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Drew Manning Special user Dallas, Texas 913 Posts |
I did once get an antique night club dove vanish at a flea market. It was marked as "old magician's box" for like $25. The load bag was badly damaged and that piece showed signs of wear, but was overall a good deal. The people at the register asked me if I knew what it was. I told them yes. They got a little miffed with me when I refused to explain.
The only other good story I have is how I managed to accquire 3 boxes full of antique props. About 10 years ago, I was searching on line for original copies of Tarbell. I came across an antique book dealers site and emailed him to ask if he or could locate any. Well, he emailed me back and said that while he did not have any, he knew what I was talking about as he had made his living as a magician in the 1940s and had a few boxes of props left in his attic that he was willing to sell because he wanted them to go to someone who would value them rather his kids who would have sold them at a garage sale. The old man said I'll send you a box and you look through it and if you like what you see, send me a check. I did that and I was glad I did! The first box he sent had a P&L chick pan in good shape, a P&L copper lotta in fair shape, and a P&L vanishing wand in it's original box along with a box of shells. It is only missing the instructions, other wise I would have called it mint. There were other misc stage props in there. I paid $75 for the lot. The second box he sent had Abbott's Hippity Hops, appearing fish bowls, a chrome card in balloon frame and other misc items. Again, all he asked for was $75. The third box was a vanishing head chest and again all he asked was $75. I feel lucky to have been able to accquire such neat display pieces for such low prices.
I live my life for a layer of ice
Just like those poured by my bartender vice Any taste of vermouth would be really sublime, When you have a good martini time! -The Reverend Horton Heat |
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
The best luck I have ever heard of regarding unexpected bonuses happened about 1975 or so in the Tampa area of Florida. A fellow and his son had gotten word that a storage facility was auctioning off various items that had been left behind when their owners either stopped paying rent or assumed room temperature.
One item was supposed to have belonged to a magician. It was a long day at that auction. It went on for hours. The last items were the belongings of the magician. There were, if memory serves, 18 trunks and/or cases in all. The auctioneer asked for bids. Only the fellow and his son were bidding. So they bid $5.00. They told the auctioneer that nobody else in the crowd was interested in the stuff, so that bid should cover the whole lot. The auctioneer was tired, but agreed to it. When they got the boxes home, they turned out to be the property of Tampa the Magician, who operated one of the Thurston franchises. Among the items was a complete, original, Kellar-Thurston levitation -- complete with the Otis elevator company markings on the castings.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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Don Loyal user 215 Posts |
I once went into a used book store and on the shelf in the back was a complete set of Tarbell books all seven volumes. The price was like $30.00 for all 7 volumes. My heart fell down to my feet. I made the purchase as fast as I could. All volumes were in mint shape. They were like $4.00 a book. I left voulume one there since I already received that volume as a graduation gift. I should have purchased it also and sold it. The books had nameplates in them. I still have them to this day.
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
That's very lucky.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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Lawrence O Inner circle French Riviera 6811 Posts |
By the type of family rumors that one can never trace, I knew that my mother is collecting small objects made of boxwood. A couple of years ago, at a flea market, I ran across an old syringe (around 1910) with its original boxwood box and bought it for a few French Francs and gave it to my mam for Christmas. She didn't even know that there had been boxwood containers made for syringes and was so much the more thrilled by this anecdotal present that she didn't know of me being aware of her little collection. So, she decided to show me her collection that she is keeping in an elegant display. It turned out that, amongst the hundred or so boxwood objects she gathered, she had several magic small apparatuses: two ball and vase naturally, a coin box with two covers (one for the bottom and one for the top with a round cardboard moving bottom), a kind of millet vanishing small vase where one could press on the top for the millet to secretly flow in the the lower part... and two or three other small apparatus of the same kind.
Since my mother had always been wary of my early taste for magic, which she considered as a "need to hide things from others" and to "perform lies in public", I secretly found it ironic and didn't comment on that part of her collection.
Magic is the art of emotionally sharing live impossible situations
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
That was a wise decision. However, you certainly could surprise her at a family gathering by performing a bit of magic, impromptu, with an item or two from her collection.
;)
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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Lawrence O Inner circle French Riviera 6811 Posts |
Actually, I improvised for her a reduced version (I didn't have an extra ball or one of a different color available) of Mike Gallo's routine, producing my cell phone from the vase as a climax, just to show her what kind of effect the ball and vase was for.
;)
Magic is the art of emotionally sharing live impossible situations
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mumford Special user 652 Posts |
Years ago I saw an article in a local paper with a photo of an opened Scotch and Soda, and the headline was 'Coin Collector Finds Spy Coin.' The collector bought some coin collection and accidentally discovered the Scotch and Soda, which obviously, he had no idea what it was. The article theorized that this hollow was used by spies to smuggle microfilm!
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Etienne:
That must have provoked a strong reaction! mumford: I remember when that happened. The news went all around the country. Some magician exposed the trick so the Feds wouldn't try to bust anyone, but instead of telling the Feds, he took it to some of the local media.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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mumford Special user 652 Posts |
I seem to remember hearing his real purpose in getting publicity for the rare "spy" coin was to drive the price up at an upcoming auction. Maybe the guy knew all along what he had?
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
He kinda blew it once he revealed that it was a common conjuror's prop.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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mumford Special user 652 Posts |
A lot of folks get cold feet or feel guilty following through on their dreams when they know in their heart their "spy coin" dreams are a scam.
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electric.ceu Regular user I can't believe I have 130 Posts |
I bought a P&L Ching Soo Firecracker kit at a magic club auction. The magician I bought it from said it was missing the fake firecracker that goes in the Silver tube. I bought it for $2.00 and figured I could possibly get somebody to make a fake for me. After about a year, I was looking at the silver tube and I stuck my finger into it. Guess what? The fake was inside. Boy, they make those things good. I've performed the trick many times since, usually around the 4th of July.
Timothy James
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mtpascoe Inner circle 1932 Posts |
When I was a kid, my uncle came home once and showed us a quarter that was broken in three spots. He thought this was the darndest thing. Upon examination, I knew right away that it was a folding quarter. Some magician must have accidently spent it and the rubber band broke leaving it in three sections.
I gave him a quarter and took my prize. |
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
The "spy coins" are really rather humorous. Before 1964, it was illegal to alter US coinage. This changed when the dollar was allowed to float. Up until then, gold had a fixed price of $32.00 per ounce and silver was about $1.00 per ounce. When the dollar was allowed to float, the mint started issuing those clad coins that were (according to Johnson) rather difficult to make gaffs from. They really aren't, though. I've made some /\/ quarters from clad coins. [ s are a little different, though.
In any case, the first time I saw a headline about a "spy" coin it was in the 1970's, and the newspapers went all excited about this thing showing up in some kind of vending machine. It was a scotch and soda. A couple of weeks later, some local magician tipped the gaff. The newspaper reporters thought that someone was violating the law bigtime. Sorry, no laws being broken. Also, no big prices fetched at auction.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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funsway Inner circle old things in new ways - new things in old ways 9982 Posts |
In 1958 at the Reno, Nevada Magic Circle there was a box of donated props and gimmicks for a number of magicians. They were available for everyone to use or play with. When we had to move to another meeting place many wanted to throw the 'junk' out, so I offered to buy the whole thing for $3.00. I got a little pair of scissors that won't cut a ribbon if you hold it in your left hand, but will if held in your right; a bottomless glass with a glass disk that fits in the hole, and a paring knife with a hole in the handle for a bill in lemon or something, and a coin slide wrapped in a yarn ball the size of my head. Well, I used everything in there except that knife until 2001. I tried to fit a rolled bill in the hole but it wouldn't fit. I dug around inside and found another bill crammed deap down -- a $20.00 gold certificate!
"the more one pretends at magic, the more awe and wonder will be found in real life." Arnold Furst
eBooks at https://www.lybrary.com/ken-muller-m-579928.html questions at ken@eversway.com |
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
So you made a profit on that deal!
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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Anverdi-museum Inner circle 1195 Posts |
A buddy of mine noticed a colorful magic prop on a neighbor's porch for a yard sale, I went over and looked around then non-chalantly asked about it. She said it was a candle holder of sorts, it was the MAK Deceptive Square Circle, ex. cond. Not major find but only costed three dollars. You just never know!
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Not quite the same thing, but the late Phil Thomas and some other magic collectors had heard (several decades ago) that the widow of an amateur magician had a load of props she wanted to dispose of. So they went to visit her. The attic was full of boxed P&L, Thayer, Owen, etc., all in perfect condition. They decided to make her an offer. So one of them said, "How about $300 for all of it?"
She replied, "You mean that's all you want to haul all of this stuff away?" They explained that they would pay HER and not the other way around.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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Parson Smith Inner circle 1937 Posts |
I never made a "find" in magic props.
I was 16 years old when my mentor passed away. His wife gave me his magic collection. His linking Rings and what he had taught me paid for my first two years in college. The very best deal I ever had in magic was meeting and being able to spend time with Bill Palmer. Peace, Parson
Here kitty, kitty,kitty.
+++a posse ad esse+++ |
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