Potter & Potter Auctions
Live Auction

Salon de Magie: The Klosterman Collection Part II

Sat, Mar 26, 2022 12:00PM EDT
Lot 71

[Houdini] Houdini-Owned Spirit Trumpet. Chicago: H.S. Paine...

Estimate: $2,500 - $3,500

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$30 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $200
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
$100,000 $10,000
[Houdini] Houdini-Owned Spirit Trumpet. Chicago: H.S. Paine, 1920s. Telescoping spirit trumpet said to have been owned and used by Harry Houdini in his lectures debunking the tricks of fraudulent mediums. Hallmarked by the maker. Extended length 29?. With a typed card from the Circus Museum of Sarasota collection identifying the horn (and ?ectoplasm,? no longer present) as having been owned by Houdini. The maker of this trumpet, H.S. Paine, went on to found and operate the ?old reliable? Chicago Magic Co., a retailer of magic tricks and wholesale manufacturer for the wider trade. In a darkened s?ance room, these trumpets were used by mediums to apparently amplify the voices of the departed who were said to visit sitters at their seances.