This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/29/2022
FU MANCHU (DAVID BAMBERG). FU MANCHU’S FLOATING BALL. Mexico: Edmund Spreer, ca. 1960. A golden ball sits on display in a clear chest bound in brass. On command, the lid of the box opens of its own accord, and the ball then floats up and out, and around the stage, obeying the directions of the magician. The ball then returns to rest in the cradle inside the chest, and the lid is closed. Fanciful box with motor-driven electric lift to activate the lid; gilded ball with a diameter of 8 ¾”. Said to have been the property of Fu Manchu (David Bamberg). One crack in lid of chest, else very good. The Floating Ball, invented by David P. Abbott, became a trademark trick for Okito and Howard Thurston, both of whom learned the routine and handling from Abbott. The ball trick became a signature routine for Okito (more so than Abbott), and he later taught it to his son, Fu Manchu.