This Ace Assembly using three double-faced cards was invented by J. N. Hofzinser no later than 1847 and was first published in Ottokar Fischer's J. N. Hofzinser Kartenkünste, 1910, pp. 58-78; and S. H. Sharpe's English translation, J. N. Hofzinser's Card Conjuring, 1931, pp. 69-80. For full details, see “The Power of Faith” and “The Four Kings” in Magic Christian's J. N. Hofzinser: Non Plus Ultra, Vol. 2, 2004, German edition, pp. 128-37; and 2013, English edition, pp. 144–62.

However, this Ace Assembly became widely known as “MacDonald's Aces” when Jon “Mac” McDonald’s handling was published in Dai Vernon’s More Inner Secrets of Card Magic, Lewis Ganson, 1960, p. 26.