Record-Breaking Magic Auction Conjures Nearly $2 Million
Salon de Magie: The Ken Klosterman Collection Part I at Potter & Potter is the highest-grossing magic auction in history.
Antique, Vintage & Unusual Wares
Salon de Magie: The Ken Klosterman Collection Part I at Potter & Potter is the highest-grossing magic auction in history.
In the latter half of the 19th century, there were limited job opportunities for people with disabilities, so when he carved his career path, Andrew Clemens turned to the hobby he enjoyed during his summer vacations from school — sand art.A self-taught folk artist, Clemens’ delicate craftsmanship of his sand art, contained in small apothecary bottles, is desired by collectors and some examples sell at auction for six figures — one of these bottles just set a new world record at Hindman Auctions in Cincinnati, Ohio, after selling for $956,000. This result shatters the pre-sale estimate of $100,000-$150,000, and also the previous record set in November 2020, when Skinner sold one of his sand art bottles for $275,000.Collectors piled on the bidding for the bottle of sand offered by Hindman on September 30, with 64 placed in six minutes, starting with the opening bid of $50,000 to the final price. ADVERTISEMENTThanks for watching!Visit WebsiteAccording to Hindman, of the more than 100 documented Clemens’ bottles, this example, dating from the late 1880s, is the only known one exhibiting a portrait. An impressive bottle measuring eight and three-quarter inches high, it features an almost photographic depiction of Orrin “O.T.” Fuller of Savanna, Illinois, at around four or five years old. The image has a photographic quality that suggests Clemens used a carte de visite, the type of photograph popular in the 1860s, as the model, said Hindman. Clemens put “O.T. Fuller” in script on the front side and an elaborate floral urn on the opposite; both decorations are flanked by geometric flourishes typical of those he used in his art.ADVERTISEMENTThanks for watching!Visit WebsiteADVERTISEMENTThanks for watching!Visit WebsiteADVERTISEMENTThanks for watching!Visit WebsiteThe piece, dubbed “The Boy in the Bottle,” has remained in the Fuller family since it was made, but the reason for its purchase is unknown. Most