Most expensive magic trick sold at auction
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An automatic flowering rosebush made for illusionist/escapologist Harry Houdini (USA, b. Hungary) sold for $324,000 (£279,970) at auctioneers Potter & Potter in Chicago, Illinois, USA, on 29 October 2022. This was nearly 13 times its estimated price. An intricate mechanical marvel, the rosebush was one of several complex tricks created for what turned out to be Houdini’s final American tour in 1926.
In performance, Houdini placed a pot on top of a metal table, planted a small red flower in it, and covered the pot with a cloth. On his command, the flower miraculously appeared to grow and flourish, developing into a bush, which Houdini then removed from the table and presented to the spectators. The trick was created for the master magician by New York craftsman R S Schlosser, possibly in collaboration with others.
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History of Auctioneering