Thomas Nelson Downs (March 16, 1867 – September 11, 1938) was a manipulative

magician Magician or The Magician may refer to: Performers * A practitioner of magic (supernatural) * A practitioner of magic (illusion) * Magician (fantasy), a character in a fictional fantasy context Entertainment Books * ''The Magician'', an 18th-ce ...

s known for his coin tricks. Downs was also known as "The King of Koins". Magic historian David Price has written that Downs "was the first of the great manipulative magicians and probably the greatest of them all."

Biography

Born in

Marshalltown, Iowa Marshalltown is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Iowa, United States, located along the Iowa River. It is the seat and most populous settlement of Marshall County and the 16th largest city in Iowa, with a population of 27,591 at ...

, he was the youngest of six children in the family of Thomas and Cordelia Downs. His family moved to Iowa from the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

state. Downs' father, the Marshall county superintendent, died when his son was not even a year old. Downs never took any training in magic; all his tricks were self-taught. By the age of 12, he became an expert in card and coin manipulation. He further mastered his skills by the age of 17, when he took a job as a railway

telegrapher A telegraphist (British English), telegrapher (American English), or telegraph operator is an operator who uses a telegraph key to send and receive the Morse code in order to communicate by land lines or radio. During the Great War the Roya ...

and had plenty of time to practice with coins. In September 1895, Downs decided to quit his telegraphy job and launch a career in magic. At first, he toured Iowa with his partner, Sam Spiegel, a

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

ist. By 1897, Downs concentrated only on the coin tricks – a rare specialization at that time, and established himself in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

, which was a popular avenue for magicians. The success of Downs career allowed him to get booked into

Tony Pastor Antonio Pastor (May 28, 1837 – August 26, 1908) was an American impresario, variety performer and theatre owner who became one of the founding forces behind American vaudeville in the mid- to late-nineteenth century. He was sometimes referr ...

's New York theatre, and to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

's Palace Theatre soon after that. At the peak of his career, Downs travelled frequently, and performed at royal courts. While performing his tricks, he could palm up to 60 coins at a time. One of his most famous tricks was "The

Miser's Dream Miser's Dream is a magic routine where the magician produces coins from the air (and often other places) and drops them into a receptacle they are holding, usually a metal bucket. It has also been called "Aerial Treasury". It was invented in the 1 ...

", in which he seemed to pull countless coins out of the thin air. In 1912, at the age of 42, Downs decided to retire in Iowa. After moving back to Marshalltown, he rarely left the area. Not quite comfortable with idle retirement, Downs kept busy by opening a vaudeville house on Main Street, a few blocks from his own home at 7 South 3rd Avenue. He also sold a line of magic equipment. Many visitors, other magicians, streamed to his home to share gossip and the latest tricks as well as to brush elbows with the famous sleight of hand artist. The most famous of these visitors included

Chung Ling Soo William Ellsworth Robinson (April 2, 1861 – March 24, 1918) was an American magician who went by the stage name Chung Ling Soo (). He is mostly remembered today for his accidental death due to a failed bullet catch trick. Early years Robinson ...

(William Robinson) and

Dai Vernon Dai Vernon (pronounced alternatively as "DIE" or as "DAY" as in David; June 11, 1894 – August 21, 1992), a.k.a. The Professor, was a Canadian magician. His sleight of hand technique and knowledge, particularly with card tricks and close- ...

. Downs was a friend with the magician

Harry Houdini Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...

, however, both were involved in an intense rivalry in private. Houdini had stated that Downs had operated a "fake magic shop" and was in trouble with the federal government for a "swindle." By 1896, Downs had campaigned against

spiritualism Spiritualism is the metaphysical school of thought opposing physicalism and also is the category of all spiritual beliefs/views (in monism and dualism) from ancient to modern. In the long nineteenth century, Spiritualism (when not lowercase) ...

, this was before Houdini's crusade against fraudulent spiritualists. In his letters, Downs claimed to have performed a stage escape from

handcuffs Handcuffs are Physical restraint, restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists in proximity to each other. They comprise two parts, linked together by a Link chain, chain, a hinge, or rigid bar. Each cuff has a rotating arm whi ...

several years before Houdini. He also took issue with Houdini's self-advertisement.Rosheim, Mark. ''Introduction''. In Thomas Nelson Downs. (1999, reprint). ''Classic Coin Tricks: An Unabridged Reprint of Modern Coin Manipulation''. Dover Publications. p. 18. Downs wrote several books on magic before and after his retirement. His first book, ''Modern Coin Manipulation'', was published in 1900 and is still issued in reprints today. His other books include ''Tricks with Coins'' (1902) and ''The Art of Magic'' (1909). Downs was married twice. He had a son in his first marriage with Nellie Stone, who died in childbirth in 1895. He subsequently married Harriett Rocky on June 3, 1905. He retired around 1928. In 1935 he was honored with a testimonial dinner.

Death

Downs died on September 11, 1938, in

. He had suffered a stroke, which paralyzed his left side. He was buried at Riverside Cemetery in Marshalltown. His gravestone reads "King of Koins".

Legacy

The Historical Society of Marshall County features a display about Downs in its museum.

Publications

*''Modern Coin Manipulation'' (1900) *''Tricks with Coins'' (1902)
''The Art of Magic''
(1909)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Downs, Thomas Nelson Downs, T. Nelson Downs, T. Nelson Downs, T. Nelson Coin magic Harry Houdini People from Marshalltown, Iowa Downs, T. Nelson