for Kevin, houdini's bolt

Hi Kevin, I was just at you great site and saw the link to the Houdini Bolt #320553780473 I tried to post at your site but could work out what was needed, so I came here.

The bolt is a mediums prop and is fitted tru a hole in a upright post for a medium (or large) to be tied to. With a twsit the medium can walk free from the post and do spiritual effects behind a curtain and then return and lock themselves back to the post.

As far as I am aware, the hex nut is more recent design change and the patins of the bolt doesn't look old.

I have seen another bolt of this type in another collection and I would say that this a modern (1940's-1950's) copy.

I even see that the seller has been quiz on the history and offered added details and his word that it is from hardeen at least (no doubt-his words)

I would like to hear others oppinions as the the method of manfacture, patina and hex nut ( I know nuts can be lost and replaced!!?)
Ian

Ian,

Thanks! I just checked the site and it is working. All you have to do is click "comment" and enter your name and email address. Your email won't be published publicly.

I would appreciate if you could copy your above post and paste it over in the blog.

Thanks again,
Kevin

Hi Kevin, I was just at you great site and saw the link to the Houdini Bolt #320553780473 I tried to post at your site but could work out what was needed, so I came here.

The bolt is a mediums prop and is fitted tru a hole in a upright post for a medium (or large) to be tied to. With a twsit the medium can walk free from the post and do spiritual effects behind a curtain and then return and lock themselves back to the post.

As far as I am aware, the hex nut is more recent design change and the patins of the bolt doesn't look old.

I have seen another bolt of this type in another collection and I would say that this a modern (1940's-1950's) copy.

I even see that the seller has been quiz on the history and offered added details and his word that it is from hardeen at least (no doubt-his words)

I would like to hear others oppinions as the the method of manfacture, patina and hex nut ( I know nuts can be lost and replaced!!?)
Ian

Click to expand...

Spirit bolts were sold for a long time. They are mentioned in books and magazines. The Philadelphia magic dealer Thomas Yost was, apparently, the inventor of at least one spirit bolt. They were mostly used to tie the spiritualist's hands to a post. Render the medium helpless to use his hands in the dark.
Ads for them go back to the turn of the century, at least.
Yost sold magic equipment and invented some good effects. He also made magic props. There was a Yost Spirit bolt. I wonder if this could be one.
As late as the thirties, ads appear for "the new style spirit bolt."
One thing that might have changed was a square nut for a hexagonal nut.
When these things were actually manufactured, I don't know.
Now, it is a neat old thing.
I have no idea what it might be worth. The fellow selling it seems like a nice enough guy, but, he understands that he has a family story about his dad getting this trick bolt from a fellow magic collector who had obtained several items from Hardeen, including a milk can. The man told this seller's father it had belonged to Houdini.
So, it has a family story, which is interesting, but, offers no evidence at all.
This might be a good item for somebody who was going to toss $299 out his car window anyway and who wants to be able to show this item and say, "the guy I bought this from got it from his dad who got it from a magic collector who obtained it from Hardeen, Houdini's brother, and it was understood that it had belonged to Houdini."
Any evidence it was owned by Houdini?
As the seller admits. None.
So, what it is worth as a magic or spiritualism antique? Leaving the possibilty that Houdini once owned it out of the equation.
Its age matters.
But, we know that there are guys out there who will say that anything that is old enough in the magic and escape department belonged to Houdini.
This seller assures us that he is not one of those guys. Let's say the buyer believes the story.
This will not help him if he tries to resell this prop.
This item can never be definitively linked to Houdini.

Hi Kevin, I was just at you great site and saw the link to the Houdini Bolt #320553780473 I tried to post at your site but could work out what was needed, so I came here.

The bolt is a mediums prop and is fitted tru a hole in a upright post for a medium (or large) to be tied to. With a twsit the medium can walk free from the post and do spiritual effects behind a curtain and then return and lock themselves back to the post.

As far as I am aware, the hex nut is more recent design change and the patins of the bolt doesn't look old.

I have seen another bolt of this type in another collection and I would say that this a modern (1940's-1950's) copy.

I even see that the seller has been quiz on the history and offered added details and his word that it is from hardeen at least (no doubt-his words)

I would like to hear others oppinions as the the method of manfacture, patina and hex nut ( I know nuts can be lost and replaced!!?)
Ian

Click to expand...

Very cool topic.
I have never seen nor heard of this before.
How many different types are there?
Do they all work the same way?
Thanks for bringing this "new" topic up. I hope it leads to other similar effect discussions!

mark
O--O

Hi Kevin, I was just at you great site and saw the link to the Houdini Bolt #320553780473 I tried to post at your site but could work out what was needed, so I came here.

The bolt is a mediums prop and is fitted tru a hole in a upright post for a medium (or large) to be tied to. With a twsit the medium can walk free from the post and do spiritual effects behind a curtain and then return and lock themselves back to the post.

As far as I am aware, the hex nut is more recent design change and the patins of the bolt doesn't look old.

I have seen another bolt of this type in another collection and I would say that this a modern (1940's-1950's) copy.

I even see that the seller has been quiz on the history and offered added details and his word that it is from hardeen at least (no doubt-his words)

I would like to hear others oppinions as the the method of manfacture, patina and hex nut ( I know nuts can be lost and replaced!!?)
Ian

Click to expand...

Some work this way, releasing with a half twist, others are threaded and unscrew, and still others are fitted with single or double spring bayonette catches that can compress allowing the bolt to separate.

Steve Santini

Hi Kevin, I was just at you great site and saw the link to the Houdini Bolt #320553780473 I tried to post at your site but could work out what was needed, so I came here.

The bolt is a mediums prop and is fitted tru a hole in a upright post for a medium (or large) to be tied to. With a twsit the medium can walk free from the post and do spiritual effects behind a curtain and then return and lock themselves back to the post.

As far as I am aware, the hex nut is more recent design change and the patins of the bolt doesn't look old.

I have seen another bolt of this type in another collection and I would say that this a modern (1940's-1950's) copy.

I even see that the seller has been quiz on the history and offered added details and his word that it is from hardeen at least (no doubt-his words)

I would like to hear others oppinions as the the method of manfacture, patina and hex nut ( I know nuts can be lost and replaced!!?)
Ian

Click to expand...

Hi there are different forms as has been pointed out. My opinion that the one on ebay is a later one is based on not as much how it works but how it was machined to achieve this. Glad to have brought something different to the table.

Ian

Hi Kevin, I was just at you great site and saw the link to the Houdini Bolt #320553780473 I tried to post at your site but could work out what was needed, so I came here.

The bolt is a mediums prop and is fitted tru a hole in a upright post for a medium (or large) to be tied to. With a twsit the medium can walk free from the post and do spiritual effects behind a curtain and then return and lock themselves back to the post.

As far as I am aware, the hex nut is more recent design change and the patins of the bolt doesn't look old.

I have seen another bolt of this type in another collection and I would say that this a modern (1940's-1950's) copy.

I even see that the seller has been quiz on the history and offered added details and his word that it is from hardeen at least (no doubt-his words)

I would like to hear others oppinions as the the method of manfacture, patina and hex nut ( I know nuts can be lost and replaced!!?)
Ian

Click to expand...

here goes another bargain from the same sellerhttp://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-antique-han ... 500wt_1154

Hi Kevin, I was just at you great site and saw the link to the Houdini Bolt #320553780473 I tried to post at your site but could work out what was needed, so I came here.

The bolt is a mediums prop and is fitted tru a hole in a upright post for a medium (or large) to be tied to. With a twsit the medium can walk free from the post and do spiritual effects behind a curtain and then return and lock themselves back to the post.

As far as I am aware, the hex nut is more recent design change and the patins of the bolt doesn't look old.

I have seen another bolt of this type in another collection and I would say that this a modern (1940's-1950's) copy.

I even see that the seller has been quiz on the history and offered added details and his word that it is from hardeen at least (no doubt-his words)

I would like to hear others oppinions as the the method of manfacture, patina and hex nut ( I know nuts can be lost and replaced!!?)
Ian

Click to expand...

interesting because after my initial post, I recieved a private email to say that this seller had tried to sell handcuffs and offered photos with poor descriptions and known named cuff with photos of Indian made stuff. Odd.

Hi Kevin, I was just at you great site and saw the link to the Houdini Bolt #320553780473 I tried to post at your site but could work out what was needed, so I came here.

The bolt is a mediums prop and is fitted tru a hole in a upright post for a medium (or large) to be tied to. With a twsit the medium can walk free from the post and do spiritual effects behind a curtain and then return and lock themselves back to the post.

As far as I am aware, the hex nut is more recent design change and the patins of the bolt doesn't look old.

I have seen another bolt of this type in another collection and I would say that this a modern (1940's-1950's) copy.

I even see that the seller has been quiz on the history and offered added details and his word that it is from hardeen at least (no doubt-his words)

I would like to hear others oppinions as the the method of manfacture, patina and hex nut ( I know nuts can be lost and replaced!!?)
Ian

Click to expand...

The fake india darbys are Crap ...a dime a Dozen here at NY fleamarkets and thru out the world of Ebay.
The Spirit Bolt on the othert hand , may be of some value as well as historical importance.

Quite possibly the persom to get in touch with may be Sid Radner as I believe i may have see such a item at the Now Burned to the ground (F&%K !!!)
Houdini Magical Hall of fame that was based at Niagra falla, Canada.

Still another is the lovely lady and some one that may be able to offer some insight is Francis Willard daughter of Willard the Wizard, as she used
to perform the Spirit cabinet w/ her father...Different methology but she may be able to offer some historic insight on the Bolt...as would Glen Falkenstein and even Joe Fox, both based in LA



MICHAEL LEE