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Before Amazon or ebay or even the Internet, there was mail-order. All manner of businesses issued catalogs. Some were thin, monthly affairs while others were phone book-like behemoths issued annually. Magic suppliers were no different and for decades catalogs from Abbott’s, Tannen’s and others teased magicians with line drawings and glib descriptions of thousands of tricks, gags and gimmicks. Many magicians, young and old, would anxiously await the latest catalog from their favorite store and spend hours, even days, carefully leafing through its wonders.
From now until this weekend ebay user gatewaymagic is a pile of magic catalogs from Abbott’s (including #6 issued in 1940), Louis Tannen (1989 with Henning on the cover), Magic Inc, EZ Magic and more. All auctions start at $5 with $4 media rate shipping. Many of these catalogs top 400 pages, so shipping may be a bit slow. There are 20 different listings, some with multiple catalogs. If you want to check out these pre-Internet treasures troves of tricks, visit the gatewaymagic ebay page.