The hand was where most of Count Petofi's magical power was concentrated, but even without it Count Petofi was able to stay alive for 100 years, on a quest to retrieve and reattach the hand to his body. The hand was kept in a wooden case by the King of the Gypsies, and passed down from generation to generation (766) until it was stolen in 1897 by Magda Rakosi from King Johnny Romano (778) for the purpose of removing the werewolf curse she had placed on Quentin Collins and his male descendants, which she was unaware included her nephew and any male descendants of her niece (763).