vintage magic – MagicShow.Tips

Vintage Magic!

Magicians always ask me where I get a lot of the vintage magic props. I seek them out while I’m travelling. When I was performing in Napa, CA I found someone with a box of magic from the 1970’s. Here’s a quick video of it:

@louiefoxx Hunting for Vintage Magic Tricks #magictricks #magic #treasure ♬ original sound – Louie Foxx

Honestly, this box was just “meh” for me. There’s one thing that I want for my personal collection.

I am kinda excited to try to 3d print the gimmicks the two die boxes. It shouldn’t be too hard and they’re not complex shapes. The challenge will be making the hinge for the yellow die, but even that shouldn’t be too difficult.

For fun, I had AI make me a painting of the magic props on the desk of my hotel room.

The Brotherhood of Magicians!

I was going through a box of old magic and found a membership application for The Brotherhood of Magicians. This was also signed by the founder/president George Closson!

brotherhood of magicians - george closson

This predates the International Brotherhood of Magicians by many years. It’s a cool historical piece, I just wish it was in better condition.

-Louie

Thrill of the Hunt!

People always ask me where I find all of the vintage magic stuff that I own or sell. Some of it comes from conventional things like digging through bins at magic shops or magic auctions. Then the unconventional things like garage sales or whatever.

I just paid $15 for this box of magic and I’ll pick it up later today. I just happened to be doing a show in the town where it is.

It looks like mostly junk from the picture, but at $15 for the whole box, I’m willing to lose that on the very low odds that there’s something worthwhile inside.

Personally I really like the excitement of not knowing what’s in the box! It’s like searching for treasure. I will say that I have no problem throwing away the junk, and I think that’s where a lot of magic collectors go wrong, they keep everything even the junk and end up with a garage full of crap.

Personally I’m a collector, not a hoarder…despite what my wife thinks!

-Louie

Magic Collector Expo

The only magic convention I’m going to this year is the Magic Collector Expo. My wife says I’m officially an old man that I’m going to this instead of one that’s got the “latest and greatest” stuff. I do like those conventions, but this one worked with my schedule as most other magic conventions are in the summer that is my busy season.

This convention started yesterday as in at The Orleans casino in Las Vegas. I got into town yesterday just in time for the first session. The sessions here are mostly historical talks or things relevant to collectors.

Personally I really like these types of talks. The speakers were telling personal stories of their relationship with the people and collections. I like that style of presentation more than a totally historical talk about someone that’s been dead for 150 years. I will still watch and enjoy the purely historical talk, I just prefer when the person is telling personal stories.

I really liked Bill Schmeelk’s talk about how he got into working as a machinest and doing that for Owen Magic, John Gaughan, and starting Wellington Enterprises! I really like the stories about the different personalities and what they quirks were and the “conflicts” that different builders had with each other.

I use Rich Marotta’s Rat Trap trick, which is one that Wellington used to make. Unfortunately as far as I know that prop is currently unavailable.

After the sessions I made it to the dealer room. I’ll write about that another time. If you’re into vintage props and the stories behind them, you should check out one of these expos!!

-Louie

Magic Collector Expo

Today I’m travelling from New Orleans, Louisiana to The Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas for the Magic Collector Expo!

I’ve realized that I’m officially an old magician because I’m going to this. It’s also a sign that I’m into the history of the magic tricks and props. I’ve always been into the history, but the props is a more recent thing in the last decade or so. I’ve always been into the old magic props, but having the money and space to collect and display them has only been about the last 10 years.

This should be a fun few days and if you’re at the expo, be sure to say HI!

-Louie

Another Vanishing Bird Cage

My Vanishing Bird Cage collection just grew by another cage. This one popped up on eBay for $35 and I grabbed as soon as I saw it.

Without seeing it in person, I don’t know who made it or if its actually from the 1940’s. However for $35 it’s a gamble I’m willing to take.

Looking at the solders on the “U” joints in the pictures and the dimensions gives me confidence that this isn’t a cage from India, and I’m really hoping what is pictured is what will show up in the mail.

Another clue is in one of the pictures you can see the top of an instruction sheet that says: AN N.M.C. PRESENTATION ROUTINE. That would imply this is a cage that was sold by the National Magic Company.

We’ll see what shows up in the mail. Unfortunately I’ll probably be out of the country performing when it shows up, so I won’t be able to see it for a week or two.

-Louie

The Story of One Card Pete – Elmer Applegate

I love finding old magic, and recently I found something really cool (I”ll post about it another day), but inside of that there was a folded up piece of paper. This is from the mid 1940’s and it had the typed routine for Elmer Applegate’s The Story of One Card Pete!

Elmer Applegate's The Story of One Card Pete

This is a routine for a six card repeat style where you have five cards, take away one and still have five. It’s an interesting routine, and the patter is rhyming. Jeff McBride has a really cool version of it and worth trying to track down the video of.

-Louie

Another Vanishing Birdcage!

I recently aquired a new vanishing birdcage!

There’s a couple of interesting things about this vanishing bird cage. The big thing is that the corners are upside down, the wires are on the inside of the cage and not on the outside.

The corners also feel longer than they need to be, and it turns out that’s a characteristics of YIMKA vanishing birdcages. All of the pictures of them that I’ve now seen have longer corners than most cages.

After a chat with Doug Edwards who is the Vanishing Birdcage guy, it appears that YIMKA made cages with the corners upside down and the standard way. YIMKA also stamped his cages, but not all of them. The cage I have is unstamped, but based on what I’ve learned, I’d say my new cage is probably a YIMKA!

One of the fun things for me is the detective work and figuring out what I’ve just bought!

-Louie

It’s a Warren Simms Vanishing Bird Cage!

A couple of days ago I posted about a new vanishing birdcage. It was sold to me as a Sherms Vanishing Bird Cage. It turns out it’s a Warren Simms Vanishing Bird Cage!

vanishing bird cage info by doug edwards

Thanks to the super knowledgeable Doug Edwards!
He also informed me that the “T” stamped on mine meant it was sold through Tannen’s Magic in New York.

It’s always great to learn new things!!!

-Louie

Milson Worth Silk Cabby

Over on TikTok I post a lot of videos of vintage magic trick and a recent one was of my Milson Worth Silk Cabby. There are two ways I do these videos. The first is EXACTLY how the instructions say, then if I don’t have the original instructions, I try to add a little bit to the the basic function of the trick.

Here’s what I came up with for the Silk Cabby:

@louiefoxx A look back at the 1980’s #magic #1980s #magictrick #scarf #silk #milsonworth #vintage #magician #how #what #theend #louiefoxx #illusion #magiciansoftiktok ♬ original sound – Louie Foxx

So the trick has a little bit of a routine, besides the standing production. It’s got three vanishes and then the kicker ending. I was trying to maximize how much I could get out of the Silk Cabby beyond just a production of a lot of silks.

I think it came out well.

Also if you’re on TikTok, follow me at: https://www.tiktok.com/@louiefoxx

-Louie