This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/25/2018
Wilson, Dr. A.M. “Wilsoniana” Magic Trick Display. 1930s. Two magic props owned and used by Dr. A.M. Wilson, magician and editor of The Sphinx, comprising a gimmicked cards used to secretly drop coins into a glass tumbler, and a nickel plated tube used to exchange or vanish playing cards. Contained in a modified cigar box display case with glass top, bearing portraits of Wilson, “Wilsonisms,” and the masthead of The Sphinx on its top and sides. Box warped and worn, but intact. The items are accompanied by signed notes from Wilson’s son, Norman, attesting to their provenance. Wilson was an assistant to and pupil of Robert Heller, but after an unsuccessful attempt to become a full-time magician himself, became a doctor, pharmacist, and minister. He edited The Sphinx for nearly three decades, and is often remembered for coining the phrase, “Magic is an art that sometimes instructs, often amuses and always entertains.”