In Vol. 9 of Dr. Albo (pg. 32) it states “the method by which this divination is accomplished was first alluded to in Hocus Pocus Junior in 1624″, though I was unable to find the reference. A detailed account of how it works can be found in Dr. Albo Vol. 5 (pg. 218). Ads started appearing c. 1926 in The Sphinx for Floyd Thayer’s elegant wooden version. The earliest ad that I could find for the more common brass and nickel plated pictured on this page was c. 1929.
These older versions are the best ones, all recent metal ones I have tried are nowhere near as well made or precise.
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