Daniels’ box of magic tricks up for sale – with no instructions
PAUL DANIELS’ collection of magic tricks and props is to go on sale next month but auctioneers will not be giving any instructions to buyers planning to recreate his iconic illusions.
Debbie Mcgee, the widow and former assistant of the Yorkshire-born illusionist, said the time was right for her to pass on her late husband’s archive to the next generation of magicians.
The collection, valued at £200,000, features some of Daniels’ most enduring equipment, such as his Geometrix illusion box, playing cards, reappearing flowers, wand and top hat and will be sold on Nov 23 and 24.
However, Special Auction Services (SAS) said no instruction manuals or guides would be included to instruct the buyer on how to perform the tricks so as to preserve the “wonder of magic in a world of over exposure”.
The collection has attracted the interest of David Copperfield, the American magician, who wants to preserve some of it in his Las Vegas museum.
Thomas Forrester, director of SAS, said: “In a world of over exposure where nothing stays secret for long, we want to preserve the wonder of magic so that magicians can continue to amaze and delight their audiences and make them feel the sense of ‘wow’ they had when they saw magic for the first time.”
The Geometrix illusion box, expected to fetch £12,000, involved Mcgee being locked inside the 6ft box while her husband skewered it with swords and several geometric shapes. It featured on the The Paul Daniels Magic Show in 1985 and again a decade later.