$9,000
Climax Coin Stand (Coin Ladder). Philadelphia: Carl Brema & Son, ca. 1920. Coins from the topmost platform disappear and cascade one after another down the face of the ladder, dropping into a glass on the felt-covered platform below. Metal stand and devil's head ornament with finely nickel-plated frame, upper and lower platforms, and columns. 36 x 10 x 10" assembled. With original packing case monogrammed for magician J.W. Brooks, former member of I.B.M. Ring No. 112 (Chattanooga, Tenn.). Rare. [Buffum, The Brema Brasses, pp. 122- 23]. Employing an automatic sand-powered delay mechanism, Brema boldly advertised its coin ladder as "the finest piece of apparatus of its kind ever produced self-contained, mechanically perfect, no string pulling, no assistant." Advertisements for the costly piece appeared in a variety of magic periodicals in 1919 but ceased soon thereafter, suggesting low demand and limited production.
Auctioneer:
Potter & Potter
Date:
2016-10-29
