I thought this was a good day to introduce you to my Grandfather, the man who originally collected all the wonderful items I blog about. Carl Backus was a man who could hold many interests and study them all passionately and thoroughly. The same dedication he had to collecting all of these vintage magic items as a boy could be seen in his love of photography, study of philosophy, and travel (he toured the country with my Grandmother, Florence, in an Airstream- how cool is that!?).
My Grandfather also had a love of technology- he helped supervise the nation's first microwave installation, which carried the first network television signals across the country. In his later years, he taught himself to use the computer, and even at 90 years old he was often seen researching something online, or scanning his huge collection of photographs and articles for further preservation. I think he would have really been happy that I am able to share his collection of vintage magic items with an online community- he loved passing on knowledge and his interests to others!
He always sent me clippings and books of whatever I was interested in, and always made me feel loved and welcome, even though he was miles away. He passed away just last November at the age of 95. It was a bittersweet passing- we all miss him so much, but were happy he could be with my Grandmother, who had passed some years earlier.
You can read more about Carl via the memories of his family on
his tribute page.
I was curious about the size- it looked really large. Gene told me that the trumpet is 29 1/2 inches extended, and 11 inches collapsed!
Today I learned that a houlette is the name of that frame magicians will place their cards in to do rising card tricks. There are hundreds of them still on the market, but I was after the Thayer one mentioned in this ad. After some looking, I think I found an example of both this and the card box from yesterday!
...and wow....those are expensive.
I was able to find a few card changing boxes and trays on the market. There is this new version, which is a clear box, and this one- which is being sold as an antique box, although they do not have a date or maker for it. I looked through a few auction sites, and as of right now, no one has the Thayer box described in this ad.
And here is a look at the other pieces I was able to find in the box!
Looks like I have just about everything except for the instruction book- but that still might be in here somewhere. Thanks again Reina for your stellar detective skills!
