Blue Phantom. German, ca. 1925. A blue checker, held on a nickeled rod with several yellow checkers, moves through the stack from top to middle to bottom when covered with a decorated tube. Spun metal base, nickeled upright, and marbled paper cover; overall height 18", checker diameter 4". A large, handsome, and early example of this now-classic conjuring prop. Hans Trunk, an Austrian magician, invented The Blue Phantom in 1924, originally titling it ?The Blue Wonder.? The prop gained popularity once Thayer Magic Mfg. of Los Angeles began producing it in the 1930s.