MAGIC TOKENS REFERENCE GUIDE From time to time I get asked, "Do you have any hobbies?" In the last 20 years that I've been collecting Magicians' To which I answer with my list of active interests which Tokens, my means and methods have changed to include includes Magicians' Tokens. computers, websites, email, digital photos, digital scanning, Mylar sleeves, printed adhesive labeling and I could go on The very next question I get after my reply is "What are and on... Basically, numerous changes which have increased Magicians' Tokens?" This brings on my lengthy dialog about the size and quality of my collection tenfold, to my extreme my own confusion as to what they are, from my own pleasure. experience they're anything that resembles a coin type object, There are many different reference sources for the person made from materials that range from wood to gold and who collects Magicians' Tokens and nearly every one of everything in between, used by a Magician in the them are over 30 years old, containing information that was performance of his act / to advertise himself and his act / is thought to be accurate when published. Here we are, 30 specifically made to represent a commemoration to a plus years later and with many more research and Magician or represents a place or event of Magic such communication avenues available. The task STILL is to sort as a Magicians' group (SAM/IBM) or The Magic Castle. through all the incorrect data to get to the good stuff. Sometimes it's an actual numismatic Item which in some cases is counterstamped with something that associates it with The reference that I've heard called the Bible of Magicians' a Magician. Then again, when I made that statement of Tokens or as others know it: Magicians' Tokens and Related definition to David Copperfield his reply was “I think it’s Items: An illustrated check-list, with estimates of values and more than just that”, to which I cannot definitively disagree. rarities (TAMS Journal, Volume 18, Number 5, October 1978 -Part Two)) By F. William Kuethe Jr. This is 34 and For the first 30 years that I collected, there was no such one-half pages containing an alpha numeric listing of 363 thing as "the internet". The closest thing that I had was "the Magicians' Tokens and Medals. sneaker net" wherein data on paper or object in hand was transported via sneakers to wherever it was to go. The documentation of these tokens and medals was begun There was hand to hand buying, selling and trading events by John Mulholland, James B. Findlay, and Edgar Heyl. It known as "Coin Shows" which would sometimes lead me was updated and raised to a new level by Kuethe. My to a person, who knew a person, who had a friend, who'd own original copy of that publication is now safely in my heard of a thing that might be a magician related item... Magicians' Tokens reference library ARCHIVES. and off I'd go in search of that item. Kuethe’s numbering system worked, including his Cross- Searching through the various magic newsletters, Reference Listing. Rather than start a new numbering system, monthly publications or Magic Shop booklets could the pages that follow add three decimal places, .000, sometimes lead to mail correspondence with individuals who were able to provide additional leads to other collectors or after each item listed. What that means is that there are now to Magicians themselves who had tokens. It was always 999 spaces available before and after the originally listed 363 fun and exciting to track down a lead that ended in a new items to insert more items as they become known. All of the token being added to my collection. Composition Codes are left as they were originally because that information has never changed and never will, as they are abbreviations of materials that the items are made from. 1 The next few pages are from the original Kuethe book COMPOSITION CODES because it is information relevant to the rest of the information There are a variety of materials noted in this listing, and the contained herein. Items have been added, changed or deleted following list will cover the abbreviations used: as required for accurate content. A notation has been made with each piece as to what metal it is struck in; where struck in two or more metals, a different ABZ – Antiqued Bronze sub-class is given. For the purposes of this listing, I have used AS – Antiqued Silver the following definitions: BLP – Blue Plastic BPl - Brass Plated Copper (C) - A red-colored element which oxidizes into a BR- Brass rich chocolate brown color: BRP – Brown Plastic BZ- Bronze Brass (BR) - An alloy of copper and zinc, of a yellow color, C - Copper sometimes almost greenish-yellow in tint; CB - Cardboard CH- Chrome Bronze (BZ) - An alloy of copper and tin, often "golden" CN - Copper Nickel CP - Clear Plastic in color. (With those definitions, I feel I must quote no less an CPl - Copper Plated expert than Walter Breen, who has written: "I cannot GD - Gold distinguish bronze from copper by ordinary examination, nor GDPlC - Gold Plated Copper can anyone else; the difference is in alloy elements, GP - Green Plastic particularly tin and/or zinc, but various types of bronzes - GS - German Silver there are many - have similar color both when new and bright GS/GPl - German Silver, Gold Plated - Gilt and when toned by exposure to atmospheric contaminants.") GT/C - Gilt on Copper LD - Lead Nickel-Silver (NS) - A white alloy of nickel, copper and LD/GT - Lead / Gilt zinc; sometimes called German Silver LD/Npl - Lead, Nickel Plated LDplGD - Lead, Gold Plated White Metal (WM) - In writing about magic tokens, Ed. Heyl LDplS - Lead, Plated Silver gave this definition (use it as a guide): "This is a cheap alloy N - Nickel largely based on zinc, gray in color, but usually with a plated NPl - Nickel Plated sur- face, nickel plated in all probability. To determine whether NplBr - Nickel Plated Brass or not a token is made of white metal, balance it on the tip of NPlBz - Nickel Plated Bronze a finger and tap its edge lightly with a coin such as a half dollar. NPlC - Nickel plated Copper If it emits a ring, it is not white metal. If it emits a dull thud, it is." NS - Nickel Silver OP - Orange Plastic Rarity Table # of examples known RP - Red Plastic "By reasonable estimation" PAP - Paper PM - Pot Metal PP - Pink Plastic R-1 OVER – 1000 S - Silver R-2 501 – 1000 R-3 301 – 500 SH - Shell R-4 101 – 300 SS - Stainless Steel R-5 051 – 100 ST - Steel R-6 026 – 050 WM - White Metal R-7 011 – 025 WP - White Plastic R-8 005 – 010 YP - Yellow Plastic R-9 002 – 004 ZN - Zinc R-10 UNIQUE In the lower right corner of the description are given the size and edge codes. The size is measured in mm. The following edge codes are used: R - Reeded edge S - Smooth edge U- Unknown V - Various (see text for description) 2 GENERAL INFORMATION FOOTNOTES: The following remarks apply to all four of the remaining 1. Stanley Collins–Private correspondence to Mr. classifications: Hugall Benedict, England, 8 May,1931. The true value to a collector of items of these types is in the 2. Walter Breen-Correspondence to Prof. William C. attribution to a well-known performer or dealer, and since they Anderson, Selden, N.Y. March 30, 1975. inherently lack identification as such, the precept of "Caveat 3. Edgar Heyl- The Journal of Necromantic Numismatics Emptor" would certainly apply. For this reason, although the Vol 4 #4, October, 1969. coins and/or tokens are listed for the record, no estimate of 4. Edgar Heyl- Magician's Mirror Cards - TAMS rarity or value is given. Journal Vol 7 #3, June-July, 1967. REFERENCES PLATED COINS Mulholland, John- The Numismatics of the Necromancers – These are coins that have been plated by magicians for THE SPHINX, Vol 35 #7, New York,1936. their use, usually for stage work, in order to improve visibility, Findlay, James B. - Conjurers Coins Medals - Shanklin, I.W., or to make the coin appear to be one of a higher value (silver instead of copper, gold instead of nickel- silver). England, 1964 Findlay, James B. -The Magic Circular, various articles from Feb., 1960 thru Sept., 1962. Heyl, Edgar - Cues for Collectors - Chicago, 1964. MACHINE STAMPED TOKENS Kuethe, F. Wm. Jr.(ed) - The Journal of Necromantic A number of magicians have "struck" their own tokens by Numismatics- 25 issues from Jan.,1966 and Oct., 1976. using the familiar token punching machine found in many Goodall III, Max - Numismatic Newsletter, Feb 1979 - Mar 1986 airports and bus stations. Although of interest to the collector, the fact that the A number of articles dealing with magicians' tokens have token is either unique or made in very limited quantities - plus appeared in the Journal of the Token and Medal Society. the possibility that anyone could, at any time, strike a Interested readers are referred to the following issues: similar piece using anyone's name - makes this, in my opinion, collectible only as a personalized novelty. Vol. Issue# Author Subject PLAIN DISCS 4 2 Culver, Virginia Various 9 3 Fuld, Melvin Green River Tokens These are plain discs that are used as imitation coins by stage 9 5 Heyl, Edgar Martinka Tokens performers. At a distance, they appear to be coins, since any Kuethe, Wm. details on a coin would not be recognizable from a stage, and 10 2 Heyl, Edgar Hieronimus Scotus medal the smooth surface of the disc would 11 5 Heyl, Edgar Eugene Bulson Token tend to reflect the spotlight better, giving better visibility.