Unknown Houdini escape device?

Over the holidays I was contacted by a gentleman who believes he might have inherited a piece of Houdini escape apparatus. It appears to me to be an Iron Maiden-like device, but I've never seen or heard of it in connection with HH. The story and pics below. Wondering if anyone recognizes this.

http://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2014/01 ... evice.html

The same man contacted me via my fan page on FB.

I informed him that this device was constructed decades after Houdini's passing.

Steve Santini

Over the holidays I was contacted by a gentleman who believes he might have inherited a piece of Houdini escape apparatus. It appears to me to be an Iron Maiden-like device, but I've never seen or heard of it in connection with HH. The story and pics below. Wondering if anyone recognizes this.

http://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2014/01 ... evice.html

Ah, interesting. If I can ask, how can you tell that is was made after HH's death, Steve?

Someone left a comment that there are modern hinges on it.

I'm looking at the chains -- they appear to have a twist tie at the end. Where those around pre 1926?

Over the holidays I was contacted by a gentleman who believes he might have inherited a piece of Houdini escape apparatus. It appears to me to be an Iron Maiden-like device, but I've never seen or heard of it in connection with HH. The story and pics below. Wondering if anyone recognizes this.

http://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2014/01 ... evice.html

gibbets were made to hold corpses for display. The hinges on this unit allow for the opening and closing (on a regular basis) more of a magic prop than an original gibbet which Houdini was challenged with.

The story the owner tells, infers he likens his 'thingy' to a $40,000 Houdini item.

silly.
not at all worthy of real contemplation.
Twised 'dog' chain is cheap and nasty, it would have been forged weld chain in something really old.

Over the holidays I was contacted by a gentleman who believes he might have inherited a piece of Houdini escape apparatus. It appears to me to be an Iron Maiden-like device, but I've never seen or heard of it in connection with HH. The story and pics below. Wondering if anyone recognizes this.

http://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2014/01 ... evice.html

To be fair, this guy seems very honest and is just looking for some information from people who know something about these things. His father was the one who likened it to the $40,000 prop, not him. I think this landed on his lawn after his dad died and wants to know if this is really Houdini's or if he can throw it away. Seems decent to help. And what if this WAS a real Houdini prop? The second Water Torture Cell decayed in the backyard of the Blood family. Wouldn't it have been great to have discovered that before it happened.

I think this guy will be grateful, even if the news is this is worthless -- which is appearing to be the case.

Over the holidays I was contacted by a gentleman who believes he might have inherited a piece of Houdini escape apparatus. It appears to me to be an Iron Maiden-like device, but I've never seen or heard of it in connection with HH. The story and pics below. Wondering if anyone recognizes this.

http://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2014/01 ... evice.html

Modern homemade BDSM garbage.

Over the holidays I was contacted by a gentleman who believes he might have inherited a piece of Houdini escape apparatus. It appears to me to be an Iron Maiden-like device, but I've never seen or heard of it in connection with HH. The story and pics below. Wondering if anyone recognizes this.

http://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2014/01 ... evice.html

This actually looks like the top of his Cylindrical Cross Escape (Page 287, Houdini's Escapes and Magic, By Gibson), or at least a copy of it.

Arioch