Alphabet Antic by Alan Warner: rare

Description

Alan Warner’s Alphabet Antics-  one of the harder pieces to find from Alan’s early line of children’s magic.  If you collect “block tricks” it is one to consider as the design is very interesting. Performer shows a large  plain black block and places it onto a thin platform.  He also shows a wooden cover which is painted orange and has a door on the front. The children are asked to drop imaginary letters into the empty cover which is then inverted over the block. Asking them to shout for a white letter “A”, when the door on the cover is opened the block now has a large white letter “A” on one side!.  The door is closed again.

The performer tells the children the block needs some color and displays a wooden case filled with colored pencils. The case is closed and the kids yell the magic word. When opened the pencils are now all white!

Lifting the cover from the block, the block is now a bright yellow with colored ABC letters on all sides. The block is handed for examination.

The original effect included a small wodden rack with colored wands that the children would use to wave for letters/color. Unfortunately the wands and rack (which were not gaffed) are missing from this set . The previous owner used the pencil box instead which actually adds another element of magic to the effect. Fortunately the most important pieces are here: the block/gaff/gimmicked cover and the platform. if the set were complete it would be expected to sell for $1000-1500.  Again perhaps the most rare of the Alan Warner early kids effects.