The Chinese Bit

Your doorway to those rare collectibles that everyone is searching for: books, props, posters, cards, and paper ephemera are all here for you to buy and sell.
User avatar
erdnasephile
Posts: 4762
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm

The Chinese Bit

Postby erdnasephile » February 11th, 2018, 5:25 pm

Who owns the copyright to make "The Chinese Bit" coin set? Is it considered a public domain design, and therefore, legitimately available to many manufacturers or can it be only legitimately purchased from one dealer? If so, whom?

Thanks!

User avatar
Richard Kaufman
Posts: 27047
Joined: July 18th, 2001, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Theodore DeLand
Location: Washington DC
Contact:

Re: The Chinese Bit

Postby Richard Kaufman » February 11th, 2018, 5:44 pm

I don't know how many times we have to repeat this, but tricks are ideas and they cannot be copyrighted. Only the written, photographed, or videoed expression of the trick may be copyrighted.

So, there is no copyright to own in order to make a trick. A company might say they own the "rights" to the trick, meaning they purchased the idea from someone who originated it, or someone who worked for the company created it while employed by them.

As to exactly what those "rights" mean legally today, I could not hazard a guess.
Subscribe today to Genii Magazine

User avatar
erdnasephile
Posts: 4762
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm

Re: The Chinese Bit

Postby erdnasephile » February 11th, 2018, 5:49 pm

Yes, my use of the term copyright was wrong.

I do wish, however, to purchase from someone who properly owns the rights (if this is not considered public domain).

Jonathan Townsend
Posts: 8704
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Westchester, NY
Contact:

Re: The Chinese Bit

Postby Jonathan Townsend » February 11th, 2018, 5:59 pm

The routine is a ken brooke item. The post coin gaff ... an Eddie Gibson question?
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

User avatar
Q. Kumber
Posts: 1851
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Tom Whitestone

Re: The Chinese Bit

Postby Q. Kumber » February 11th, 2018, 6:01 pm

To my knowledge credit goes to the late Eddie Gibson who developed the manufacturing technique, and, as far as I know, made them all.
A few years ago he made up some for me with Irish pennies.
I'll have to check but I think the original presentation that came with the instructions was by Joe Riding.
If anyone is going to Blackpool, see Dave Charles at Hocus Pocus Magic in the dealers' hall. He sells them and uses the original presentation. Dave has been trading under that name for decades and has nothing to do with the American dealer of the same name.

Eddie Gibson made the coins for Ken Brooke.

Jonathan Townsend
Posts: 8704
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Westchester, NY
Contact:

Re: The Chinese Bit

Postby Jonathan Townsend » February 11th, 2018, 6:23 pm

Yes, the routine was Joe Riding's (patter about being in the RAF etc) - credited as such. The post gaff... tough call. Is there a contact/delegate for Eddie Gibson's tricks?
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

User avatar
erdnasephile
Posts: 4762
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm

Re: The Chinese Bit

Postby erdnasephile » February 12th, 2018, 3:32 am

Thanks to all for the information. Re: Eddie Gibson. There seems to be a website, http://www.eddiegibsonmagic.net/ but it appears it hasn't been updated for years.

As far as the post coin, I own a post gimmick made by Tommy Wonder, but didn't think at the time to ask him the origin of his particular gimmick.

User avatar
erdnasephile
Posts: 4762
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm

Re: The Chinese Bit

Postby erdnasephile » February 12th, 2018, 3:50 pm

What is the correct lineage of these related gaffs?

Did Connie Haden's 2C/1S gimmick directly inspire Presley Guitar's C/S/B gimmick?

How does Fred Lowe's Duo-Change gimmick, which apparently led to the Chinese Bit fit in? (I have only read about Fred Lowe's involvement, but have never seen the gimmick---is it the same as Connie Haden's?)

Bill Mullins
Posts: 5911
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Huntsville, AL
Contact:

Re: The Chinese Bit

Postby Bill Mullins » February 12th, 2018, 5:44 pm

From an Eddie Gibson ad in Abracadabra, 12/25/1976:

"Ken Brooke's Magic Place hold NO RIGHTS to this piece of coin equipment known as the "CHINESE BIT". It is MY ORIGINAL IDEA, PERFECTED and MANUFACTURED by myself. Until JUNE 1976 I supplied it to this "Establishment". I NO LONGER SUPPLY THEM. This COIN ITEM is not — as Ken Brooke says in his ads, and his routines —a development of a very fine coin trick invented by Conrad Hayden. Nor is it a development of a trick named "Duo Change". No similar "Post Coin"existed before I designed this one."

Brad Henderson
Posts: 4546
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: austin, tx

Re: The Chinese Bit

Postby Brad Henderson » February 12th, 2018, 6:28 pm

oh, snap!

User avatar
erdnasephile
Posts: 4762
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm

Re: The Chinese Bit

Postby erdnasephile » February 12th, 2018, 8:04 pm

Hi, Bill:

Thanks for bringing that to light. It certainly is in contradiction to what I found written in "Ken Brooke's Magic Place."

User avatar
erdnasephile
Posts: 4762
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm

Re: The Chinese Bit

Postby erdnasephile » February 12th, 2018, 8:35 pm

Luis Piedrahita using a Todd Lassen "China Bit":




Wow!

Jack Shalom
Posts: 1368
Joined: February 7th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Brooklyn NY

Re: The Chinese Bit

Postby Jack Shalom » February 12th, 2018, 9:40 pm

The old C-S-T gimmick


Return to “Collector's Marketplace”