This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/14/2024
Card Ladder. New Haven: Petrie & Lewis, ca. 1940s. Three cards are selected from a pack, which is placed in a wooden houlette at the top of the ladder. The cards then cascade down the length of the ladder underneath the card holder. The cards fill a bowl at its base. But the three selection cards remain on the ladder’s rungs, each at a different position. Height 54”. Mechanical operation. With prepared cards, forcing deck, and an elaborate packing case custom made for the ladder to hold it securely while in transit. Includes instructions (both written and on DVD), and a letter from the former seller tracing the provenance of the prop including its purchase from Harold Martin, who stated that he obtained the equipment from the Petrie family. The letter also states that several elements were made later (not by P&L) to complete the apparatus. One of only a handful of these devices crafted; RARE.