Magician David Copperfield bought one of three Charlie McCarthy dummies used by ventriloquist Edgar Bergen for $112,500 at a Sotheby's auction of celebrity items in New York Saturday.
Copperfield, who submitted a successful phone bid for the dummy, said in a statement he had started his career as a "bad ventriloquist" before turning to magic.The dummy, made in 1936, was the second of three McCarthys used by Bergen. The original is in the Smithsonian.
Copperfield also bought a collection of Fred Astaire formal attire for $8,500. Another buyer bought Astaire's top hat and cane, valued at an estimated $2,500 to $3,000, for $23,000.
"I consider Fred Astaire, along with Gene Kelly, the greatest magicians of all time," Copperfield said. "What they did with their art is more magical than any other magician."
A Munchkin costume from "The Wizard of Oz" sold for $10,925. According to Rob Levine, Sotheby's specialist on Hollywood and Rock 'n Roll memorabilia, the "townsman" coat with tails was valuable because of its detail, including birds wired on the back.