Select Secrets: Rare & Important Magicana

Martin Glass Through Hat. London: Jon Martin, 1940s. A glass tumbler, resting on a tray held by the magician’s assistant, is covered by a silk handkerchief. A silk hat is balanced atop the covered glass and then, on command, the hat ever-so-slowly descends toward the surface of the tray, finally coming to rest flush against it. Reaching inside the hat, the performer removes the glass. Finely made dural aluminum mechanism with push-button activation in the tray; double lazy-tong arrangement and slow-release device effecting the penetration. Tray painted black and red, with vintage patterned cloth cover. Tray 23 x 17”. Paint chipping, one corner bumped, else very good. Rare. A feature trick in the acts of many vaudevillians – perhaps most notably, Herbert Brooks – the Glass Through Hat was a popular effect for decades. Special tables by Conradi and others were later supplanted by the classic P&L candlestick model, for years a popular dealer item. This model is, undoubtedly, the finest version of the apparatus ever constructed, and like all of Martin’s props, the work of a truly talented builder.