Summer Magic Auction

Bob Swadling’s Magic Kettle. A metal teakettle which enables the magician to pour four different beverages at the request of audience volunteers. Designed and constructed by Bob Swadling and performed by Paul Daniels on British television in 1979. Mechanically complex. In good working condition. With a letter of provenance from Swadling. Daniels, who performed for decades on British television and was one of the nation’s best-recognized stars, publicly commented to his fellow magicians on the clever nature of this marvelous version of “Any Drink Called For,” and specifically the remarkable method behind his version of the trick. The very apparatus he used is now being offered for sale for the first time..The effect, popularized by no less than John Henry Anderson and Robert-Houdin, proved to be just as popular when Daniels presented it over a century later. It remains so today, and is featured in the repertoires of several top professional magicians. In Daniels’ performance, audience members seated at a bar, behind which the magician stood, were asked to call out the names of drinks they wished to sample. Daniels then produced them – all of them, no matter the varied nature of the libations requested – from the kettle in his hand, one after the other, immediately passing them out to the audience for verification. This item is being offered by Bob Swadling from his personal collection. All proceeds from the sale of this lot, including buyer’s premiums, will be directed to a fund set up in benefit of Sebastian Midtvaage for the costs of his cancer treatment and healthcare.