Like so many children of the 60’s, my first introduction to mail order novelties and magic was through comic books, Boys Life and Popular Mechanics magazines. I remember the excruciating four to six week wait for the postman to deliver my loot. The company that got my business was the Abracadabra Magic Shop located in Colonia, NJ. Little did I know that they were a very long bike ride from my home. But I digressed. Upon opening one of my first orders, amongst the gags and tricks, was a free copy of their “Giant Magic Catalog”. Turning the pages of the catalog was a mind blowing, cigar exploding, ring squirting, smoke from your fingertips experience. I can still remember sitting in front of the fireplace thumbing through the catalog thinking “I’ll get one of those and one of those”. I guess I can blame Bob Bokor, proprietor of “The Shop”, for my collection-obsession. We always seem to remember our “firsts”. What was the “first” that started your collection-obsession? Was it a Richie Rich comic book, your amateur magician uncle, a local magic shop or one of the many mail-order companies of the time? Have a Safe and Happy New Year!
