Friday October 23, 2026
Arrived at the Magic Castle around 11am and the first thing that caught my eye was the Houdini Grim Game banner hanging outside, followed by other Houdini banners, and then the Castle entrance doors with Margery on one door and Houdini on the other.
And then on the other side of those doors was Q from the Master Mystery.
Picked up a Houdini 100 coin from the gift shop.
Explored the Houdini Séance room.
I then met John Cox for lunch to kick off their week-long Houdini 100 celebration.
We celebrated with their Houdini drink special in a commemorative cup followed by coffee while we discussed all things Houdini until they said last call for the 2p Jared Kopf close-up show.
After the close-up show we explored the castle which had Houdini everywhere, along with multiple screens playing clips from his movies and escapes.
Once we were done exploring the castle, we went to John’s place to see Banjo his cat, along with a sneak peek at the sample slip case for his new book, Handcuff King: The Conquests of Harry Houdini, 1900-1909
This isn’t just the ultimate chronology; it’s an ultimate biography that provides the most accurate and up-to-date timeline of Houdini’s years as the Handcuff King. A true masterpiece. Joe M. Notaro
I also got the last item to complete my calendar collection. John wanted me to have the final piece to finish it.
Thank you John for kicking off Houdini 100 with me and making this day extra special.
Thursday October 29, 2026
Arrived at Musso & Franks Grill on Hollywood Blvd after parking car in a nearby lot. Arthur Moses had planned for Houdini Aficionados attending the Houdini auction and Official Houdini Séance to enjoy a 4-course meal in a private dining room.
We had 13 attendees: Arthur Moses, Midge Markey, Debbie Hardeen, Bill and Lisa Radner, John Gaughn, Cindy Daniel, Bruce and Lorene Averbook, Tom Boldt, Fred Pittella, Kevin Connolly and Joe Notaro.
At the end of dinner and wonderful conversation, Arthur Moses presented all attendees with a special Houdini keepsake. Thank you Arthur!
We then all walked down Hollywood Blvd, saw Houdini’s star and then went to the Roosevelt Hotel where many out-of-town guests were staying. Others were at the Magic Hotel next to the Magic Castle. Our Houdini conversations just kept going until it was time to turn in.
Friday October 30, 2026
Back at the Magic Castle for their Friday lunch and Houdini 100 Auction Preview.
Picked up a 100 year celebration shot glass at the gift shop.
Lunch
Arthur Moses, Fred Pittella and I joined Mark Willoughby, along with two of Mark’s friends Wendy and Walter. The six of us had great food and conversation. Mark surprised us all with a Houdini pin and picked up the tab for lunch.
After lunch, we went to the close-up show and saw Chef Anton who was amazing. Mark then took us all on a tour of the castle. Thank you Mark for a wonderful lunch and tour.
Auction Preview
At 2p, we headed to the inner circle to preview the 100 rare objects from Kevin Connolly’s collection that would cross the Potter and Potter auction block 100 years after the death of Harry Houdini. I had the pleasure of seeing many of these items in 2018, when Fred Pittella took me to Kevin’s house to see his collection. Kevin and his wife were the most gracious hosts. I had my eye on a couple Houdini movie items. I would have to wait another 24 hours to see if I was going home with anything.
Before I left, I had Kevin and Gabe Fajuri of Potter and Potter sign my special edition hardbound auction catalog.
Saturday October 31, 2026
Back at the Magic Castle for the Auction and Houdini Seance.
Auction
While I have bid in many Potter and Potter auctions over the years, it was always online. This was my very first live action, and everybody told me to strap on my seatbelt, because it was going to be a wild ride. I was about to be a part of history.
Right out of the gate, Lot 1, the photo of Harry and Bess with the Welsh Brothers Circus, that was used on the cover of Escaping Obscurity, realized $45,600.
Then my favorite lot of all, lot 12, the oversized, one-of-a-kind Haldane of the Secret Service Press book came up; I had drooled on this when Kevin showed it to me in 2018. Estimate was between $2k and $4k, but I had a feeling it would go for more and it did; my son bid on this for me, but he had to tap out somewhere along the way, before it sold for $11,400.
Fast forward to Lot 58, the Grim Game Still; and when the hammer fell, I had won my first item in a live auction. I was beaming with all the support and applause I received from those in the room.
The top lot was Lot 20, Houdini’s engraved pocket watch, which went for $204,000 making it the second most expensive Houdini relic ever auctioned.
A pair of handcuffs, gaffed to escape and stamped with his name, Lot 48, sold for $114,000.
My son was the underbidder on Lot 82, Man From Beyond Pressbook.
Later, I bid on Lot 96, Master Mystery Pictorial Handbill and thought I was the underbidder, but when it came time to pay for Lot 58, found out I had actually won lot 96 also; I had first seen this image in 2011, on Kevin’s old site, houdinihimself.com, on a post titled: The Grim Game is a Master Mystery; the image from the handbill was used on a 1 3/4 in x 2 1/2 in card in Kevin’s collection advertising the Grim Game; I was ecstatic to add this handbill to my collection 15 years later.
After the auction, hung out in the library with Joe Fox, Fred Pittella, Mark Willoughby and Brian Verkuylen until we were allowed to pick our seats for the séance.
Houdini Seance
Grabbed a 2026 séance program and got it signed by members of the inner circle before the crowd was let in. I now have every Official Séance program since 1986, except for Salem 1990, Las Vegas1998, and NYC Fantasma 2007; I do have scans of 1990 and 2007, and would love a scan of 1998 if anyone has one.
Tom Boldt welcomed everyone and introduced Bill Radner, who shared the history of the Houdini Bean Giants, Adjustable Key and the Séance Cuff he got from Hardeen. Bill then asked each of the other members (Midge Markey, Debbie Hardeen, Gene Gamache, Bruce Averbook, Fred Pittella, and Arthur Moses) of the Inner Circle to introduce themselves. Bruce brought Bess Houdini’s Gold & Silver “pocket” purse to see if maybe Bess could help summon Harry; he also brought a highly modified key that belonged to Houdini.
Tom then introduced Rob Zabrecky, the medium, who had the lights turned off, and then lit a candle, followed by creating a circle of protection with salt around the floor of the members at the table. He then lit sage for more protection. This was followed by members placing each hand on the wrists of the members next to them forming a continuous chain.
Rob did his best to summon Houdini, but despite his best-efforts Houdini was a no show or was he; you see it only rained that evening in Hollywood. There was no rain on 10/30, nor Halloween day, nor the day after, but only the evening of the séance. Believe!
Rob had the lights turned on and then members of the audience were allowed to ask questions of those sitting around the table. The best question was: Have you ever had any strange occurrences during a séance? Bill mentioned a page of a book turning by itself; And Rob mentioned that right after Bess Houdini ended the tenth and her final annual Halloween séance on the roof of the Hollywood Knickerbocker Hotel on October 31, 1936, a freak rainstorm allegedly broke out from an otherwise clear sky, drenching only the people on the rooftop while the streets below remained dry.
After the séance, I saw Rafael Van Herck and David Goldrake pay tribute to Houdini in their Palace Show.
Photo credit: Rafael Van Herck
Rafael came up with a show concept and invited David Goldrake to bring a modern interpretation of Houdini to life, while Ra’fu took on the role of stagehand. Let’s just say, they both took the audience on a magical journey into Houdini’s world. Bravo!
Right after the Palace show, I saw Mortenn Christiansen do his comedy magic act in the early Parlor show. I got to be part of the show at the beginning where my signed card kept turning up and at the end of the show, my signed card got found by stabbing a deck of cards through a paper bag. Nicely done!
Sunday November 1, 2026
At 11:15a, picked Fred Pittella up at the Magic Hotel next to Magic Castle and drove to a place that I had only dreamed about going to. You see Fred Pittella had planned for us to see the legendary Mike Caveney’s collection, which neither of us had ever seen in person. In 2000, Mike (along with George Daly) acquired Egyptian Hall Museum the oldest private magic museum in America.
Photo Credit: Genii Magazine
And a major portion of the collection is in a beautiful historic 1906 Craftsman bungalow, where Fred and I were greeted by Mike, Tina and their 2 adorable kittens who were brothers. Gabe Fajuri of Potter and Potter auctions joined us shortly after our arrival. Gabe, Mike, Fred and I then drove to a nearby restaurant overlooking a golf course, where we joined by renowned Magic Prop Builder John Gaughan. I was amongst the giants of the magic collecting world. We had a wonderful lunch and conversation and then it was back to Mike’s place where we got to experience his amazing collection which includes:
- Golden Age of Magic Ephemera & Memorabilia: Rare performance and lithographic posters, vintage props, wands, cards, escape barrel, magic chair, and The Great Leon’s pillory.
- Antiquarian Library & Periodicals: A comprehensive and historic magic library that includes rare volumes like a 1st edition of Reginald Scot’s Discoverie of Witchcraft, complete runs of classic periodicals (Mahatma, Sphinx, Goldston’s Quarterly, The Magic Wand), and scarce limited-circulation magazines including a complete file of Edwards Monthly with its rare final Houdini issue.
- Archival Correspondence: An extensive archive of historical letters exchanged between famous magicians, which Mike has documented and published in his acclaimed Classic Correspondence from Egyptian Hall Museum book series.
Photo Credit: Genii Magazine
Mike said he didn’t have much Houdini stuff, but everywhere Fred and I looked, Houdini was present. Mike rolled out the red carpet for us, showing us anything and everything. He even unrolled some stunning 8 sheet posters, which I thought was the encore, but then there was more; Tina and the kittens did a show for us. And as the dream and visit of lifetime was coming to an end, Mike said he had one more thing to show us downstairs. He showed us the original spirit cabinet that belonged to the famous illusionist Carter the Great. Mike stepped into the cabinet with a cane protruding thru a small opening in the door, closed the door and told me to open the door on the count of 3, and to everyone’s surprise, Tina was inside holding the cane, and Mike snuck up behind us and tapped me on the shoulder. Bravo!
Alas, this was the final encore. Thank you to Mike, Tina, and their two adorable kittens for making a dream come true. And thank you to Gabe and John for also being a part of this incredible experience. And thank you to Fred Pittella for another great adventure together!
Driving Fred back to Magic Hotel, we experienced another encore, the second session of Potter and Potter Houdini focused auction that features books, ephemera, and Houdiniana for beginning and advanced collectors alike from the collection of Kevin Connolly. Over 150 lots crossed the block, all offered with low starting bids, and no reserves.
Both Fred and I had skin in the game, and we each came away with something on the drive back.
Parked the car in the Magic Hotel parking garage, grabbed my suit from the trunk of the car, had some ice cream at the hotel, then Fred and I walked next store to the Magic Castle, where we made our way to the Castle Library to meet up with Joe Fox. We hung out for a few hours talking escape restraints, handcuffs, and methods, along with planning a visit to New York in 2027.
Thank You Houdini and everyone mentioned above that made this 100-year celebration something I will remember for the rest of my life.
