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Fezzes worn and signed by legendary magician Tommy Cooper could sell for thousands at auction after appearing in Norfolk – just like that!
Two of the star’s signature red hats from the 1960s were taken along to a routine valuation event at The Rostrum saleroom in Roughton, Groveland. TV antiques expert Charles Hanson was on hand to assess items, and he was stunned to discover the showbiz memorabilia.
Charles, owner of Hansons Auctioneers which includes The Rostrum, said: “What a find, and I made it just like that! The fezzes were brought along to my debut valuation event in Roughton. I’m a huge fan of Tommy Cooper, a comedy-magic genius who entertained millions. After the Second World War, he became one of Britain’s best-loved entertainers.
“But it was during the war that his fez became his emblem. Legend has it he was performing for soldiers in Cairo, Egypt, when he reached out and borrowed a fez from a passing waiter. It got such laughs it became his trademark. It added a visual fun element to his comical expressions and lumbering 6ft 4in frame and he never performed without one. The prop is now regarded as an icon of 20th-century comedy. To find not one but two fezzes was magical for me. One is inscribed: ‘Just like that 1965’. The other inscribed: ‘To Dan (?) Many thanks Tommy Cooper’.
“The owner was thrilled to learn they could make between £2,000 and £3,000 each under the hammer. In 2010 a Tommy Cooper fez achieved £4,750 at auction. It never ceases to amaze me what people have tucked away at home. The hats date back to Tommy’s entertainment heyday. They were gifted to the seller’s family around 30 years ago. Sadly, Tommy is no longer with us but his magic lives on and his fezzes will be coveted, possibly by fellow magicians.”
The Norfolk seller said: “The fezzes have been treasured for decades by my husband. In the 1990s a customer at our old family restaurant in the seaside town of Cromer in Norfolk gave them to us. My husband and all his family were Tommy Cooper mad. That’s why the lovely customer gifted them to us. We have sold the restaurant after more than 40 years and decided it was time to part with the fezzes.”
Tommy Cooper was born in Caerphilly, Glamorgan, Wales, in 1921 but his family moved to Exeter, Devon, when he was three. After receiving a magic set from his aunt at the age of eight, he spent hours mastering tricks.
In 1940, with WW2 under way, he was called up as a trooper in the Royal Horse Guards, serving for seven years. He joined Montgomery’s Desert Rats in Egypt, became a member of a Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI) entertainment party, and developed an act where his tricks failed for fun.
After the war, Tommy took his magic show on tour and gained international prominence thanks to shows on London Weekend Television and Thames Television. Sadly, his career ended tragically. By the end of the 1970s he was smoking and drinking heavily. On April 15, 1984 he died at the age of 63 in front of millions on live TV after suffering a heart attack.
Charles said: “Tommy was taken from us all too soon but the fact that his fezzes command significant prices 40 years after his death underlines his impact and the affection still felt for him today. He developed a unique act which continues to inspire magicians and performers. We expect strong interest in the fezzes. I hope this will be the one of many great Norfolk finds following Hansons’ expansion into the county in June.”
