Vintage Doorknob Star Design. Circa. 1893. By Branford Circa 1879
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:397877 | Maker: Branford Co. |
| Color: Bronze | Material: Bronze |
The door knob offered here is part of a very large collection of items collectedby my father "Nicola" Stone.Nick begancollecting locks and keys in the early 1920's. As a child hisfascination began with the great Harry Houdini. Nick was bornNicholas Chernick in Russia in 1912 and came to the US in 1923. Atthe age of 11 he was multi lingual but did not speak any English. Hewas already preoccupied with Magic, locks and keys and the escapeartistry of Houdini. Nick studied not only En...glish but every articleon Houdini he could find. By the age of 15 Nick was performing Magicshows in Akron Ohio where his family had settled.By the age of17 while Nick was in his senior year of High School he was so heavilybooked with shows that the school gave him an ultimatum. Either quiteMagic or quite school. Nick's choice was to continue his Magiccareer.In the yearsthat followed Nick educated himself on everything magic andeverything Houdini. He studied every article, every news reel andanything else available on the great escape master. Years afterHarry's death in 1926 Nick communicated with Harry's window Bess.Nick's collection included letters and a signed photo from Bess.Nick also was agood friend and frequent contributor to Horace Marshall of AkronOhio. Marshall was the man of the legendary Marshall FlowersCreations and Magic Creations. Nick and Horace spent hours inMarshall's work shop into the early hours of the morning. Marieturned in and left the two to design, invent and discuss improvementsand changes to illusions. As a small child I saw my first coloredtelevision in the Marshall's home. Jack Parr was on the late nightshow and I often fell asleep on the floor in front of their TVwaiting on my father and Horace to get tired of creating.Nick's son, mybrother David as a toddler had the privilege (albeit he did notrealize it) of getting a "horsey ride" from Harry Blackstone Sr whenHarry and Nick were discussing Magic.Nick continuedpreforming through out the Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Michiganand New York while honing his ability to escape the most trying handcuffs and chains. He preformed Magic shows for every major entity inthe Akron area including Goodyear, Goodrich, Firestone and AmericanHard rubber companies for annual employee's day and employeeChristmas parties . He preformed for every school in Akron andorganizations such as AA, Edwin Shaw. The Society of the Blind, Thediabetese Association of Akron, Many children's groups, AlphaEnterprises, Goodwill and many other organizations includingthe department store Polsky's in Akron. All with rave reviews andreturn invitations. He preformed in front of crowds of over 20000 anddid large school carnivals as the main act or opening act for wellknow celebrities.Nick became avery well known part of Akron Ohio even writing a weekly column forthe Akron Beacon Journal for some time. The Beacon Journal was wherehe met a beautiful young reporter Betty Irwin who became his wife, assistant, promoter, manger and my mother.To be versatileNick's act often included fire eating, slight of hand and otherunique skills in his shows but his true love was escape work. Hepreformed at local Amusement lake parks being bound and chained withhundreds of pounds of chains and locks and was dropped in the waterfrom the parks high dive. His water escapes became a very importantpart of his skill as an escape artist. They were high in demand bythe crowds who waited breathlessly until he appeared on the waterssurface holding his bindings. At times he would also be locked in atrunk after being tied and chained up. The the trunk was also boundwith chains and locks before being tossed in the water.Nick got out ofa straight jacket, beating Houdini's time while being filmed in frontof a live audience. He was tired up, bound, and even bagged by dozensof local law enforcement depts on dozens of occasions with reportersstanding by. Photos show and articles tell of him escaping in lessthan 23 seconds and at times as much a 1 minute to the amazement ofall who witnessed his art.All the whileNick continued collecting locks, keys, handcuffs and door knobs andeven other unique related items. His collection became nationallyknown. He wrote a book on his collection and continued to do escapework and Magic well into his senior years. At the time of his deathNick had accumulated over 4 tons of locks, keys, locking devices anddoor knobs, many which are extremely rare. Shown here are photos, news paper articles and even thank you letters from my fathers manyshows, performances and his last Magic column for the Beacon Journal;The memorabilia, photos, letters, other amazing items including hiscollections are now owned by our family. The entire collection, allarticles, photos, and all else have been in heated storagesince his death in 1990. We have finally decided to offer many ofthem to other collectors. My father'sshows and accomplishments in the Field Of Magic and escapology aswell as the book he wrote on vintage locks and keys were enjoyed bythousands and many remember him still today. His wife Betty was hislife long partner and our mother. My brother and I remember them bothwith many fond memories.This item listed is just one of his life's collected treasures.
