I have also begun playing with the use of a skull to replace the ball in glass. I start with a life-sized adult skull (from Dollar Tree) and shrink it down to a small sized foam light weight skull (also from Dollar Tree). I found the small skull needed a magnet in the base to match a magnet glued into the base of my Dollar Store plastic Sefalaljia crate, so when it drops into the glass, it rights itself no matter what. I use a straight walled glass that looks more like some kind of beaker than a drinking glass.

The full-sized skull seems to overpower the box on top although Im working to stay true to James original intent. Kreskin used a candle and picking it up and blowing it out does the move and its very logical. It also gives credence to a pack of matches for the smoking cigar.

Spellbinder, I thought your plastic crate idea is very clever. I bought your eBook and enjoyed it.

I got my skull from ebay. It's made of resin but looks pretty realistic and as if it's been dug up from a hole in the ground rather than coming from a medical school. It's not full size - about the size of a 6 year old. This is fine because it was a child that died in the haunted house whose timbers were used to built my box! The box is not quite James' dimensions but nearly - 6" x 6" x 17" - that's because I was reusing some wood from another project that was a bit too small.

I think that if you have a skull you can use it throughout the routine by addressing the skull as the embodiment of the ghost in the box. Which can do all kinds of things - Slydini silks, invisible deck, blok kord, ring on rope, swami writing and no doubt plenty more until the audience is bored. Eventually a picture of the dead (Victorian) child magically appears in a photo frame.

Still looking for a good cheap way to get it to ring a spirit bell when the box is closed.

That's good. I like the fact that you've puit some thought into the use of the props and how they fit together in your routine. Thank you for the information.