Ricky Jay's Collection

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Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Bill Mullins » September 7th, 2021, 9:47 pm


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AJM
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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby AJM » September 8th, 2021, 8:03 am

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

Just a thought.

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Jack Shalom » September 8th, 2021, 9:39 am

Bill, how does one go about obtaining a catalog?

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Marco Pusterla » September 8th, 2021, 10:21 am

There is no catalog. The lots will be available to be seen online at the page linked above a few weeks before the sale. This is what Sotheby's said:

We have recently made the decision to reduce our carbon footprint and move many of our auction catalogues online. The digital catalogue for the Ricky Jay Collection sale can be viewed online 2 to 3 weeks before the sale date
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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Dustin Stinett » September 8th, 2021, 4:29 pm

AJM wrote: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.

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magicam
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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby magicam » September 9th, 2021, 12:41 pm

Jay's collection and files had been shopped around to institutional libraries since early 2020, with an asking price (I'm told) of about $4.5M. Evidently there was little interest at the price being asked, so here we are.

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Richard Hatch » September 9th, 2021, 4:42 pm

I had heard a few years ago that he was in discussion with the University of Texas Library, on the recommendation of his friend David Mamet (who sold his mss. collection to them).

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Joe Lyons » September 25th, 2021, 10:56 am

Looks like Mr. Jay's collection is open for online bidding now.

The first sale of Mr. Klosterman's collection happens just a few days later, featuring Robert-Houdin's Light and Heavy chest.

An embarrassment of riches for those with an embarrassment of riches....

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Richard Kaufman » September 25th, 2021, 11:20 am

Not a lot of magic, though I didn't have the patience to go through all 600 lots. Is there more magic in the later lots?
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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Joe Lyons » September 25th, 2021, 12:10 pm

If you mean apparatus, no.

There are some really nice and rare books and posters.

You could certainly tell this is Ricky Jay’s collection even if his name wasn’t attached.


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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Dustin Stinett » September 27th, 2021, 8:05 pm

There are quite a few things I would love to have, and not just because they were Ricky's. None are within my means. I once showed interest in a piece he was showing at the Hammer Museum. He said, "Oh, you don't want that. It's too common." (It was one of the John Henry Anderson pieces in the auction.) I also notice that his fantastic Joey Grimaldi poster is not in the auction. I wonder where that might be...

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Richard Kaufman » September 27th, 2021, 8:09 pm

I don't believe the auction has been advertised as his "complete" collection. Only 600+ pieces in this auction.
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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Dustin Stinett » September 27th, 2021, 9:43 pm

Oh I know that. His library was enormous. But that Grimaldi poster would fetch a tasty hammer price.

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Grippo's Wish » September 30th, 2021, 3:03 pm

Dustin Stinett wrote:
AJM wrote: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.


Why that attitude?

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Richard Kaufman » September 30th, 2021, 3:26 pm

Go read the Ricky Jay interview in the New Yorker and you'll understand.
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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Dustin Stinett » September 30th, 2021, 3:39 pm

Grippo's Wish wrote:
Dustin Stinett wrote:
AJM wrote: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.


Why that attitude?

Take Richard's advice and read the interview. But the short answer is that Ricky was not at all happy that David acquired the Mulholland Collection (on the advice of Mike Caveney), a collection that Ricky curated and grew for quite a few years before it was auctioned off because of the owner's financial woes, and formed the beginnings of David's now massive museum.

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Richard Kaufman » September 30th, 2021, 7:03 pm

Financial woes? I think you mean financial shenanigans.
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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Chris Aguilar » October 1st, 2021, 12:25 am

Richard Kaufman wrote:Financial woes? I think you mean financial shenanigans.

Yep. A bit of background of Ricky's chosen patron.

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Dustin Stinett » October 1st, 2021, 12:50 pm

To be fair to Ricky, he didn't choose his patron; he chose the collection. The devil his own self could have owned it for all he cared.

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Tom Moore » October 1st, 2021, 2:07 pm

Based on his response to Copperfield owning it I think it’s clear he did care who owned the collection…
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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Dustin Stinett » October 2nd, 2021, 2:53 pm

Tom, I'm talking about the period when Ricky was its curator. Not afterward. Apples and oranges.

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Chris Aguilar » October 2nd, 2021, 5:24 pm

Shortly after eight o'clock the next morning, I picked Jay up in front of his apartment building, and we drove downtown to the courthouse, where the auction would take place. A couple of days earlier, he had said to me, "I've talked to a lot of people who say they might be bidding, and I can tell you that, without a single exception, they're utterly soulless. No one gets it, no one has a clue to what the collection is really about.


https://rickyjay.com/newyorker2.htm

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Tom Moore » October 3rd, 2021, 2:49 pm

Dustin Stinett wrote:Tom, I'm talking about the period when Ricky was its curator. Not afterward. Apples and oranges.

With respect that’s irrelevant - when he got to pretend it was his own personal collection he didn’t care who the actual owner was, as soon as the collection was “taken” from him he suddenly acquired morals and principles deciding that the new owners (and possible owners) were not worthy of the collection or his input into it. Quite literally he was the only person who could possibly understand it and everyone else was wrong.

It’s no secret that in life I personally found Ricky “difficult” but the more I learn from others the more I realise my experience wasn’t unique and that he had very strong, rather egocentric, views about who was “worthy” of secrets.

Without fail, when I’ve discussed secrets and ideas with my peers I’ve always come away from the discussion with better formed ideas and knowledge that both helped me personally and more generally improved the arts as a whole. Clearly that’s the opposite of Ricky’s view.
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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby JHostler » October 3rd, 2021, 6:11 pm

It's awfully easy to become a victim of your own intelligence. Nevertheless, I've always found both Mr. Jay and his artistic pursuits immensely entertaining - more than can be said for most.
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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Bob Coyne » October 19th, 2021, 9:30 am

A nice article in today's NY Times about Ricky Jay and the auction of his collection.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/19/arts/design/ricky-jay-magician-collection.html

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Richard Hatch » October 23rd, 2021, 5:03 pm

Another article about the upcoming auction (includes 16 photos from the Sotheby's display) :
https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-arts-and-entertainment-new-york-ricky-jay-cdf7b0a2a5609f066870ca704cfe3e15

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Richard Hatch » October 23rd, 2021, 5:28 pm


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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby MagicbyAlfred » October 23rd, 2021, 6:35 pm

Dustin Stinett wrote: 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.


Ah, yes, Ricky's ghost. Raises some intriguing patter possibilities, specially around Halloween season....

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Joe Lyons » October 27th, 2021, 10:47 am



And it's live.

I'm afraid my brow is too low and wallet too shallow to participate, but even a plebeian like me can appreciate these lots.

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Brad Henderson » October 27th, 2021, 1:17 pm

Carter Beats the Devil Lobby Card sells in excess of 5k, as did two Carter 8 sheets.

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Richard Hatch » October 27th, 2021, 3:55 pm

$15,000 final bid for Ricky Jay's first edition Erdnase, $18,900 with the 26% auction fees (not counting tax and shipping if applicable). A new record for that title, I believe.

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Marco Pusterla » October 27th, 2021, 5:09 pm

Richard, I think that the price for Ricky Jay's copy of Erdnase is justified, giving the association of Ricky with this title and with the promotion of "The Elusive Coterie", from the Erdnase, probably one of Rickly's best-known effects. This trick alone increased the interest in the Erdnase in the last couple of generations, so I understand that somebody may be willing to pay almost $19,000 for this association piece.
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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Dustin Stinett » October 27th, 2021, 6:00 pm

With only some items passed, I would say that day one went quite well for Chrisann. I'm happy for her.

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Bill Mullins » October 28th, 2021, 12:13 am

Re: the Erdnase. Steve Martin gave a 1st edition copy of Erdnase to Ricky (see here, search the transcript for "Erdnase"). It was a wedding gift, if I'm not mistaken.

So this copy may have an associational value beyond what was described in the catalog (and Sotheby's may have left money on the table by not mentioning this.)

Or, I suppose it's possible that Ricky had more than one copy, and that Chrisann is keeping the one from Steve Martin.

I'm surprised that the Buchinger lots tended to sell for less than the estimates.

The set of Jay's Journal went for $3800 -- that's also a record, I believe, and a multiple of most recent sets have gone for.

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Tom Moore » October 28th, 2021, 6:45 am

Outside of Ricky's own works I've never heard anyone even mention Buchinger - he simply isn't amongst the most well known curiosity performers here in Europe and a quick google suggests most instances of people talking about him are doing so in relation to something Ricky had said so i suspect his recent fame is a side effect of Ricky's fascination with him.
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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Joe Lyons » October 28th, 2021, 8:22 am

Bill Mullins wrote:So this copy may have an associational value beyond what was described in the catalog (and Sotheby's may have left money on the table by not mentioning this.)

The neglect which makes buying at auction exciting.

Nothing like opening boxes and discovering undisclosed provenances, letters tucked into books, signed and inscribed volumes or deluxe editions that turn out to be number ones.

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Richard Hatch » October 28th, 2021, 11:18 am

Bill Mullins wrote:The set of Jay's Journal went for $3800 -- that's also a record, I believe, and a multiple of most recent sets have gone for.

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.

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby Bill Mullins » October 28th, 2021, 12:06 pm

Richard Hatch wrote:
[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

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Re: Ricky Jay's Collection

Postby erdnasephile » October 28th, 2021, 12:27 pm

Dustin Stinett wrote:
AJM wrote: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.)


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