Potter & Potter is excited to begin the year with an expansive vintage poster auction consisting of hundreds of travel, war and propaganda, theatrical, advertising, concert, winter sports, and pictorial map posters. The sale includes a trove of early advertising and World War I posters from the company archives of the Western Litho. Co. of Los Angeles, and works by notable designers and masters of the form such as Hohlwein, Cappiello, Steinlen, David Klein, James Montgomery Flagg, Jo Mora, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Norman Rockwell, Austin Cooper, and Paul George Lawler.

Our first magic auction of the year will be a first for Potter & Potter - a sale of "micro magic" - clever and collectible close-up magic apparatus. Featuring nearly-comprehensive offerings of props made by Eddy Taytelbaum, Alan Warner, and the Tenyo company, over 350 lots will cross the block. Rare examples from each of these makers' lines will be offered, nearly all of them in like-new condition, with many of the Tenyo tricks complete with original packaging.

This is an online-only sale and will be conducted exclusively on Potter & Potter's online bidding platform. No printed catalog will be issued.

Our first book sale of the year features an array of items not seen on the market in over a century. Among the Americana lots crossing the block is one of the rarest and important Revolutionary War narratives, being Ethan Allen’s account of his captivity in British prisons printed in 1779. This session will also highlight several scarce cartographic lots related to the Great Lakes region, including the earliest obtainable map of the area by Coronelli. The sale will also feature choice works on travel and exploration, including a second edition of Hakluyt’s Voyages. Other highlights of the sale include The Arabian Nights’ Entertainment translated by Lane in its original monthly parts -- the only other known copy being held by the Pierpont Morgan Library -- a pristine copy of Huckleberry Finn, and an Einstein letter critiquing a set of equations. We will round out the auction by offering an expansive fine press session, including titles from the Kelmscott Press, Doves Press, the Limited Editions Club, and several works printed on vellum.

A two-day auction kicks off our spring schedule. The first day will feature Part II of the collection of the late Robert Eisenstadt, who amassed thousands of casino and gambling chips including numerous rarities and uncommon sets that will be offered fresh to the market. In addition, desirable decks of playing cards such as transformation decks, early American decks, and uncommon advertising will be offered. Vintage cheating paraphernalia and rare books on gambling and "advantage play" -- including a first edition of Erdnase's The Expert at the Card Table and F.R. Ritter's Combined Treatise on Advantage Card Play and Draw Poker -- will round out the session.

Day two of the auction will feature coin-operated machines including slot machines, arcade games, and vending; vintage advertising including signs and figures; breweriana including beer taps and knobs; and a variety of vintage toys and collectibles. Over 800 lots will be offered over the two days.

Our second sale from Ken Klosterman's world famous collection of magicana, The Salon de Magie, is slated for March 26, 2022. Drawing on the vast archive assembled over the course of a 50+ year collecting career, this auction will bring rare posters - from the careers of Houdini, LeRoy, and Kellar - together with choice vintage apparatus, ephemera, and relics from the great "golden age" magic shows of yesteryear. Highlights include stage illusions from the shows of Alexander, Birch, and Kassner, props owned by Harry Houdini, F.E. Powell, and Dante, memorabilia from the career of Karl Germain, and a bespoke magic apparatus from the workshops of Okito, Thayer, Martinka, and their contemporaries.

Deluxe clothbound catalogs - printed in limited quantities - are now available for pre-order. Catalogs ship in mid-March.