All righty then. Here's my set. Mostly cheapies, but a few nice pieces:



Back row, L to R:
SBL Super Shibbies, copper
Jim Sisti Working Professionals, brass (original run, pre-RNT2)
Johnson brass
Morrissey Monti-style aluminum
?? maybe Ravel aluminum (bought at Al's Magic Shop, late 1990s)

Middle row, L to R:
RNT2 La Petite stainless steel
?? probably Morrissey aluminum (once again at Al's--my main working pocket chopper for the past 10-12 years)
RNT2 Little Don copper (newest member of the collection)
Unknown full-size chop cup, aluminum

Front row, L to R:
Marbled super ball, Party Depot, Falls Church, VA (load for La Petite)
Cat toy, Giant Supermarket, Vienna VA (load for aluminum pocket chop)
Lemon, Magruder's Supermarket, Vienna, VA (final kicker for pocket chop)
Cat toy, Giant
Super ball, Party Depot

A depiction of my C&B life. My "workers" have been the Sistis (for a short time), the Johnsons, and the aluminum pocket chop cup. The next time I do a show for a crowd, I'll use those Super Shibbies for a 3-cup routine. Next close-up gig it's the Little Don pocket chop cup.

Bonjour Geoffrey ! Your collection is a great one too, you have wonderfull props !

Hello Dave, you are the happy owner of very valuable cups and balls sets ! This is very nice display. The SBL set is a wonder, I have to purchase one !! My favorite after is the Little Don, I havethe same as your, and honestly, this ia very good chop cup.
Thanks for sharing.

I have to agree with you there. In particular, that Little Don pocket chop cup is a true wonder. I had been looking for a replacement for that cheap aluminum one for quite awhile, and I'm glad I looked at RNT2.

Now that I've found RNT2 as they're going out of business, I am deeply sorry to see them close.

I've posted this elsewhere, but here's my collection as well:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3503/3241......46_b.jpg

Small number of cups, to say the least, but they're workers; I'm not as much of a collector as some of you. The cups on the left are a set of copper Harries Bosco cups that Tim Starr converted to a combo set for me; this is the set that "Professor Barclay" performs with. The second set are the Paul Faux cups (also copper) that I work on standard C&B stuff with, and the third set (also copper again) are the Mendoza combo cups, satin finish. This will be the set I use in my show, "Victorian Secrets".

I apologize for the 'flash glow' on the cups...I was using an inexpensive digital camera that belongs to my wife, and neither of us could figure out how to turn off the flash!

Put your thumb over the bulb?
-DJ

Just one question rickmagic1 ! I like the design an the shaphe of this Bosco cups from Harries Magic, but I always hesitate to buy a set, because I have been told that thes cups are very light.
Can you give me your opinion about this ?

Thank fro your help you Rick

Hello François

First of all -- nice collection!

Second -- the Bosco cups are light, but workable.

The Bosco cups are easily workable with a little practice. I love mine. Be sure to remove the clearcoat on them to let them age beautifully.

-todd

Digital cameras will adjust their exposure to include the amount of light from the flash, so covering the flash with your thumb might result in a very dark photo. Many dark photos like this can be lightened up some in software like PhotoShop, etc. But there are a couple simple answers to the bright flash problem, aside from setting up an actual photo booth of some sort like Mr. Palmer has.

Hold up a piece of regular white paper in front of the flash. Make sure it doesn't cover any part of the lens. (With the little digital cameras that might be tricky.) The paper will allow most of the light from the flash to reach the cups, but it diffuses it and reduces the glare in the reflections. It might take a few experiments with the distance between the paper and the camera because various methods are used by different cameras to determine the amount of flash, exposure, focus, etc. Holding the paper in certain places might cause it to make very bad guesses about the exposure time or block the focus mechanism of the camera.

Another possibility is to hold a little pocket mirror near the flash to reflect the light of the flash up onto the ceiling. That also lets a lot of light reach the cups, but it's very indirect so you won't get the glare. It's not professional photography, but it might help you make a decent snapshot to share.

Greg

François, nice collection, thanks for sharing with us all, I loved your wands page too

Dave, that unidentified chop cup looks quite similar to a Ken Brookeone I had but I think the sides are a little straighter on yours. Perhapswe shouldask Bill the cup Jedi?

Rick, I love the look of those Bosco cups, I prefer not to work with traditionals but I appreciate the colour and patina of those a lot.

I really like this thread!

Thank you Bill and Lint for your help, I am always worry when a set is "light".
Thank to for the tip about the clear coat Lint

I would love to know what that big chop cup is. It was given to me by a friend who was cleaning out his magic closet many years ago. He had it all set up for Larry Jennings' routine, involving a shot glass and a silk.

Help, O Bill the Cupmaster?

Is it 3-1/8 inches tall, 3-1/16 inches across the opening, and 2-3/8 inches across the bottom?

Greg

I like the Harries Boscos...yes, they are light, but not feather-light. What's good about them is the height...they can be seen from just about anywhere. That's a set of them in the back to the left of my photos; the smaller, similar-style cups slightly in front of them are P&Ls.

Geoffrey

Close, but not exactly:

Mouth opening ID = 3", OD = 3 1/4" (outside of lip to outside of lip)
Height = 3 1/4"
Bottom = 2 1/2" across

Might be a Morrissey. It's hard to tell from the angle of the photo. Bill Palmer will probably have the definitive answer.

Greg

It's a Morrissey.

Thanks, Bill.

I think Al Cohen must've sold a lot of Morrissey stuff back in the 80s and 90s, because that aluminum Monti-style set and the pocket chop cup are both Morrisseys. They came from Al's, as did that full-size chop cup (I'm pretty sure).

Francois, sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I am completely in love with my Harries cups. They are just the right weight for the size of the cups. I first thought they might be too heavy, but once I had them, I found them to be perfect in weight.

Thank you Rick, and you all gentlemen, it seems that I was mistaken myself with the weight of these cups.
I am seriously going to think about buying a set. I like their "old style look".
They could almost came from a 19th century escamoteur table, who was performing
in Paris at "The Tuileries Garden".

Thanks for your help.