The Jewel Chest of Ching See by Loyd’s

This is Loyd’s  wonderful mini illusion: The Jewel Chest of Ching See.  I featured the Mike O’Dowd’s remake a few years ago and although I found the O’Dowd version quite serviceable there is no doubt this original looks better and works smoother. The Jewel Chest of Ching See itself is most likely derived from the Phantom Die Cabinet offered by Thayer Quality Magic as far back as 1912.

Loyd (Edward Loyd Enochs: 1897-1968) was born in the UK and moved to the Pasadena, California as a young man.  He made some of the finest magic apparatus available during the 1930’s-50’s which was sold through Thayer’s and as Loyd’s Magic.

This Jewel Chest was the inspiration for Richard Gerlitz’s incredible Jewel Chest of Sea-Ling so if you are unable to find or afford Richard’s beautiful version this beauty will help you scratch that itch 🙂

Effect: To acquire the Jewel Chest of Ching See is to own one of the finest pieces of magical equipment on the market. This miniature illusion, built from solid and oneeighth three ply genuine Tobasco Mahogany, with its ebony decorated Chinese Cube, brass rod and red catalin ports, leaves nothing to be desired in appearance.

From the minute it is introduced, accompanied with its clever patter lines, until the solid cube is removed from the borrowed hat, where it visibly and instantly left the cabinet, the rod still intact, holding the spectators’ attention.

IT EMBODIES NO SHELLS-THE CUBE THAT IS PLACED IN THE CABINET, WITH THE BRASS BAR PENETRATING, IT IS THE SAME ONE THAT IS REMOVED FROM THE HAT.

The materials used in its construction has been in our shop since before the war. The quantity yet to be built is limited. Each Jewel Chest comes to you carefully packed, complete with printed instructions, special written patter.

A model representing the greatest and most mysterious theft ever perpetrated in the City of Shanghai. The theft of the Sacred Jewels of Ching See. The Mandrain Ching See, a devout and learned scholar of Confuscious had accumulated a large collection of jewels of fabulous price. These sacred jewels, at his death were placed in a beautiful decorated teak wood chest (represented by the solid block) and placed in the Temple of the Dragons for safe keeping. A simple but effective method of securing the Chest in the framework cabinet, was the introduction of a solid brass bar passing through both.

Two trusted workers held the ends of the bars night and day, but even with this extreme precaution the chest was removed from the Cabinet, the bar left intact, and the chest was found in an upper chamber (represented by the hat).

To this day the jewels have never been recovered, nor the mysterious method of the theft solved. Even Confuscious couldn’t help them. Ladies and gentlemen, I leave the mystery of the solution to you.

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