The Final Auction of Ricky Jay's Legendary Collection

Rare engraved broadside featuring German magicians Johann Antoni Barth and Gottlieb Riediger.

On February 27, 2025, Forum Auctions held the final sale of the legendary collection of American illusionist Ricky Jay (1946–2018). More than just a master of sleight of hand, Jay was also an actor, historian, and passionate collector of magic history and human oddities. While earlier portions of his collection had been auctioned by Potter & Potter and Sotheby’s, this sale marked the last chapter in the dispersal of his remarkable archive.

The Legacy of Ricky Jay

Ricky Jay’s career spanned decades. He was renowned as one of the greatest illusionists of his time, acted in numerous films, and advised Hollywood directors on the art of deception. The New Yorker once called him “perhaps the most gifted sleight-of-hand artist alive.”

Beyond his performances, Jay was a dedicated scholar, amassing an extraordinary collection on magic, sideshow performers, and the history of deception. His expertise was reflected in the books he authored, including Cards as Weapons (1977), Learned Pigs & Fireproof Women (1986), and Extraordinary Exhibitions: Broadsides from the Collection of Ricky Jay (2005).

Auction Highlights

Hocus Pocus, or The Art of Conjuration. London,1795.

While not as spectacular as previous sales, this auction still offered an abundance of fascinating material. The 211 lots mainly consisted of broadsides and handbills showcasing Jay’s wide-ranging interests—circus dogs, dwarfs, criminals, eccentrics, acrobats, giants, and mouth and foot painters. The catalogue read like a roll call of history’s most unusual performers, an auction populated by figures who seemed to have stepped out of a 19th-century sideshow—or a Tom Waits song.

Though prices remained modest compared to earlier auctions, several standout lots exceeded expectations:

• Two 1811 broadsides featuring Miss Beffin (ca. 1811) – Announcing performances by Sarah Beffin (1784–1850), a celebrated mouth painter born without arms. Estimated at £1,000–£1,500, this lot sold for £3,600.

• Hocus Pocus, or The Art of Conjuration (1795) – An extremely rare book on magic, surpassing all expectations by selling for £4,200 (estimate: £1,500–£2,000).

• Eighteenth-century illusionist broadside – Featuring German magicians Johann Antoni Barth and Gottlieb Riediger, with only one other known copy. Estimated at £500–£700, it was hammered down at £3,400.

A New Generation of Collectors

The success of this auction reaffirms the enduring fascination with magic history and human curiosities. Collectors and enthusiasts seized the opportunity to own a piece of Ricky Jay’s legacy, ensuring that his passion for the arcane and extraordinary lives on.

With this final sale, Jay’s collection has found new caretakers, and the responsibility of preserving and celebrating this remarkable heritage now rests in their hands.

Two rare handbills on mouth painter Sarah Beffin