Potter & Potter Auctions
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Magicana of the Golden Age

Sat, Jun 20, 2026 11:00AM EDT
  2026-06-20 11:00:00 2026-06-20 11:00:00 America/New_York Potter & Potter Auctions Potter & Potter Auctions : Magicana of the Golden Age https://auction.potterauctions.com/auctions/potter-potter/magicana-of-the-golden-age-22866
Highlights of this closely-curated sale include remarkable rarities from the golden age of conjuring: a diverse array of Houdiniana, Victorian magic apparatus, relics from the stages of St. George's Hall, rare posters, select modern props, and choice ephemera. Purchase Catalog
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Lot 234

The Change Box.

Estimate: $700 - $900
Starting Bid
$350

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$30 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $200
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
$100,000 $10,000

The Change Box. Lake Forest, IL: John McKinven, ca. 1995. A colored bead is dropped into a turned wooden vase. When poured out again, the bead has changed color. This can be repeated four times, the bead changing color each time. Turned wooden vase height 7 ½”. Hallmarked. Unusual dark finish (likely turned in walnut).

McKinven modeled this vase after a description of Une Boite a Transformations published in St. J. De L’Escap’s Les Secrets de la Prestidigitation, published in 1913. He manufactured perhaps fewer than 12 units.

Condition

Near fine. 

Overall Dimensions
Weight: 2.00 lbs

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