24: Expanding Die. Greenwich Connecticut, John McKinven

Expanding Die. Greenwich Connecticut, John McKinven, 1968. A small cube, set on a platform raised above the stage, instantly and visibly expands to many times its original size at the command of the magician. When the die is then raised from the platform, a woman makes her appearance from underneath. Complete, including covering, mechanisms, wooden packing case and typewritten instructions. Not tested. Sold as-is. Perhaps one of the most difficult and yet most fascinating tricks in the history of conjuring, the Expanding Die was invented by the great French magician Joseph Buatier de Kolta. Based on plans in Will Goldston’s Exclusive Magical Secrets, John McKinven finished his reconstruction of de Kolta’s apparatus in 1968, and performed it in 1969 at the annual I.B.M. convention to great fanfare. Irene Larsen was produced from the die at the conclusion of the routine.