Colin Rose's 'Money Machine'

Colin Rose's 'Money Machine'...

The Money Machine has been with us since the early 1800’s and to this day holds great affection not just with Collectors but also with ‘Performing’ Magicians because it is so much fun… ingenious and simple to use; it plays on the human frailty of ‘getting rich quick’ and our eagerness to achieve wealth without having to work for it… at its most popular in the ‘Depression’ Years when huge fortunes were lost, it was a cheap trick that could turn the reality of the state of the economy into a joke that everyone could appreciate & enjoy…

As a complete and total fan of Laurel & Hardy and a back story to the project; Colin first became interested in the device while watching one of their old films, so it was inevitable that he would go on to include this in his collection.

In 1942 Laurel & Hardy entered into the World of Magic and shared the screen with ‘Dante The Magician’ in ‘A Haunting We Will Go’…we see the pair bluster their way through a typical ‘Saturday Morning Picture Show ‘storyline as a couple of hobos who spend a night in jail, escort a coffin, spend their last dollars on a Money Making Machine and end up working in a Magic Show with ‘Dante The King of Magicians’ no less…with all the mad cap crazy gags we have come to expect along the way… for the Magicians amongst you, it was interesting to note that most of the magical props used in the film belonged to Dante himself and that before he took to the ‘Road’ with his ‘Sim -Sala-Bim’ Touring Show he was a fine Illusion & Prop Builder himself… a Danish immigrant who settled in the USA who started out in magic as an illusion builder. He co-owned a magic manufacturing company in Chicago called, Halton, Jansen and LeRoy. After becoming a performer and touring as the "Great Jansen", he was chosen by Howard Thurston to run the Thurston Number Two show, and it was Thurston who gave him the name "Dante".

‘Inflato’ the name given to the Money Making Machine seen in the film was our motivation, but it is the earlier French & German Editions we have looked at for our inspiration in style & design…our first edition features Mahogany, Gabon Ebony & Polished Brass with hand turned Finials and Livery… as for the name, well if ‘Inflato’ was good enough for Laurel, Hardy and The Great Dante… it is will do nicely for us.

*The illustrated edition is made from Sapele (Mahogany) with Purple Heart Discs , ‘Bog Oak’ & Gabon Ebony Finials and Polished Brass Livery… all editions may vary slightly subject to wood stocks & availability... but the basic shape,size and style will be the same...