This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/28/2018
Houdini, Harry (Ehrich Weisz). Throwing Knives Possibly Owned by Harry Houdini. Pair of antique throwing knives by W.S. Brown (Pittsburgh) composed of heavy steel blades and carved cork handles. Blades slightly mottled with some pitting, cork shows mild wear consistent with age and use. Knives 16 ¾” and 15 ¾” long. Larger blade hallmarked. Includes letter of provenance from Stone Edge Antiques, tracing ownership to The Hartleys, good friends and traveling companions of Houdini. Though never known as a knife thrower, an early Houdini pitch book contains a section called “How to do an Impalment [sic] Act.” In it, he describes and explains how to perform a knife throwing routine, adding “For an effective finish saturate the handles with some inflamable [sic] stuff and ignite them and then hurl at subject.”