Welcome to NEMCA’s introductory newsletter. We aim to inform and entertain the Magic history/collecting community by assembling news, resources and articles of interest all in one convenient quarterly publication.
Jim Steinmeyer’s contributions to magic and to preserving magic history have earned him recognition inside and outside the world of magic. This November, the New England Magic Collectors Association is paying tribute to his life-long list of achievements. Please join us in honoring this unique individual by attending the Yankee Gathering 2022 with Jim as our Guest of Honor.
Featured Speakers
Robert Olson • Gabe Fajuri • Richard Hatch • Rick Heath • Charles Greene III • Lee Asher Tom Ewing • Richard Hughes • Michelle Ainsworth • Rosemary Reid
Performers
Nick Diffatte • David Garrity • Marc DeSouza • Richard Hatch Matt Roberts ∙ Alyx Hilshey • Alex Boyce
And More…
Opening Night Wine and Cheese Reception • Saturday Evening Banquet • Dealers Room with choice collectibles • A lively Magic Auction • A Festive Flea Market
Frederick Eugene Powell: Master of Magic and Mystery!, a new 276-page biography by Tom Ewing on the Dean of American Magicians and one of the most respected and beloved conjuror’s in history.
Now, you can read of his fascinating life from his birth in 1856, to his death in 1938. Research for this biography was drawn from hundreds of personal letters accompanied by rare photographs and examples of his surviving magic apparatus.
Over the course of eight decades Powell trod the world’s stages performing magic before delighted audiences. He was a powerful image in theater history and a major attraction in P.T. Barnum’s circus. Audiences were thrilled throughout South and Central America with his conjuring. He survived fires, floods, earthquakes, and even the Mexican Revolution.
NEMCA member Rick Heath still has a limited number of booklets available that accompanied his November 2018 Yankee Gathering presentation entitled “Bob Lund and his American Museum of Magic: An Affectionate Remembrance.”
The 24 page booklet measures 8.5 x 11 inches, and details the remarkable story of the collector and historian whose love for magic began at age seven in a Michigan sanatorium and whose legacy still lives on over 40 years after he opened the doors of his beloved American Museum of Magic. It includes numerous photographs, extensive endnotes, and a timeline.
Auction Results, in conjunction with Owen Magic Supreme, will conduct the final auction of the exquisite magic collection of William H. McIlhany (1951-2017). This auction will be Internet bidding only. There will be no telephone or absentee bidding. While this will be a short sale, new items will be added up until the day of the sale, so please check back frequently. www.magicauctioneer.com
The next Haversat and Ewing auction features a choice selection of collectibles. The lots include numerous tokens, photographs, ephemera and apparatus. Many of the items are from Ray Goulet’s Mini-Museum of Magic. Bidding opens at 11:00 a.m.May 18 and the first lot closes at 5:00 p.m.May 19. Don’t miss this opportunity to own a piece of magic history so lovingly preserved by our dear friend Ray.
Robert Olson has been performing historical shows as magicians Richard Potter and Bayly for several decades. His performances are authentic, entertaining, and educational. And, you will learn what it means to be fooled by a gentleman.
As Mr. Olson says from the 1978 New York Times article, Recapturing Magic of the Past, “Let’s just say that Richard Potter is my contribution to history. I want to conserve his work in all of the authentic detail it deserves. Besides, the old stuff is still good.“
Lots include ephemera relating to Spiritualism from Houdini’s personal research files, a Horace Goldin’s Scrapbook, and apparatus from Ray Goulet’s Magic Art Studio.
Online bidding for Haversat & Ewing’s 100 Lot online auction opens on Friday, April 20th at 11AM EST. Register online at Haversat & Ewing Galleries to view the all the lots and place bids.
The arrival of the new Phantasmagoria exhibit at the MFA provides good reason to mention Richard Balzar’s Peepshows: A Visual History. This charming book details the history of optical toys such as magic lanterns and peepshows that predated movies, and which created the illusion of images that moved. The devices flourished as popular entertainment in the 18th century.
The MFA exhibit features many items from the late Richard Balzer’s collection. Years ago, Mr. Balzer presented a fascinating lecture at Magic Art Studio that introduced NEMCA members to his magic lantern collection.
