Select Secrets: Rare & Important Magicana

Slydini (Quintino Marucci). Slydini’s Own Cups and Balls Set. Brooklyn: Connie Haden, ca. 1960. Set of three finely spun silver cups for the ancient magic trick in which the balls appear, vanish, transpose, and multiply. With four crocheted balls and two final load balls crafted by the mother of Bob White, noted Texas sleight-of-hand and school show magician. Height of cups 3”. Owned by Tony Slydini, Michael Skinner, Roger Klause, and Bill Palmer. This set appears to be of the popular Paul Fox design, but was in fact spun by Brooklyn magic builder Connie Haden, best known as a maker of gimmicked coins, as well as Channing Pollock’s Vanishing Bird Cage. Originally intended to be marketed as “The Slydini Cups” by Tannen’s, this first set was gifted to Slydini. But the cups were never endorsed by Slydini, who did not perform the Cups and Balls. As such, Slydini gave the set to Michael Skinner, who later gifted them to his friend Roger Klause. Only a handful of sets were manufactured.