Help us get to over 8,745 articles in 2024.

If you know of a magician not listed in MagicPedia, start a New Biography for them. Contact us at magicpediahelp@gmail.com

Arthur Finley

From Magicpedia, the free online encyclopedia for magicians by magicians.
Jump to: navigation, search
Arthur Finley
BornOctober of 1887
DiedMay 13, 1958 (age 70)

Arthur Finley (1887-1958), also known as Henry Gavin, was a commercial artist by trade and a clever inventor of several card slights.

Biography

Finley (sometimes misspelled Findley, Finlay or Findlay) started a mail order magic business in 1908 selling and advertising magic tricks in The Sphinx under the name Henry Gavin (using his mother's maiden name).

Most of what we know about Finley the man is because of research done by Steve Freeman. What is currently known about Finley's magic is because of Dai Vernon. Finley baffled Vernon with a "think-of-a-card" effect at their first meeting in New York.[1]

Contributions

  • The concept of the Cheek to Cheek deck which was later marketed by U.F. Grant
  • Tent Vanish
  • Riffle Force
  • Henry Gavin's False Cut

References

  1. Linking Ring August 2001