This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/16/2018
Hofzinser 52 Card Rise Box. Cincinnati: Joseph Young, ca. 1999. A pack of cards is placed into the elegant gold-trimmed black box. At the command of the magician, any card called for rises from top of the box. No forces are required; truly, any card rises on command. Intricate internal brass and steel mechanism. 9 x 8 x 6 ½”. With charger, printed card guide, and tools and instructions as provided by the manufacturer. Good working condition. One of three units constructed. The original Hofzinser card rise was constructed in the 1840s for the master Vienese parlor magician, Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser. Hofzinser’s version, now in the Library of Congress, operated with a 32-card pack, and its working was problematic at best. Joseph Young, an aerospace engineer, was challenged to manufacture this 52-card model by William McIlhany. He constructed two models requiring an electrical motor, and one entirely mechanical model.