Well, as most of my Australian colleagues know, I do have a small historical magic collection but one mainly focussing on Aussie performers. So the lure of a junk shop or second hand book shop is very hard to resist on my travels. And I've been quite lucky over the years.
A couple of mint Houdini postcards for a couple of dollars, Levante, Rooklyn and Franquin paper. A previously unknown Alberts Magic Catalogue (early Sydney dealer).
Todays find was in a second hand bookshop in a sleepy seaside town. Nestled in amongst the discarded beachside reading material,the rows and rows of Barbara Cartlands, Ken Folletts, Dan Browns and Lee Childs...was a copy of The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin.
Slightly battered and someones left his beer glass sitting on the cover when he's gone to check his fishing line, but there it is, a 1908 New York edition. You could have knocked me over with a feather flower.
So, assume nothing and be vigilant.
What's your best lucky find?
Timothy Hyde
Lucky magic find
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Timothy Hyde
- Posts: 173
- Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
- Location: Australasia
- Contact:
Lucky magic find
The Secret Notebooks of Mr Hyde - Vol 1 & 2 - http://www.MagicCoach.com
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Guest
Re: Lucky magic find
Boy, that is lucky!
My VERY LUCKY find was/is this: In 1990, a friend of a friend phoned to say he had found something I might like. He was a builder in Belgium. In the cellar of an old house (sounds too 'Hollywood' to be true) there was a three-legged log-stove propped up by three stacks of old magic books. They had been there since the 1920's. Was I interested? You bet!!They were two sets of the complete 1st editions of Decremps! WHAT A FIND.
Paul Gordon
My VERY LUCKY find was/is this: In 1990, a friend of a friend phoned to say he had found something I might like. He was a builder in Belgium. In the cellar of an old house (sounds too 'Hollywood' to be true) there was a three-legged log-stove propped up by three stacks of old magic books. They had been there since the 1920's. Was I interested? You bet!!They were two sets of the complete 1st editions of Decremps! WHAT A FIND.
Paul Gordon
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Guest
Re: Lucky magic find
I've had TWO extremely lucky finds...
In a local used book shop I found a set of the first five Albo Books, which they'd obtained as part of an estate sale. I bought the set for $125.00.
A few years ago I found a J. Martin Holdout in perfect condition in the used magic bin of a local magic shop. It had been bought as part of an estate sale and no one had bothered to pull it out of the box to see what it was. I bought it for $10.00.
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In a local used book shop I found a set of the first five Albo Books, which they'd obtained as part of an estate sale. I bought the set for $125.00.
A few years ago I found a J. Martin Holdout in perfect condition in the used magic bin of a local magic shop. It had been bought as part of an estate sale and no one had bothered to pull it out of the box to see what it was. I bought it for $10.00.
- entity