3 reviews for Jewel Chest of Sea-Ling by Richard Gerlitz
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Jewel Chest of Sea-Ling by Richard Gerlitz
(c. 2002) (Submit Review) (Submit Update)This is Richard Gerlitz’s beautiful re-imagination of Loyd’s wonderful Jewel Chest of Ching See that was first advertised for $25 in Genii Magazine in November 1944 (Vol. 9 – No. 3), but in fact was available c. 1935. The Chest of Ching See itself is most likely derived from the Phantom Die Cabinet offered by Thayer Quality Magic as far back as 1912. In the Thayer Catalog #8 of 1936 the price for the Phantom Die was just $12.50. Owen’s also have produced an outstanding Phantom Die Cabinet that was advertised in the 1997 catalog for $650. Mike O’Dowd also created a version of the Jewel Chest of Ching See c. 1979 and you can see a video of the original handling on this page.
But all of them pale to this rare and magnificent treasure released by Richard Gerlitz in 2002. This was one of Richard’s early releases and he only created ten sets. This Jewel Chest and Richard’s stunning Butterfly Boxes are by far my favorites. Not only has Richard created a stunning piece of apparatus to look at, he has also improved the mechanics and made it smoother and quieter and created a significantly more interesting routine involving the theft of Sea-Ling’s treasure.
These almost never come up for sale because there are only ten in the world and there are way more avid Gerlitz collectors out there, so when they do become available you need to move. Hard to believe in 2002 these only cost $795. Expect to pay a lot more than that today.
Highly Recommended for anyone who loves perfect and beautiful apparatus that will last a lifetime and appreciate in value too.
Story: The greatest and most mysterious theft ever perpetrated in the city of Shanghai – – the theft of the Sacred Jewels of Sea-Ling. The Mandeurian Sea-Ling, a devout and learned scholar of Confucius, had accumulated a large collection of jewels at a fabulous price. These Sacred Jewels at his death, were placed in a beautiful decorated Jewel Chest: and placed in the Temple of Dragons for safekeeping.
A simple but effective method of securing the Chest in the Temple was the introduction of a solid brass bar passing through both. Two trusted coolies held the ends of the bar day and night. Even with this extreme precaution, the Chest was removed from the Temple, the bar left intact, and the Jewels vanished. To this day the Jewels have never been recovered, nor the mysterious method of their theft. Some say Sea-Ling figured out a way to take it with him.
Effect: An ornate cabinet is shown with a decorative jewel chest locked in plain view. The chest is removed, filled with jewels, reinserted and locked into the cabinet. In a flash, the jewel chest visibly vanishes leaving the cabinet empty with the lock bar still in place.
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Approx. Price: $2100.00 (2018) ***
Notice: I am not a dealer and this item is not for sale on this site. It maybe available in the links below or at our sister site: qualitymagic.com, but not from here so please do not ask.© Martin's Magic (unless otherwise stated). All Rights Reserved.
Andy Martin –
What can you say about the magic of the Amazing Gerlitz?
Buy it, sight unseen! Richard makes very beautiful and minutely detailed magic. He spends a great deal of time on every aspect – and as a result gets closer to perfection than any other manufacturer building quality magic today (well almost any!). He is building his own world class collection of magic and as such won’t settle for second best. In the process he builds 10 other pieces to justify the effort. A few lucky people manage to pick up his creations for their own collection. I consider myself very lucky to be able to afford his magic and to be quick enough to get my order in before they are all gone. This piece is another treasure. Check out his web site for full details and how to buy one!
George Guerra –
Incredible Stuff!!
This is museum-quality magic..The engineering and workmanship is first class as are all of Richard’s high-end magic. The fact that they are very limited productions adds to the uniqueness of these pieces. LOVE IT!!
Andy Martin –
This is Richard Gerlitz’s beautiful re-imagination of Loyd’s wonderful Jewel Chest of Ching See that was first advertised for $25 in Genii Magazine in November 1944 (Vol. 9 – No. 3). The Chest of Ching See itself is most likely derived from the Phantom Die Cabinet offered by Thayer Quality Magic as far back as 1912. In the Thayer Catalog #8 of 1936 the price for the Phantom Die was just $12.50. Owen’s also have produced an outstanding Phantom Die Cabinet that was advertised in the 1997 catalog for $650. Mike O’Dowd also created a version of the Jewel Chest of Ching See c. 1979.
But all of them pale to this rare and magnificent treasure released by Richard Gerlitz in 2002. This was one of Richard’s early releases and he only created ten sets. This Jewel Chest and Richard’s stunning Butterfly Boxes are by far my favorites. Not only has Richard created a stunning piece of apparatus to look at, he has also improved the mechanics and made it smoother and quieter and created a significantly more interesting routine involving the theft of Sea-Ling’s treasure.
These almost never come up for sale because there are only ten in the world and there are way more avid Gerlitz collectors out there, so when they do become available you need to move. Hard to believe in 2002 these only cost $795. Expect to pay a lot more than that today.
Highly Recommended for anyone who loves perfect and beautiful apparatus that will last a lifetime and appreciate in value too.