THOMPSON, Johnny (1934 - 2019). Johnny Thompson's Egg Bag. Specially-sewn black cloth bag owned and used by Johnny Thompson for his performance of the venerable Egg Bag effect, in which an egg, placed in the bag, vanished and reappeared repeatedly, even when the bag was in the hands of an audience volunteer. Bag approximately 7 1/4 x 7”. Sold together with a a blown eggshell used by Thompson.

The Egg Bag, a centuries-old trick, was perhaps Thompson’s best-known routine. Incorporating elements taught to him by Charlie Miller, Harry Riser, and other contemporaries, Thompson’s memorable lines of patter—“Do you see the snow white egg in the dark interior? Do you feel the egg in the bag?”— made for an equally memorable performance, and one that he passed on to his own students. Thompson used black Egg Bags for parlor and close-up work, and a maroon bag onstage.