The Magic of Nate Leipzig

Part of the History of Magic are hundreds of magicians and illusionists who have gained fame and success as wonderful show business stars. One of these is the Swedish magician Nathan Leipzeiger, better known as Nate Leipzig. He was born in Stockholm on May 31, 1873. It is suggested that his parents were Polish or Russian and his interest in magic began sometime in the late 1800’s when he saw a birthday party magician. He studied magic books, earnestly believing that magicians were self-taught and rather than using the methods they found in books, they developed their own methods. Because of this, better known as Nate Leipzig began to amaze not only his lay audiences but fellow magicians as well. Leipzig became one of the early pioneers who used common everyday objects for magic rather than fancy boxes and cabinets and gadgetry. Initially he was an optician, but he left this profession to become a full-time performer. One of his early creations was the Coin Roll with a silver dollar that rolled not only across the back of his hand, but also across his palm. T. Nelson Downs (known as the King of Koins) was highly impressed with this effect. The Japanese magician TenIchi even traded his version of the Japanese Thumb Tie for Nate’s Ring on a Stick routine. Dozens of card tricks and card sleights are attributed to Nate, like a version of the Cabaret Card Stab, the Side Steal, and his Rising Card effect. His levitation of a coin inside a glass of beer was quite special, too.
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