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Pair of Harry Houdini's personally-owned J. J. Tower ‘double lock’ steel handcuffs, with each locking shackle ring measuring about 4˝ across, which are attached by a single 1.5˝ link. Mounted with an engraved plaque, an original glossy publicity photo, and a signed certificate of authenticity from noted Houdini collector Sidney Radner, dated September 17, 2004, all of which are framed together to an overall size of 16.5 x 24.5. The irons exhibit trivial wear to plating, and the included key is rusted.
Houdini came to international fame as an escape artist beginning with his 1900 tour of Europe, where he challenged local police departments of each city he visited to restrain him. Houdini, of course, inevitably escaped, and he became famous as the 'King of Handcuffs,' or, more simply, Harry 'Handcuff' Houdini. A fantastic relic from the legend's personal collection.
John J. Tower patented a ‘double lock’ design in 1879, which was his most successful attempt at reducing the possibility of escape due to the inclusion of two lock settings and a tightening of the fit of the cuff’s closing mechanism, which prevented the possibility of the prisoner (or magician) from shimmying their way out of the cuffs through the gap.
