Ricky Jay's Collection

[Joe Lyons]

Wow.

Neppy, Ricky Jay's Wakeling-made automaton just went for over $200,000 including fees.

[Dustin Stinett]

[Jay's Journal of Anomalies]

This was sold today, with the advance bidding at $3,800. It just sold for a bid of $6,000, total of $7,560 with buyer fees.

Holy [censored].

Recent sales from Liveauctioneers (without premiums)

2010 $425 Potter & Potter
2011 $1000 PBA Galleries
2014 $550 P&P
2019 $1200 P&P
2020 $800 PBA
2020 $1200 P&P

Showing how important provenance and association are to the value of things.

[Dustin Stinett]

Why go through all the palaver - would be easier just to agree a price for the lot with David Copperfield.
Just a thought.

That would never happen. In fact, I'd wager that if Ricky's ghost could make sure David couldn't get a single piece through the auction he would do it.

I didn't know Mr. Jay, so I can't comment on what his ghost would say.

However, I do think it fair to observe that Mr. Copperfield has seemed to have grown a lot in both his appreciation and his knowledge of his collection and what it means to magic as a whole. I have been impressed by his dedication to it as evidenced by the respectful and beautiful way it's being presented. He also seems to have taken a sincere and genuine joy in the history of the art, and I appreciate the care he and his team are putting into the collection.

Then again, I don't know Mr. Copperfield personally either--perhaps those of you who do can tell me if perhaps I'm being fooled. (I hope not.)

The short answer is that you are not being fooled. There is no question that David knows much more about the collection that he did when he first acquired it. And there is no comparison between what the Copperfield Collection is in size and scope now to when it was the Mulholland Collection; none. David's now is enormous, and incredibly important. And he loves it. I have had the great privilege of seeing it several times (always riding on Richard Kaufman's coattails) while David was there. He is enthusiastic and knowledgeable about many things in it. In my view, he certainly has his favorite sections, but so do I when it comes to my little collection of stuff. But none of this has any bearing on Ricky's animus when it came to David getting the collection in the first place. I cannot say how Ricky felt about it in later years because one simply did not bring it up when you were around him.

[Dustin Stinett]

So the final sale total was $3,835,694. (Including the premium.)
Congratulations to all involved.

[Brad Jeffers]

Lot #434 sold for $75,600.

As far as I know, that's the second largest amount ever paid at auction for a magic poster.

I wonder who the winning bidder was ... and who came in second.

[Richard Kaufman]

The only other copy of this poster is in David Copperfield's collection, so he was not bidding on it.

[AJM]

I do hope Mr Copperfield is keeping a close eye on the ever growing ‘AJM Conjuring Archive’.

At a conservative estimate I would say it contains around 50 bucks worth of extremely rare and esoteric items.

I will say no more.

Andrew

[Joe Lyons]

Ricky Jay on Fresh Air.

https://www.npr.org/2021/10/29/10504344 ... -ricky-jay

[I.M. Magician]

Thanks for sharing that Joe. Well worth a couple of listens!

His dedication to his interests is obvious and we all benefited from it. Boy was he focused!

[Joe Lyons]

It was great to read “The rest of the story” about Neppy in this month’s Genii.

[Dustin Stinett]

It was great to read “The rest of the story” about Neppy in this month’s Genii.

Thanks Joe, and I will let John know. He loves to hear good reports. It was a blast for John and me to do, and it was great working with everyone who contributed (all noted at the end of the piece). It's more people than John and I have turned to in past articles. I guess it's also a tad ironic that it's about an item that doesn't even reside in John's amazing museum.