I was just reading through my copy of Edwin Sach's "Sleight of Hand, A practical Manual of Legerdemain for Amateurs and Others", a volume first published 1885, although more recently republished by Dover books.
Anyway - the introduction had an interesting note abot Magic wands that I thought I would share.
The very first thing a conjuror must procure is a conjuring wand - an implement that is always supposed by the audience to be for show only; and as such they must always be made to think it is. It is, however, an absolutely indespensible article, both to beginner and proficient, and it serves as an auxilary to the concealment of any article in the hand, as will be explained hereafter.
For the present all the learner has to do is procure a round stick of ebony, about 18in long, fitted with ivory, silver, or brass ferrules (not caps) countersunk at each end, and to trust me to it's being necessary.
It is best to have the wand made to suit the taste, as those sold at conjuring shops are invariably too short. Any walking stick manufacturer will make it.
So there you go. Incidenatlly I am personally very lucky as I managed to pick up the wand that was actually used by Houdini. I know this is true, as the guy that sold it at the car boot sale told me so.
I must admit that he did explain that the tips had rusted away and he had to have them replaced, but it was still Houdini's original wand (apart from the fact that the middle had rotted and so he had kindly replaced that too).
Just goes to show the bargains you can pick up at car boot sales
