Wanted: Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants

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.
Guest

Wanted: Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants

Postby Guest » August 6th, 2002, 11:23 pm

Please contact me if you know how I can get a copy of his 1996 HBO special :)

Terry
Posts: 1303
Joined: January 18th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Kentucky

Re: Wanted: Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants

Postby Terry » August 7th, 2002, 5:03 am

There is someone on EBay who is selling copies. Don't know if they are legal or not though. Some discussion here on Genii that previous copies were "promo/advertising" copies.

User avatar
MaxNY
Posts: 1349
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Jeff McBride
Location: Warwick, New York
Contact:

Re: Wanted: Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants

Postby MaxNY » August 7th, 2002, 6:42 pm

I got that, what have you got to trade? Any old metal thumb tips? Old Hat coils? Cat's Wiskers? Beaver Skin Top hats, minus the Skin? Tomorrow's news? Rare Blaine out-takes...sorry I already have that.
How about some Ricky Jay on an old Doug Henning special... in broadcast condition? Or Ricky Jay on some Morning show breaking the world record for scaling cards? What have you got to trade? Any old magic sets? Asteroids? Uncut Ivory?
I also got him on some half-hour show doing cards, from back in the 70's.Got any baseball cards of Bill Lee? Green Lasars? Pet Rocks (still in original box)? Any powder from Rings and Things that makes your palms really HOT?

Frank Yuen
Posts: 594
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Winfield, IL

Re: Wanted: Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants

Postby Frank Yuen » August 8th, 2002, 2:00 pm

There is someone on EBay who is selling copies. Don't know if they are legal or not though. Some discussion here on Genii that previous copies were "promo/advertising" copies.
I remember those posts but I'm pretty sure the ones on eBay are bootleg copies. The same one or two people always have it for sale and the description always reads how they happened to come across a copy at a convention. Quite frankly, I'm still not convinced that there were "promo/advertising" copies released. I had never seen a copy show up on eBay at all until the last six or seven months in which at least a dozen or so copies have gone up for auction, kind of odd if you ask me.

Frank Yuen

Bill Mullins
Posts: 5913
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Huntsville, AL
Contact:

Re: Wanted: Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants

Postby Bill Mullins » August 8th, 2002, 7:42 pm

Without commenting on the legitimacy of Ebay tapes, I'm pretty sure that HBO had a catalog listing for copies of the special when it was 1st broadcast (winter of 96-97).

About 1-1/2 - 2 years ago, someone was selling copies of Darwin Ortiz's tape of demos of card sleights -- the one he made for his gambling consulting clients. He had so many that I thought he might be running them off. But the one I got looked legitimate in every way.

I used to work for a store that sold used record albums (an antique medium of vinyl, used to hold pre-recorded music <G>). We often would get "promo" copies from folks who were "connected" with the industry, and often they would have multiple copies of a single album. Don't assume from the circumstances that the Ricky Jay tapes are bootleg -- they may well be legit. But then again, maybe they aren't.

I remember a story of someone informing Jay of a seller who had digitized "Cards as Weapons" and was selling CDs. Jay's attitude(as I recall it; all of this is second hand) was since the book isn't in print, it didn't really bother him that someone was making it available this way. Maybe he doesn't care about the HBO special (although maybe HBO does . . . ).

More on records --- One night, Ann and Nancy Wilson (of the rock band Heart) were recording something down the street (the record store was a couple blocks off Music Row in Nashville), and were short on cash and needed "beer money". They grabbed a stack of promo copies of albums laying around the studio and came in and sold them. This was circa 1979, before Ann got so big, and was still HOT (Nancy has always been, and is still, real fine). I was 16 or so, and it messed me up for several days . . .

Frank Yuen
Posts: 594
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Winfield, IL

Re: Wanted: Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants

Postby Frank Yuen » August 8th, 2002, 10:29 pm

Without commenting on the legitimacy of Ebay tapes, I'm pretty sure that HBO had a catalog listing for copies of the special when it was 1st broadcast (winter of 96-97).
There very well could be legitimate copies but from reading the eBay ads, it sure doesn't seem as if these are. Some of the descriptions make a point of explaining away the lack of packaging for the tapes as if to try to take away from any suspicion the buyer might have that it is an illegal dub. Though promo tapes might not have any bells and whistles in the packaging, I would think that copies that HBO sold in their catalog would have a proper case/box. Again, the sudden appearance of these tapes on eBay makes me suspicious. However, if there are legitimate copies available, I wonder if they contain the entire show as there were a few pieces cut from the show that actually aired. Does anyone know?

I remember a story of someone informing Jay of a seller who had digitized "Cards as Weapons" and was selling CDs. Jay's attitude(as I recall it; all of this is second hand) was since the book isn't in print, it didn't really bother him that someone was making it available this way. Maybe he doesn't care about the HBO special (although maybe HBO does . . . ).
I keep a pretty good eye on eBay and the one time that I saw a digitized "Cards as Weapons" on eBay, it ended up being pulled from the auction block. There has been a rumor that "Cards as Weapons" is going to be reprinted so having an illegal digitized version floating around probably wouldn't be appreciated.

Frank Yuen

Guest

Re: Wanted: Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants

Postby Guest » August 9th, 2002, 5:50 pm

You'd think that there was enough interest in RJ and his 52 Assistants that Mament would do a good job taping the full show and put it up for sale. RJ is currently doing a different show.


Return to “Collector's Marketplace”