Examining items in a suitcase brought down from my loft, I have discovered a small cardboard box. It has a 3 pence United Kingdom George VI postage stamp attached to the lid (dating it pre-1950's).

Inside are four dice (ivory, I think and seven-eighths of an inch square. Two of the dice are normal i.e. 1 spot opposite 6, 2 opposite 5 and 3 opposite 4. One of the remaining dice has 1 opposite 2, 3 opposite 6 and 4 opposite 5. The final die shows 1 opposite 2, 5 opposite 5 and 6 opposite 6. There are no instructions or any description of the effect. However.......

........hand-written upon the lid are the words, "Screwy Dice" Ralph Hull.

If anyone can shed any light on these dice (you will be someone in your seventies or eighties!) I would be very grateful! Thank you in advance.

Leslie

The dice are most likely Bakelite. As to the effect I can only give you the general premise but I do not have the routine. A popular effect with dice has been the changing of the spots on the dice using a turnover move and that is what you are most likely to have. The two dice are the normal examinable dice and using a choreographed routine with the other dice the spots on the sides would change as you show the tops and bottoms. That is all the information that I have and I am relying on your description and my knowledge of effects popular at the time to determine the trick that these were most likely used for. Perhaps it is a place to startand I hope this helps.

The dice are not Bakelite, they are are either ivory or perhaps bone but I think the former. Thank you for your input, I have had a few additional suggestions, some on the same lines that you proposed but no one so far has said, "I remember Ralph Hull's Screwy Dice!"

When I get the answers I'll post them here.

Thanks again.

Leslie

There are ways to test the dice but it ruins them. I say Bakelite because much at the time was Bakelite but bone was generally the alternative. I find it hard to believe that a dealer at that time would be including the more expensive Ivory dice for a marketed effect. If they are not Bakelite I would say bone. While I am not familiar with an effect by Ralph Hull called Screwy Dice I have found information online suggesting that he had an effect called Goofy Dice. I hope this helps as well. Take care, Craig

Posted: Sep 17, 2010 12:18am
One additional thought. I keep coming back to this because I know I came across it in my readings but it was quite some time ago and I wish I could remember where it was. The description I remember was that the routine would be the reverse of what I described. Instead of beginning with the misspotted dice you begin with the normal ones which are seen as normal and perform the routine using the turnover mentioned in my prior post. At some point the odd dice are rung in and it appears that the spots have been moved on the dice. Take care, Craig

Hi Craig,
I appreciate your interest and observations. The dice may be considerably older than the early fifties. I merely mentioned the stamp on the box to indicate that this was not a new item. Whatever the material used, the dice have yellowed with age so I do feel pretty confident that they are not Bakelite.

Thanks also for your suggestions regarding the effect. I too have seen references to Ralph Hull's 'Goofy Dice' and wondered if it was the same trick.

The investigation proceeds!

Leslie

Good luck and let me know what you find. If I come across additional information I will let you know. Take care, Craig

Just FYI: white bakelite yellows with age. Only if they were still white after all these years you could rule out bakelite based on color alone.

There is a very common misconception about the various materials that are/were used for dice, piano keys and other things that looked like ivory. Many people who salvage the key covers from old "turn of the 19th - 20th century" pianos think they are getting ivory. About 99 times out of a hundred, they are getting "composition." This is a term that applied to all sorts of different synthetics, from celluloid to various forms of bakelite. Antique dealers have non-destructive ways of telling the real ivory from the fakes.

Well we have pretty well explored the composition of the dice! Thanks gentlemen for your input. But what I really want to know is what to do with them (no cheeky answers please!).

Is the Screwy Dice effect the same as Goofy Dice? Both seem to be credited to Ralph Hull and is there a printed routine?

Answers to me on a £5.00 note (I'll also take dollar bills! - in fact I would prefer dollar bills - these days they are worth more!).

Leslie

Leslie,
Have you seen this old thread from the Genii Forum from 2004? In the third to last post Paul Chosse (I'm fairly certain it was him based on the way he used to "sign" his posts, even though the post is labeled "Anonymous") discussed Hull's "Goofy Dice". Sounds like what you describe.

Genii Thread

Thank you so much! I hadn't seen that before and do believe we are getting closer. Whilst not exactly giving the routine or the precise handling, everything said seems to match up with my set of dice.

I'll continue searching but at least I have something to 'play' with!

Thanks again.

Leslie.

N.B. Perhaps the term 'Screwy Dice' was created for the U.K. market?

Forgot to mention: googling "Goofy Dice" shows that Ron Bauer is/was planning to release something on this trick. You may want to contact him for more information.

Ron Bauer's Site

Thanks - I'll check it out.