The condition of being lost in thought • Absentminded dreaming while awake • An abstracted state of absorption
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Wednesday afternoon session at Dean Dill's
Dean and Pete Biro were the only ones there so far. We added to the mix and the fun started. Pete showed us a neat billet loading letter opener. His good pal Joe Porper made it. Marty showed up, then John Lovick and Shoot Ogawa. Shoot did a nifty bit making it look like a bunch of coins and silverware were magnetic. It was a clever routine with a lot of nice little touches. I first saw Shoot at an LMVI a few years ago, some of his magic was stunning. It's a shame we had to leave, it would have been neat to get to know him a little.
Cups du jour
This is a very rare (perhaps unique) set of brass Conrad Haden cups. Connie Haden cups have become extremely difficult to find and are highly prized by both collectors and cups and balls workers. This set was was made by Haden for Gene Devoe over forty years ago and had been in Bob Stevens' collection from the 1960's until I obtained them in six or seven years ago. They have slightly different contours than the so-called Slydini cups that Haden had crafted a few years earlier (they are a tad larger and have somewhat less rounded beads around the middle), but like all of Connie Haden's apparatus, they are beautifully made. I have never seen another set quite like them. A wonderful addition for any magic collector or cups and balls worker.
Sold for $697
Cups du jour
Offered for sale here on eBay are a set of three original Paul Fox chrome cups. These are the self-same cups that Rafael Benatar has been using in performance for the past two years. These cups have been gently used and never abused. Two of the three cups have a couple of dents and dings in them and although I have tried to capture them in the photos they are hard to see.
They in no way detract from the working of the trick, nor do they detract from the overall aesthetics of the cups. If the high bidder so desires, Rafael will send him or her an autographed picture or his signed cups and balls DVD. The reserve price reflects half of the cups actual value. This is a rare opportunity to purchase a set of highly sought after original Paul Fox cups that have a performance history attached to them, having been used by one of the best cups and balls magicians of modern times.
Rafael has a nice big smile on his face because this set of cups sold for a nice $1,125
Cups du jour
Snagged this pic and description off of ebay
Vintage Magic - Zina Bennett Cups & Balls
Perhaps best recognized for his marriage to Suzy Wandas, Zina Bennett was an accomplished performer in his own right. A skilled surgeon, Bennett had large and dexterous hands which allowed him to manipulate and even back palm jumbo cards(!) He was active in the Detroit magic clubs and was a regular at Abbott's Magic Get Together.
This set of cups was Doc Bennett’s personal set. They measure a bit more than 3 1/2 " tall and 2 3/4" at the mouth. Although they are unmarked, they are likely P&L. Curiously, it’s a mismatched but identical set of 2 copper cups and one brass (or so it appears). I've cleaned them up but they're still oxidized in certain places, probably from years sitting on the shelf in the small theater that Suzy and Zina had in their basement in Detroit.
Sold for $586
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Last week
I started a post last week about going to the Castle and having a blast, seems like ancient history by now. Rewind to last Wednesday night after the Aaron Fisher lecture, at the Castle in a real good mood. Cocktails and conversation flowed freely over card tricks. Howard Hamburg raved about a couple of guys I had to see. I was treated to the magical stylings of a cat named Dani DaOrtiz and his pal Christian Englbom.
Always a pleasure to see students of the Ascanio/Tamariz Spanish style of card magic. Lots of action, fluid motion and deception. Evidently they had spent the afternoon at at Dean Dills slaying the gang with trick after trick. My favorite thing Dani did was a flawless version of the three card monte using a method I had never seen. Quite good.
We closed the Castle, then sessioned in the parking lot for a while. An old friend from years ago came up to me and asked me if I knew who he was. I was at a loss, which I usually am in these situations. His name is Ori and he is an Israeli Magician. He lived here in LA at the same time as I did in 86/87 now he’s in Tel Aviv. Matt Herbert, Daniel the street magician, Ori and I went to Mel’s Drive in for breakfast. Matt bought us a nice meal and another hour or so of jamming on magic. A good time was had by all and I got home a bit after 4AM.
There now that that’s out of the way we can move forward again into the past as yesterdays session at Dean Dills is another story.