Anyone know the history of this effect?.....Was the Okito checker cabinet first ?
This is my favorite tube type trick and started to think about who what where when why and how this became a classic.......... Thanks, Cardone

I believe that the Okito checker Cabinet was first and that the so-called classic Orange Rice Checker Cylinders are the "poor mans" version of the trick.
There is a chapter in Greater Magic on the history of the Okito Checker Cabinet.
I believe one of the Hoffman books details a set of cones that is used to transpose a quantity of rice or bran and an orange so perhaps this trick combined with the Okito checker Cabinet was the impetus for the Orange Rice Checker Cylinders we have today.
Does anyone still perform this trick?
I acquired an old set a couple of years ago. I refinished them and created a routine which I've performed a few times. When I performed it at our local club and a small regional convention several people came upo to me to say that they had often seen this trick in catalogues but had never seen anyone perform it.

Why be modest Payne....you won 1st place performing that effect. Folks, it looked great! Brian

I have seen Spellbinder doing a variation on this effect that he created as a demonstration of Wizard magic. He replaced the orange with a crystal ball, the rice was sand from an hourglass (representing time) and the checkers were not called checkers, but had the signs of the zodiac on them (there were 12 of them in the stack). If anyone is interested, you can go to the Magic Nook Forum and ask him to describe his routine in more detail.

I do not know the history, however we have been performing it for more than 20 years. It's a great piece.

David Seebach has a HUGE custom-made, one-of-a-kind set made by Owen's. It's beautiful.

Thayer originally offered the "Rice and Checker Effect" as a step-up or alternative to their catalog item " Here, There, or Where" which was supplied with a bottle instead of a stack of checkers...

We did it in spook shows over 50 years ago (Francisco's Midnight Show) and it went great using rice, and orange and a bottle from a passe set.

Max Howard has a great routine using Rice, Orange, and Checkers. I believe he has it in his video.

I find the Rice, Orange and Checkers to be a classic that should be performed, if anything, for the beauty of the props. Does anyone have any information regarding how the effect got its name? I always found the items used-an orange, rice and checkers- a quirky mix of items.

The combination of rice, an orange, and a stack of checkers was surely devised in conjunction with a story that would have accompanied it, but also likely due to the fact that the objects lent themselves appropriate based upon methods devised. It's a good question. Thayer was likely the first to market the effect as ROC, and likely as an amalgam of previous tricks, as noted by others above. Thayer also marketed a lesser known version that used a bottle in place of one of the three items. I'll dig that info up and report back later.

See my post above Is that what you were referencing, Michael?

Julie

Yes! Forgive my overlooking that.

Mak Magic created their own their own version for us poorer folks:)Any opinions about this set?

It works!

If anything, the props do add a presence to the stage.

I have had ROC for over 30 years, and I love performing this effect. With a little appropriate music in the background I perform ROC with nary a word being said. Many people had never seen it performed and mention that to me after my show was completed. IMO, it's a classic effect, beautiful in it's simplicity but also astounding to the audience.