Paul Daniels’ wig sells for £2,730... it’s a lot toupee
PAUL Daniels’ massive collection of magic gear has sold for £156,000 at auction, including £2,730 for his famous wig.
His see-through guillotine fetched £3,380 and a sword illusion box went for £4,420.
A transposition cloak and masks made £3,250 while playing cards, wands and his magic top hat each sold for hundreds.
The auction was packed with magicians keen to own something from the TV legend.
His widow and former assistant Debbie McGee, 63, said: “I am delighted that so many people chose to buy something of Paul’s. It has been an emotional and inspiring couple of days passing on his legacy.”
A letter from legendary escapologist Harry Houdini to magician and writer Will Goldston, which discusses another magician’s trick, sold for £1,690.
The auction included the biggest collection of magic posters ever sold in the UK.
Two from the 1870s for a Victorian double act, Maskelyne & Cooke, sold for £5,720 and £4,160. And five magic handbills from 1849-51 sold for £3,510.
Daniels died in 2016, aged 77, after being diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour.
His collection was stored at their home in Henley-on-Thames, Berks.
Thomas Forrester, of Special Auction Services of Newbury, Berks, said: “We’ve had a tremendous two days and great fun selling Paul’s fantastic legacy to many magicians and magic lovers around the world.
“It’s a real once-in-a-lifetime auction.”