On Saturday, October 31^st, I will be attending the following two events at the Magic Castle:

1. Houdini Returns: The Centennial Auction

   100 Rare Objects Cross the Auction block 100 Years

   After the Death of Harry Houdini

   Saturday, October 31, 2026

   1:00 to 3:00 p.m. in the Milt Larsen Inner Circle & Online

   Drawn from the lifelong collection of noted Houdini collector Kevin Connolly, the auction represents one of the most significant single-owner offerings of Houdini material ever assembled. The sale spans the magician’s early career through his rise to international fame, and beyond.

   Feature lots include signed works from Houdini’s library, Houdini-owned handcuffs, his family photographs, personal correspondence, rare posters, and a striking life-size lobby photograph used to promote Houdini’s shows.

   Among the most remarkable items is an early photograph of Houdini and his wife Bess alongside the cast of the Welsh Brothers Circus. Annotated in Houdini’s own hand this photograph was recently featured on the cover of a major publication pertaining to Houdini’s early career.

   

2. The Official Houdini Seance

Presented by Bill Radner & Zabrecky

Saturday, October 31, 2026

5:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the Milt Larsen Inner Circle

Houdini died on Halloween in 1926 at Grace Hospital in Detroit at 1:26 pm, the result of peritonitis. Before his passing, he promised that if communication from the beyond were possible, he would find a way to prove it.

After his death, Houdini’s widow Bess held annual séances for ten years, culminating in a nationally broadcast attempt from the rooftop of the Knickerbocker Hotel in Hollywood in 1936. Declaring, “Ten years is enough to wait for any man,” she ended her public efforts, but others have continued the tradition.

“Houdini told his brother that if he were able to return in a material way, he would open a unique set of handcuffs,” says séance director Bill Radner. “Those handcuffs, along with other Houdini memorabilia, will be placed on the séance table at this very special event.”

The séance will be led by Magic Castle resident medium Zabrecky, with participants hoping for a breakthrough unlike any before – and on the actual 100th anniversary of his death!

On Friday, October 30th, 2026, I will be having lunch at the Magic Castle, followed by a Member Preview of the Houdini Centennial Auction where 100 Rare objects cross the Auction block 100 years after the death of the Harry Houdini:

Member Preview: Houdini Centennial Auction

Friday, October 30, 2026

2:00 to 3:30 p.m. in the Milt Larsen Inner Circle

Drawn from the lifelong collection of noted Houdini collector Kevin Connolly, the auction represents one of the most significant single-owner offerings of Houdini material ever assembled. The sale spans the magician’s early career through his rise to international fame, and beyond.

Feature lots include signed works from Houdini’s library, Houdini-owned handcuffs, his family photographs, personal correspondence, rare posters, and a striking life-size lobby photograph used to promote Houdini’s shows.

Among the most remarkable items is an early photograph of Houdini and his wife Bess alongside the cast of the Welsh Brothers Circus. Annotated in Houdini’s own hand this photograph was recently featured on the cover of a major publication pertaining to Houdini’s early career.

In 2023, my son and his family saw Alex Ramon, “The Star Of Tahoe” at the Caesars Republic Casino in Lake Tahoe; And they submitted an application for his Magic House Tour.

Alex Ramon is a recipient of the Illusionist Award, becoming one of 20 magicians in history with this recognition.

He has worked with Grammy Award-winner Taylor Swift, creating a piece of magic for her world tour.

Alex fooled Penn&Teller on the hit TV show Penn&Teller: Fool Us, with an original piece of magic that he created.

Last summer, he competed at the Olympics of Magic, representing the USA in the World Championships of Magic in Italy.

Fast forward to 2026, Alex Ramon is currently on his I Might Do a Trick Tour, and for the first time ever, he opened up just 22 stops for his summer house tour, which included San Jose where my son lives. Out of thousands of submissions, they were selected as one of them.  The show was Sunday, October 4th.

Suffice it to say, I wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to see my grandkids and a superstar of magic. So I flew to San Jose. And neither disappointed. Everyone, kids and adults alike, had such a great time.

After the highly entertaining and fun show, Alex and “MJ” the Magic Doxie greeted all of the kids, and then a took a picture with the Notaro Family.

Alex Ramon Magic Show at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Alex Ramon will perform a special Harry Houdini Centennial Magic Show at The Grove: Santa Cruz Event Center on Friday, October 30, 2026, with doors opening at 6:30 pm and the show starting at 7:00 pm.  Click here for more details and tickets.

Like Houdini, Alex performed a spectacular escape to promote his Harry Houdini Centennial Magic Show. Yesterday, midday October 10th, Alex was locked inside a tank filled with water at the Colonnade area, where he successfully picks his way out the handcuffs, padlock and exits before running out of air.

Alex Ramon, recieves my highest recommendation!

To kickoff October, I thought I would share my Collection of 2022 Mark Spears Halloween Houdini Cards that has become quite the challenge to assemble.

The Halloween edition features 3 Houdini Cards (#46, #47, #48) as part of their base set, 5 parallel sets (1982s, Bloody Nightmares, Ghouls, Monochromes and Grimly Golds) that are limited and numbered and 7 Houdini Stickers of remastered Houdini posters. Plus there are 1 of 1 printer plates.

Above is a photo of the collection as it currently sits on the desk in my Houdini Library.

This display (above) from left column to right column has the base set (#48, #47, #46), and the difficult to find parallel sets of Grimly Golds, 1982s, and Monochromes. Note: #46 Grimly Gold is missing from the set.

The next display (above) has 2 printer plates (#48 yellow and #46 cyan), all 7 stickers, 1 Bloody Nightmare parallel (#46), and 1 Ghoul parallel (#46).

Below are the six 2022 Mark Spears Halloween Houdini Cards I am currently missing to complete this Houdini collection:

• #46 Grimly-Gold
• #47 Ghoul; Bloody-Nightmare, printing-plate (any color)
• #48 Ghoul; Bloody-Nightmare

• Mark Spears Monsters Halloween Edition Trading Card Series
• Artist Signed Mark Spears Monsters Posters

It took 51 years to get a Houdini Stamp issued.

• 1951 Artwork for a Houdini Stamp
• 1976 “Houdini Commemorative Cachet” sans an official Houdini stamp
• 2001 34 Cent Houdini Stamp unveiled
• 2002 37 Cent Houdini Stamp issued

At the SAM Centennial Celebration in New York, on July 3, 2002, the 37 Cent Stamp was finally issued.

Below is the Original Program created by the United States Postal Service to commemorate this historic day. The program includes dignitaries: Marie Blood – Niece of Harry Houdini, David Copperfield, Members from the Houdini Family, and other representatives from Society of American Magicians and US Postal Service.

Front:

Back:

The program came in an official first day of issue folder. I am lucky enough to have one signed by Marie Blood – Houdini’s niece.

I also have a couple other keepsakes from the Blood Family.

Houdini Stamp Announcement Card:

Full Sheet of Houdini Commemorative US Postal Stamps Stamps) signed by Jeffery Blood – Nephew of Houdini:

The Houdini stamp contains a hidden image that can only be seen with a special USPS stamp decoder:

Future posts will include Houdini First Day Covers (FDC) and other Houdini stamps in my collection.

October 29, 2001, a 34 cent commemorative postage stamp honoring, Harry Houdini, was unveiled at a special ceremony on the stage of the Lance Burton Theatre at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino. This was just two days before the 75^th anniversary of Houdini’s death.

Credit: December 2001 M-U-M

Standing in front of the poster of the commemorative Harry Houdini postage stamp to be released July 2002, are Las Vegas Postmaster, Thomas E. Peterson, Lance Burton, and actor Tony Curtis, who fastens Burton in a straitjacket in preparation for his upside-down escape.

Credit: December 2001 M-U-M

Above, Burton wriggles free as Peterson looks on.

Credit: Magic July 2002

George Hardeen poses before 1911 poster used for design of stamp honoring his granduncle.

Joe M. Notaro Collection

The 34 cent stamp appeared on the December 2001 cover of M-U-M.

Joe M. Notaro Collection

And it appeared on merch, like lapel pins; I have 2 different types in my collection.

Joe M. Notaro Collection

But by the date of issue on July 3, 2002 postage rates had increased.

Pushing the Envelope

Rather that wait for the United States Postal Service to some day issue a stamp that honored Houdini.

It was 1976, the year of the Bicentennial, as well as the 50-year milestone of Houdini’s Halloween death in Detroit, Michigan, and Kaiser, owner of the Premier Company, a printing firm in Houston, deemed it the ideal time to go postal with Houdini. “While still hoping to enlist the cooperation of philatelic and magical societies,” stated a notice circulated at the SAM National Convention in Philadelphia that year, “Mr. Kaiser feels that this important occasion should not go unnoticed in collaboration with accompanied cachet designer, John J. Henler, the Premier Company will proceed on its own and produce an attractive cover that will appeal to both stamp collectors and magicians as a once-in-a-lifetime keep-sake.”

The distinctive four-color “Houdini Commemorative Cover” was privately issued, sans an official stamp. Attached was a 6.3c Liberty Bell stamp and a 7.9c Snare Drum stamp, captioned “Beat the drum for liberty, and the spirit of ‘76” [both were U.S. bulk rate issues), and they were canceled with a “DETOIT, MI /OCT 31, 1976 / 48233” postmark.

The flap of the envelope carried a reproduction of a blue-ink signature of “Harry Houdini Mysteriarch,” and printed beneath it was a caption: “His true signature circa 1905.”

Inside was a 3-1/2 by 6-inch card with a synopsys of Houdini’s career that concluded with the statement: “This is the FIRST philatelic recognition in the U.S. of magic and magicians.”

Ads in The Linking Ring, M-U-M and Genii announced the “Memento Cachets” were available from the Premier Company for $1 each or three for $2.50. And, as with most printers, the more you ordered the less the unit price became: 60c each for 25 to 100 copies; 50c each for 100 or more.

[MAGIC DECEMBER 2001]

Photos: HHCE Collection

This past Thursday, I booked the upgraded  RIP tour package at Zak Bagans Haunted Museum in Las Vegas.

And to my surprise, the RIP All Access pass included a Houdini Seance Room Exhibit:

Who knew? Apparently back in 2022, the room included a Ouija board and was set up for seances, reflecting Houdini’s pact with his wife Bess to try and communicate from beyond.

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The room also included a spirit bell that guests could ring, a Do Spirits Return Poster, and an LP record of The Final Houdini Seance. Playing in the background, you heard Ed Saint’s voice from the recording of the famous Final Houdini Seance held atop the roof of the Hollywood Knickerbocker Hotel on October 31, 1936.

You might remember, Zak Bagans and the Ghost Adventures conducting a historic seance on the 100th anniversary of Houdini’s 1924 midnight visit to Winchester Mystery House:

Photo credit: Irving Desfor May 27, 1951

In 1951, the year of the 25^th anniversary of Harry Houdini’s death, artwork for a postage stamp honoring the master showman was unveiled by the Magic Collector’s Association, at the combined IBM/SAM Convention in New York. Pictured above are Dr. Morris N. Young and wife Chesley [left] with convention committee chairman, Dr. Ben Braude [right]. Designed by magician/artist Sir Felix Korem, the stamp which incorporated portrayals of Houdini with emblems of the three organizations [I.B.M., S.A.M., M.C.A.], was never approved by U.S. Postal authorities.

[MAGIC JULY 2002]

It is printed in deep purple on gray stock, gummed, and perforated, in sheets of 50.

Below is an example from my collection: