Hello All:

I have a question about the Don Alan Egg Can sold by Mak and/or UF Grant. I've bought quite a few of these through the years and they've always been sold as a canister with an obvious and painted bottom. In the routine, the magican apparently cracks an egg into the can, puts a piece of cardboard over the mouth, turns the can over, and at the end of the routine reveals the standard tumbler full of candy or whatever.

Recently, I've bought two older models that are made very much like a Chink Can. Perhaps, Grant and/or Don Alan presented the apparatus as a tube instead of a canister. The bottom is recessed and painted flat black which tells me it's made to look like an open mouth of a tube.

I'm curious if anyone has an older model and if that's the origianl intent. All modern models are made so the apparatus looks like a canister with an obvious bottom - probably, because it's easier to paint that way.

Any insight will be appreciate much. Unfortunately, neither of the two models I purchased have instructions.

Ron

Sounds like you really got a couple of sets of smaller chink cans.

Hi Harry:

Thanks for the reply. They were two separate purchases and each has the thumb hole that the standard Egg Can has, so I'm confident they're Egg Cans.

Ron

I have two egg cans from twenty years ago. Both have the recessed bottom you describe. I carried this item direct from Mak at the time and that is how they were producing them...

Interesting thought on the "tube" concept...

ajp

Having verification from Andrew makes this a bigger mystery for me. The recessed end AND the hole makes it sound like a hat loader. Maybe a little re-assignment of a surplus supply?

I like Ali Bongo's "Bongo Bloom" version.

If memory serves me correctly, the original Grant Don Alan Egg Can did have a recess bottom, this was one of the 1st tricks for stand up kid shows I purchased. I performed the trick as instructed in the instructions. There was no mention of why the prop had a recess bottom.

But thinking back, if you note the glass bottom was painted flat black. So, with that in mind, anyone glancing into the top of the can, would see a recessed surface before the card was placed on the can.

I do not think the intent was at all to make the can look like a tube. Possibly more of a matching of each end. I owned an original Grant product, not a Mak Magic product.

Later Ali Bongo come out with Bong Bloomer and switched to that version, same trick only uses an opaque glass and spring flowers for the ending on the spectator's head, instead of a glass of candy or treats.

I think Bill is spot on. That is the same reasoning that I came up with and have always believed, so Bill must be correct!

Of couse the answer could have been as simple as, it is easier to manufacture a recessed bottom by wrapping a sheet of steel around the base then to attach it any other way. Also the recess gives some added strength to the can.