Vaudevisuals Interview with Gabe Fajuri – Potter & Potter Auctions
I have been following this company’s auctions for quite some time. Always something for the circus, sideshow, magic, collector. I wanted to find out how this auction house got started so I contacted the owner Gabe Fajuri. He was very cooperative in giving me the following interview.
btw…the upcoming auction has many wonderful items for consideration!
1. Can you tell us the source of most of the items being auctioned in the upcoming auction?
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A large portion of the auction was consigned by the widow of Giovanni Pasqua, known as “Roxy,” to his colleagues in the magic field. Roxy was a performer, lecturer, and dealer in antiquarian books, prints, and related objects in the fields of magic and its allied arts. He lived in Italy.
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2. The Potter & Potter company has numerous auctions annually. Would you say that most of them are ‘magic’ or ‘circus’ related items?
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About half of our sales are magic related, maybe a bit less. It’s what we are known for, but we deal in objects in many other categories, including rare books, vintage posters, photographs and autographs, vintage advertising, coin-operated machines, comic books and movie memorabilia, and other unusual collectibles.
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3. What is the history of Potter & Potter auction company?
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The business started on my coffee table about twelve years ago. We started the business by offering just a single collection – but what a collection! Jay Marshall was a legendary performer, who worked on the Ed Sullivan show over a dozen times, and had an illustrious career as an entertainer (mostly performing as a magician and ventriloquist). He was also a very serious collector of antique magic memorabilia and books, and virtually everything else he could get his hands on, trash and treasure alike. Jay owned something like 250,000 books, and the best of them were magic and showbiz related. After conducting four auctions of material from his collection, we were most definitely on the map in the auction world.
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4. Are you a magic collector (or magician?) and has this fascination been the original impetus for Potter & Potter Auction?
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Yes, I’ve been collecting magic and interested in its history since about the age of 13, which is what led to my interest in the field in the first place. While in college, I helped pay my way through school by selling magic collectibles on eBay. In a way, I was training for a job I never knew I was going to have (being an auctioneer). I was primarily selling items on consignment at that time, which is exactly how we do things today. I continue to be a huge fan of magic and its history, and yes, I’m still a collector.
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5. Is Potter & Potter the only company to auction off magic collectibles? Is it the company that hosts most auctions of these items nationally?
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We are not the only company that auctions magic memorabilia, but we are certainly the largest and best-known. Other companies conduct regular online auctions of magic collectibles, and occasionally a few of the big players in the auction field offer significant objects or collections.
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Thank You, Gabe. I appreciate the insight into your company’s origins.
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For information and to peruse the Winter Magic Auction catalog click HERE!
Winter Magic Auction – Dec. 14, 2019
Featuring selections from the collection of Giovanni Pasqua – aka Roxy – our Winter sale features rare conjuring books from the sixteenth century to the present day. Complementing the books from Roxy’s collection will be an assortment of collectible props, Houdiniana, and choice posters.
Catalogs ship approximately three weeks before the auction. Previews will be held in our gallery December 12—13, 10—5 pm
