$500
Cardini’s Card Stars of the U. S.A. plaque. Oak Park Illinois, ca. 1955. Engraved brass plaque mounted to polished walnut, bearing the text, “Magic’s most exclusive organization/limited to ten living members/Honors/Cardini/With life membership/Card Stars of the U.S.A.” 9 x 6”. Good. An entire chapter of John Northern Hilliard’s magnum opus, Greater Magic, was devoted to the ten living “card stars” of the United States – the most talented and inventive card conjurers of the generation. Nearly twenty years later, in 1955, Jay Marshall revived the idea in the pages of his magazine, The New Phoenix. At that time, four of the stars were deceased, so Marshall polled 50 well-known magicians to elect four new members to magic’s “most exclusive organization.” The end result was an impressive list: Cardini, Dai Vernon, Stuart Judah, Bill McCaffrey, John Scarne, S. Leo Horowitz, Francis Carlyle, Paul LePaul, Ed Marlo, and Charlie Miller. Dr. Jacob Daley was also elected posthumously. Eleven plaques were engraved, and one was presented to each living Card Star. The eleventh was presented to Daley’s sister.
Auctioneer:
Potter & Potter
Date:
2013-04-06
