Travelling Blocks by Viking Mfg.

The Travelling Blocks, Baffling Blocks, or ABC Blocks began life as The Filtering Block Illusion manufactured by Floyd Thayer c. 1929 and invented by William Wisnewski c. 1928. It has been a popular item with many craftsmen and dealers ever since including: Conradi-Horster, Okito, Abbott’s, Mel Babcock, and Viking Mfg. (Notice: in Thayer’s ad c. 1929 they are using swastika’s which for thousands of years had been used as a peace symbol in various Eastern religions.  This of course was before they were adopted by Adolf Hilter and the Third Reich.)

This set from Viking Mfg. is beautiful and when it came out was amazing value for the money.  Bright colors and flawless execution.

Effect: Three solid blocks colored blocks with holes thru centers, are stacked one on the other over a rod rising from a neat base stand. Blocks are then covered with a handsome tube or chimney, and when this is lifted, the center block is seen to have vanished, and is reproduced from a borrowed hat (a la Dice Box.) The stand, blocks, and cover are Unprepared. Cover is shown empty at all times. The block that vanishes from the stand is shown before and after to be absolutely solid as well as the other two.

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