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dgoodman New user 23 Posts |
Auction Results once again makes the McIlhany Magic Collection Disappear at Auction on November 12th!
On November 12th Auction Results, in conjunction with Owen Magic Supreme, will conduct the second auction of the exquisite magic collection of William H. McIlhany (1951-2017). Internet bidding is available at https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/110916_mcilhany-s-magical-mysteries-ii-nov-12th/. The downloadable catalog is available at: http://www.magicauctioneer.com/mcilhany-auction.html. Telephone and Absentee bidding can also be arranged by calling 626-969-4519. Bill McIlhany was the consummate collector of all things magical and was considered one of the most knowledgeable magic collectors in the world. His mind-boggling collection ranged from rare pieces of early 19th- and 20th-century masters to spectacular quality modern-day apparatus. His fine collection, which includes apparatus, automatons, lithographs, books, periodicals, catalogs so much more will be offered at auction. Auction #2 will be a 1 day event and will include treasures from: Conradi, Bland, Thayer, Willmann, Klingl, Okito, Bartl, Hamley, Owen Magic Supreme, Carl Williams, Grant, Ruediger Deutsch, Eric Lewis, Anverdi, Abbott, Himber and so much more. One of the prized items is the Saturday session is Mechanical Hofzinser 52 Card (above), McIlhany had this custom made after seeing Ken Klosterman Hofzinser Card Rise that Charles Kalish had copied from the original in the Library of Congress. This remarkable piece of apparatus was apparently constructed for Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser (1806-1875) by his Viennese mechanic, Kurz, in the early 1840's. This automaton would allow for Hofzinser to have any card out of a 32 card pack rise from the box when called for by the audience. Joe Young from Wyoming, OH was a retired GE aerospace prototype builder who re-built parts of Ken’s box to make it work properly. When Ken introduced McIlhany, Young showed them his inspiration of making the illusion better, by building a box to hold all 52 cards in a pack, not just the 32 cards from the original design. In addition to the electronic version that Young made, he also designed this completely mechanical version. Joe claimed that he spent over 500 hours in creating this masterpiece. Bill said that this was built like a tank but ran like a fine swiss watch. Also of great interest are two large, thick scrapbooks containing an important archive of many hundreds of news clippings concerning stage magic in the United Kingdom from roughly 1930 to 1970, with most being from the 1930’s-50’s. Stories, photos, theater ads and press reviews by and about many famous personalities of British magic, including: Houdini, David Devant, Will Goldston, Horace Goldin, Cecil Lyle, Dante, Kalanag, Robert Harbin, David Nixon, David Berglas, and many, many more. All neatly clipped and pasted. A remarkable collection that could never be duplicated. For automaton collectors, there is a wonderful Bontemps large Trio of Singing Birds. Created by Lucien Bontemps in Paris circa 1870, this is among his largest and most spectacular “singing bird” clockwork automatons. Inside the beautifully gilded and decorated 22 inch tall cage, three colorful birds move, chirp and sing in unison. The birds are exquisitely decorated with real feathers and appear truly lifelike in their actions and sounds. Another piece attracting attention is the Vanishing Gramophone made by Bartl in the part of the 20th century. This is a remarkable piece of apparatus. This effect was featured by several performers during the first decades of the twentieth century, most notably English illusionist, Cecil Lyle. In performance, a wind-up gramophone is shown atop a beautiful wood stand. A 78 rpm record is placed on the turntable and starts playing a rousing march tune. A large foulard is thrown over the machine and while it is still playing, the gramophone is lifted under the cloth and carried forward. Suddenly, the magician tosses the cloth in the air, the music instantly stops, and the gramophone vanishes completely. This is a mechanical masterpiece. Unknown to the audience, the faux gramophone atop the stand folds neatly into the tabletop. The music is provided by a duplicate spring-wound phonograph concealed in the record storage cabinet at the bottom of the stand. A mechanical foot switch turns the phonograph on and off to stop the music when desired. It is extremely rare. The sale will begin at 10 a.m. Pacific time, 1:00 p.m. Eastern. For further information, please contact: David Goodman The Magic Auctioneer 2859 N. Hermitage Ave. Chicago, Illinois 60657 773-883-0243 www.magicauctioneer.com |
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