Cuff of the Day for May 3. Houdini Day!

By popular demand today is Houdini Day!     Show us your Houdini cuffs.
Those of you who have original Houdini items please let us see them.   If you have a nice reproduction show those too.
And tell us a story if there is one to go with your cuff.


As for me, I have no Houdini connected cuffs, but I do have some magician quick opening keys that I bought at the Radner Auction in 2004.
Who knows if Houdini ever ever touched them? But they are neat in any case.

Joe

lauher wrote:By popular demand today is Houdini Day!     Show us your Houdini cuffs.
Those of you who have original Houdini items please let us see them.   If you have a nice reproduction show those too.
And tell us a story if there is one to go with your cuff.


As for me, I have no Houdini connected cuffs, but I do have some magician quick opening keys that I bought at the Radner Auction in 2004.
Who knows if Houdini ever ever touched them? But they are neat in any case.

Joe

Click to expand...

I don’t have any either but I’m in the market for one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't have anything that was directly owned by Houdini, but I do have some great replicas made by Ian.

Here is my Houdini Mirror cuff.

And Ian's Houdini #61 cuff. 


And Ian's Houdini Russian Manacle.

Houdini was having great success with his Handcuff Act and as his success and fame grew so did his imitators. Imitators where popping  up all over the world using names such as Boudini, Howdenne, Nordini and Oudini and the list goes on. Houdini wrote a number of books, one of those books was published in 1907 and it was called Handcuff Secrets.
   In his book Houdini begins to expose the methods that his imitators would use to get out of handcuffs not his methods of course only his imitators. Houdini would disclaim inferior methods as though he would never think of lowering himself to that level, he almost implied that his own work approached the super natural.
 So in 1908 still feed up with his imitators Houdini once again published the secrets of the Handcuff Act and put it on the market with the help of  magic dealer and friend August Roterberg from Chicago,  Houdini called this the Defiance Handcuff Act again not his secrets of course. And that same year 1908 Houdini dropped the Handcuff Challenge Act from his show…. To go on to perform more dangerous and spectacular escapes in an effort to try and shake off his imitators and rivals. This is that set

I will present some of my Houdini cuffs during the day.
My first one came from the great Butterfield auction in 2007.
An almost mint condition Stotz Leg Iron with original key.
It was in the below wall case at the Houdini Museum until the fire finally occurred according to Houdini's wishes.  
He had it in his will that his items be destroyed upon his death.  Thankfully, many items such as this one did survive although he really wished they hadn't. 
The banner was auctioned off in another offering.  This one did not belong to Houdini but it is featured in the Dick Wresh book.  Wresh acquired many of the cuffs and took them to many high schools and colleges to show them off.  He made this banner in the very early 1960,s

These came to me though a family member

Here are some items not in my collection but fits in well with today's topic.
I was at the SAM - Society of Magicians when they cleaned up their Houdini cuffs from asbestos residue collected while in storage.
They did not allow anyone to take pictures but when I got home, I found out that my finger must have slipped.
The Russian manacle was nice to see.  The Lily key (with the "H") is said to have been commissioned from Houdini although this theory has been contested ad nauseum.

Nugent bought many cuffs from Houdin's brother, Hardeen when he died.  It was Nugent who sold his collection to Wresh who toured around with them at school assemblies as stated above.
There are 2 Bean Giant's and it very likely that I own one of these and the other has been posted previously in a recent blog.
I never offer what is in whos collection so I am certain he will repost his Bean as will I.

The most awesome Houdini autograph is shown here.  I may show mine later in the day but I wish I had this one.   

Houdini owned Lily Irons with the "H" Key

Houdini owned Bean Giant with original challenge

The Wisner cuff in the Nugent photo, at the bottom next to the Oregon Boot is probably the one in my collection.
I never noticed that Houdini's numbering system was included in this Nugent photo.
I can check the numbers stamped into my Wisner to see if it matches up with the number beside the cuffs in this photo.  I will report this when I can.
Upon blowing the photo up, I can see that the Bean Giants are the King Breakers that Houdini used to baffle his competition.  The normal key that is common to Bean Giants would NOT work on these 2 cuffs and by the time the other handcuff kings learned of this fact, it was too late!
I am not certain if the Guiteau cuff shown with its number is the actual one used on the assassin Guiteau or not.
I believe Houdini had at least 3 of these cuffs and the one in my collection does not have these numbers on it. 

In Pat Culllitons great researched book" The Key" there is a letter to Houdini from Roterberg stating Houdini was making his own Lily keys. John Bushey and I had stumbled on this letter while we were doing research on another project. We also discoverd there are several of these Lily Irons with the H key in other collections to be more then a conscience

I my talks with John Bushey, several years ago, we had a lot of discussions about the "H" key.  He told me that he had a letter or access to a letter by Houdini discussing the manufacture of the key.  He also told me that there is another letter in the book "Houdini-the  Key" by Cullition, that discusses the making of the key.

I have little doubt that Houdini was instrumental in the making of this key.

Ron

Fred, looks like were were typing at the same time.  That is one of the letters I was talking about

Ron

The closest I can get to a Houdini cuff is one of Chris Gower's replicas of the Mirror Challenge Handcuff. This one doesnt use as complex of a locking system as the original, but it is still a nicely made piece that works well. Once the single bitted key is inserted into the lock, you still have to twist the key, several times to open the cuff. This was how the original key worked as well. Screwing the key in, cause the locking bolt to thread into a threaded collar and be retracted.
-Richard Knip-

                                                                        HOUDINI  FIXED  RANKIN   Rankin used by Houdini to stop other escapists. It was modified to take a smaller key than the standard key.

The closest any of us will ever come to the original Mirror cuff.
On display last year in Manhattan.


And a closeup. 

                                                                           SPOOF  Houdini wrote about this cuff in his book Handcuff Secrets.  It is not a practical handcuff,
more of a novelty. Nothing is known about the origin and only two are known to exist. This is 
probably the cuff pictured in the book as it has Hardeen providence. 

Houdini owned Towers with oriiginal oversized postcard

Are all of Weiss's (Houdini's) handcuffs gimmicked? It would certainly explain why he wanted them destroyed, and the myth to live on.

Fred Pittella wrote: ↑

May 03, 2020

In Pat Culllitons great researched book" The Key" there is a letter to Houdini from Roterberg stating Houdini was making his own Lily keys. John Bushey and I had stumbled on this letter while we were doing research on another project. We also discoverd there are several of these Lily Irons with the H key in other collections to be more then a conscienceRoterberg Lily Key.jpg

Excellent!

I knew that there was some documentation about Houdini making/ordering the "H" keys that John and Ron mentioned to me a while back.
This pretty much halts the discussion about it.  I have one of the "H" keys and as you say, Fred, there are just too many Lily cuffs that have them.
I never believed that they were "Harrison" or other radiator keys due to the fact that they NEVER show up at lock shows or online.
They are always associated with Lily products.

I have The Key from Patrick too and had this letter the entire time.  Maybe during the virus break, I should read and study it some more.

Nice to see the Spoof Manacle again, I remember buying it from Davenports Magic Studio in about 1972. One of my regrets that I traded it many years ago!

chriscuffs6 wrote: ↑

May 03, 2020

Nice to see the Spoof Manacle again, I remember buying it from Davenports Magic Studio in about 1972. One of my regrets that I traded it many years ago!

Chris how many mirror cuffs did you make

With the topic of Houdini, i think its appropriate to give a tip of the hat to a voice that no longer speaks on this forum. Our good friend, Damon Shields, still has his handcuff page up and running. Though, it hasnt been updated in a while. Damn no longer collects cuffs and is in the process of selling what he has. Many of us have purchased cuffs from him in the past. On his web page, he has an entry for "Houdini Handcuffs." He shows 5 of Ian's replicas and talks a little about them, here.  http://ushandcuffs.com/Houdini.html
-Richard Knip-

Ref the Mirror Cuffs I made. I believe the original ones I made in Aluminium are the closest copies made size wise. They were made from a tracing that Ray McKee made of the originals. I made 6 of them in
Aluminium then got some cast in bronze - when the castings arrived they were larger than I wanted and I only made 6 of them (I still have 6 of the original unfinished bronze castings left). Don’t ask me why I used a pin tumbler lock in them, it just seemed a good idea at the time!
Don’t know how many of you have seen or handled the set that Mick Hanzlik made but he certainly got his size wrong - even I can almost squeeze out of them. His copy keys that he sold (think he had 90 cast) are very good copies but again slightly too large. Copperfield confirmed this when he tried one.

Some were and some were not.
Many were King Breakers or modified cuffs so that a stars key to that particular cuff would not work.
I will be posting a cuff soon that did have a gaff or gimmick.
I think it was more of a safety cuff for underwater escapes in case something went wrong.
I have some cuffs that are just regular as he kept a collection so that he could test extension or other keys in them.

The above message from me was in resonance to Nils question.
Some posts snuck in between his question and my answer

Response

chriscuffs6 wrote: ↑

May 03, 2020

Ref the Mirror Cuffs I made.  I believe the original ones I made in Aluminium are the closest copies made size wise.  They were made from a tracing that Ray McKee made of the originals.  I made 6 of them in
Aluminium then got some cast in bronze - when the castings arrived they were larger than I wanted and I only made 6 of them (I still have 6 of the original unfinished bronze castings left).  Don’t ask me why I used a pin tumbler lock in them, it just seemed a good idea at the time!
Don’t know how many of you have seen or handled the set that Mick Hanzlik made but he certainly got his size wrong - even I can almost squeeze out of them.  His copy keys that he sold (think he had 90 cast) are very good copies but again slightly too large.  Copperfield confirmed this when he tried one.

Click to expand...

Chris I'm happy to say I have only one replica handcuff in the collection  and it's your Mirror Cuffs I didn't realize you had only made 6

Chris, I also have one of your Mirror cuffs in Aluminum.

Ron

My Mirror Cuff replicas are also made of aluminum. So, there is 3 out of the 6. Mine came off of Ebay, a few years ago. No telling who's collection these were once a part of, before I got them?
-Richard Knip-

Three more Houdini cuffs from the 2004 Radner Auction at the Liberace Museum in Vegas.

Top one is a Walden Tool with a built in method of escape.
I don't believe it is a way of escaping in a day to day performance but rather as a last resort if something goes wrong especially in an underwater scenario.
For those who can spot what I am talking about....DO NOT post it here!   This is a magicians secret and should not be divulged in a public forum.  PM me if need be.

The Peerless Thumbcuff is not tricked that I know of.  There is another example which once belonged to Houdini.  The long key came with the cuffs and I made the small one as it works better.

O.C. Phelps (They erroneously have it as D.C. Phelps) was a deal at the auction.  If I recall, a broken Hiatt cuff sold for more at the beginning of the day long auction.  Bidding was hot and heavy in the beginning and tapered off once everyone spent their money. I doubt that it is gaffed in any way.

This was a great day and I got to speak to Teller who was looking to buy.
They made a documentary about Houdini and this day at the auction.

A story I wrote about the day :  http://handcuffs.org/radner/

ronspitz wrote: ↑

May 03, 2020

I my talks with John Bushey, several years ago, we had a lot of discussions about the "H" key.  He told me that he had a letter or access to a letter by Houdini discussing the manufacture of the key.  He also told me that there is another letter in the book "Houdini-the  Key" by Cullition, that discusses the making of the key.

I have little doubt that Houdini was instrumental in the making of this key.

Ron

Does anyone have any pics of the "H" key Houdini made for the lilies?

This is the key with what some think is a letter 'H' in the center of the bow. More likely just a coincidence of the design.  The key in the image is still rough from the sand casting and nothing of the quality I would expect from a showman, especially if it was supposed to bear his name (with just a single letter H ?) H H would have been a better choice.

Hi Ian
Thanks for this.  Im trying to figure out more about the H I was intrigued because of the letter John Bushey found to Houdini about Houdini making keys, why would Houdini make keys? was there that big of a demand for H keys for old at the time Lilly cuffs?  Or is the rough key like you show used for gas lines to turn on or off? Im just curious,,,,always learning stuff in this weird world of wonder

This just never gets settled.

Houdini NEVER made these "H" keys!
There is supporting evidence that he ORDERED them from a manufacturing company and one that does not make reproductions of any sort.
Therefore, the finish was not under his control.  He either refused them or accepted them.  There is an enormous percentage of Lily irons bought and sold that have these very keys, so a coincidence in this matter is rather doubtful.


The Lily which is verified to belong to Houdini (The Society of American Magicians Collection) even has the "H" key.  To say this is a coincidence is laughable.

Pat Culliton is among the top researchers and historians on Houdini and Ron Spitz with author Matt Forte have done the most research on Lily Irons ever, agree that Houdini ordered "H" keys (apparently OK'd the "rough" appearance of the shipped out keys)

If Pat says Houdini ordered the keys and The Lily Team says that Houdini ordered the keys, then I believe Houdini ordered the keys.
You can decide for yourself.   I ask, who would know better, a top notch Houdini historian and research author combined with a Lily Team who did their research at the Library of Congress and John Bushey who was also a great researcher OR a guy that makes reproduction handcuffs?

I don't have to say which direction that I am going with.

Oops, this letter was omitted in the above.
Can this topic be laid to rest now?


Photo courtesy of Fred.

Mark Lyons O--O Cuffs wrote: ↑

Jul 04, 2020

Oops, this letter was omitted in the above.
Can this topic be laid to rest now?


Photo courtesy of Fred.

Hi Mark,
Awesome response. I'm trying to figure out why did Houdini order them? was it specifically for him? so the key can have the big H in the middle? I cant see Houdini owning so many of the lilies as to justify a run of the keys.    I am just a bit perplexed, again it was the discussion that caught my attention and Johns posting of this letter.....things that make you go hmmm..... 

Thank you.
The question of why HH needed so many keys will be a mystery for a long time.
I doubt he was selling any Lilys in his day.  His brother, maybe.
Just a guess on my part that whoever was making the cuffs was having trouble making or getting keys so Houdini stepped up to the plate and helped the maker out and maybe even made a buck or two.
It would be wonderful to find out how many Lily cuffs and leg irons were made.
There was a discussion about the shape of the original key and it said to be a larger non-symmetrical key with a "T" or "L' shape.
Could it be that the smaller "H" keys were used to conceal them better?  They could even be placed upon a key chain if needed.
There is another letter that John Bushey often alluded to that further provides documentation that Houdini was ordering keys.
I hope it surfaces one day.
The question of whether Houdini would order keys with just 1 "H" or with "HH" in the bow of the key has been made. 
Houdini often signed letters and photo with "HHH"  Harry Handcuff Houdini.  Shouldn't his keys been made with "HHH"?
The key was featured with the "H" as a monogram.  Just by definition alone, MONOgram indicates 1 letter.  Ever see a monogram with 2 letters?  Neither have I.

"H" pretty much defines Houdini.  The Tony Curtis movie was simply called "Houdini" , it was never considered to be named "Harry Houdini"

Ive never seen monogram with 1 letter, monogram has 8 letters LOL...ok tough room, but Im here all week, please make sure you tip the waitstaff.....

escapeguy wrote: ↑

Jul 04, 2020

Ive never seen monogram with 1 letter, monogram has 8 letters LOL...ok tough room, but Im here all week, please make sure you tip the waitstaff.....

It is a tough room.....Spell their brains out!

H.H.H.

With a little bit of filing you can make your own key. Square headed bolts were used for beds and couches which in the day were like Ikea flat packs. In the distant future when enough Lillys show up with this key everyone will think this was the original key. (Tongue firmly in cheek). 
But seriously, this type of key has 'been around forever". They existed when Houdini ordered some. Whether he had changes made or bought them 'off the shelf' is the question. I don't care either way because I am interested in what the original key was - similar to a piano tuning key -which could be L or T shaped.
Paul

Is it not obvious from the letter that Roterberg is selling Lilly and Bean cuffs but he needs keys, which Houdini is supplying from his own sources????

This worked pretty well with my Lilly Irons and looked the part for a low price. Mine took right at a 10mm. Had to measure, with calipers, across the square locking bolt on the Lillys.
-Richard Knip-

Richard,
Altho it took a long time to get here, the 10mm Square Key also worked on my Lilly leg irons, perfectly.
Mike

I have a padlock that I got from John Bushey, but no Handcuffs yet. When I DO buy a pair of actual Houdini handcuffs, I want them to be ones with ironclad provenance. In other words, from one of you guys!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Today, I discovered that the letter in which Houdini was selling Lily keys was in my possession the entire time.
It is located on page 121 in the SUPER Houdini book, The Key by Pat Culiton.  

The letter by Roterberg in Chicago and London describes the brass Lily keys originally ordered being changed to iron keys.  Quantity unknown.
I have been in a conversation? with Ian about this (ad nauseum)  and while he does not agree that this letter is about the "H" key, John Bushey and I are on the other side of the coin.
Either way, this pretty much nails it as far as Houdini selling Lily keys in his day.

Both Ian and I contributed to The Key and I believe it is hands down the finest resource on the subject.

Mark Lyons keeps repeating his emotional story in his desire to have it appear to be true. He is desperate  to fit his theory that a certain key is the same as the ones in a letter to Houdini. Repeating this unjustified assertion is the actual ad nauseam ( defined  ) /ad ˈnɔːzɪam/adverb
used to refer to the fact that something has been done or repeated so often that it has become annoying or tiresome… )  to collectors.
 
Which is why Mark has posted this at two handcuff collectors websites, (maybe more?) He just cannot let it go.
 
All Mark has is a key with a design in which he sees the letter ‘H’ , others looking at it see just a latticed key head with no greater significance. One person with higher credentials even suggests that the ‘H’ could stand for HOT (if at all) These types of tools are used in industry, Lathe tools, Radiator and gas valve keys .  'Hot' might therefore be a better guess.
 
One could surmise that Houdini had already sourced a supplier (“your man” in the letter) of suitable keys. This is more likely than having them made (why reinvent the wheel)  Houdini therefore would have conveyed to Roterberg , who countermanded his order from brass to iron. Houdini's source only had iron keys.
 
There is NOTHING linking the two, no pattern found in either Houdini possessions or even a drawing or details of the specs of what is required.
 
The truth is that we may never know.  Mark hates this notion (better to believe a myth, than the uncomfortable position of "I don't know")

I like real evidence. I don’t live in a population where half are willfully ignorant of truth, cannot apply adequate skepticism, love myths, alternative facts, lies ,  conspiracy theories , speculation based on what they FEEL or suits their personal narrative.
 
So when it comes to annoying, tiresome, how about not being just boring and take this shit elsewhere. Prove the link …………….or FO.
 
 
In regard to the research of the Houdini book,  I was contacted  for my knowledge and opinions. Within these conversations, I had to contend with wild speculation and fanciful stories, thankfully these were not put in the book.  On the same subject, the same old story was repeated in the new book from other earlier books, nothing new. While this was going on, John Bushey, working Bob Dix’s knowledge and expertise formulated his manifesto on the French handcuff with letter lock. (now published)
 
Odd the humble private researcher can find the facts that the professional cannot.

Do they not know the difference between fact and opinion in Australia? Maybe it is just you!
I am merely stating an opinion of what I believe in.
I could care less what you believe.
I never stated that the "H" key was the one in the letter.  I did NOT say it was one key or another.
The letter just proves that Houdini did indeed sell Lily keys and many people did not believe that he did.
Stop putting words in my mouth.  What exactly is wrong with you?

Oh Mark we know what truth is in Australia, we have less than 1000 dead from Covid, how's it going for you over there with opinions, prayers and falsified information?  Read back over your own posts.  and stop the F'n boring diatribe. 

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Sh ... ORM=VDRVRV

Pretend that you are Trump and I am Biden.

Will you shut up, man?

Mark Lyons O--O Cuffs wrote: ↑

Jan 25, 2021

I could care less what you believe.

you care ! you keep replying SMH