okay? It came from the Hinson family [relatives of Houdini’s wife Bess]. And it comes with a letter of authenticity from Ken Silverman, who wrote the Houdini book."

There’s also a signed and notarized bill of sale for the book Houdini’s Magic by Houdini to Bess, for the sum of $1 ($10,000-$15,000). "This was to protect his assets in the event of a lawsuit from legal representatives of mediums he exposed," Edwards explains.

It turns out that Houdini’s pocket (est. $5,000-7500) is the one piece of Houdiniana that the collector really doesn’t want to part with. Legend has it that Bess embroidered the HH. "It’s sort of like Superman’s shield," Edwards says with a laugh. "In all of the stuff that I’ve collected and sold over the years, people would say, ‘Do you still have that pocket?’ It’s too good. I should pull it from the sale, but I won’t."

In magic circles, Edwards is known as the guy who sold "the world’s largest Cardini collection" to David Copperfield. He’s also the inventor of more than 50 highly rated magic tricks, like "Really Haunted," a deck of cards that cuts itself in half with the aid of an invisible hair, and a new, improved version of the pen-through dollar bill. The gimmick consists of a Papermate pen, tape, magnets and some superglue. Provocatively named the "Wonder Pen-a-tration Trick," more than 20,000 have sold at Tannen’s, making it the number-one bestselling trick at the legendary magic shop.

"When I started collecting in 1970, magic was made so much better than it is now. That’s why I started collecting props. Then I got into memorabilia. Stuff I paid 200 bucks for, 10-15 years ago, is going for $2000 now," Edwards says of the dozens of autographed photo postcards of Houdini in his collection.

Browsing through the auction catalog, I find iconic images of America’s Self-Liberator: Houdini wrapped in manacles and leg irons, hanging upside down, being lowered into the Water Torture Cell, freeing himself. I also come across startlingly unexpected pictures: Houdini diving nude into a river, flying his Voisin biplane in Australia, posing with a young Gloria Swanson, his costar in a feature film, The Grim Game.

Why is the Houdini King unloading his 30-year collection of Houdiniana? "One reason is that there’s a lot of fake Houdini stuff out there. With the expansion of the Internet in the last two to three years, I’ve seen a lot of Houdini forgeries. The problem is, a lot of newbies see a fake one, then they see a real one, and then they think the fake one is real. As far as the handcuffs, a lot of stuff I see out there I don’t believe. That’s why I want to get away from the whole collecting scene and concentrate on ‘the Doug Edwards persona.’"

On the cover of the book Doug Edwards Packs a Wallop, the magician assumes a Rocky-like stance, ready to deliver a knockout performance. His dazzling moves include the Five-Way Rhythm Cut, Offhand Overhand Shuffle and the Stunning, Jumping Jack. He’ll be doing closeup card tricks at a preview at Swann Galleries on Oct. 27. Houdini’s pocket and the rest of the collection will also be on view.

Swann Galleries, 104 E. 25th St., 6th fl. (betw. Park Ave. S. & Lexington Ave.), 254-4710. Magic Exhibition: Oct. 26-30. Date of Sale: Oct. 30. Impromptu Magic: Oct. 27, 4-6 p.m. (reservations required).