For sale is a mid-century GILBERT TWISTED NAILS DECOUPLING PUZZLE from the A.C. Gilbert Company, New Haven, Connecticut. This magic trick or puzzle challenge consists of whether you can decouple the two nails. Strength is not the solution. The metal nails must be coupled through specific technique. Sale includes two separate twisted nails so you can race your opponent. Sale does not include instructions depicted in image. However, I will include a printed picture of the instructions. An fun collectible vintage toy.
In 1909, Alfred Carlton Gilbert, a magician, and his friend John Petrie founded the Mysto Manufacturing Company in Westville, Connecticut to provide supplies for magic shows. In 1916, the name of the company was changed from the Mysto Manufacturing Company to the A. C. Gilbert Company. Their “Mysto Magic” magician’s sets were marketed from the 1910s until the 1950s. The sets contained a variety of objects including interlocking rings, playing cards, and a magic wand.