Month: November 2013

The Ultimate Harlequin Box!

Dave Powell’s Harlequin Box is a favorite of mine and this version in Hard Maple is probably the pinnacle.

I think that Dave Powell does not get enough praise for some of his amazing wood creations. This box is beautiful to look at and works flawlessly. The method is not new but the box hides the gimmick so well and it is so clean that you just can’t help but love it. His work is right up there with Mel Babcock and it is always a pleasure opening up a package from Dave.

Click here for more information.

The Best Spirit Bell

I’ve been trying to move away from cool electronic items, but I must say this Spirit Bell by Nick Wenger is absolutely amazing. It looks like some old contraption from Medieval times and even though you or the spectator build it piece by piece right in front of everyone, when you are done the bell still manages to ring on command.

Even when you know how it works you still can’t believe it – I have never seen a Spirit Bell like this. It looks great, works great and really is an amazing piece of electronic wizardry.

Get one if you can – you will not be disappointed!

Click here for more information.

Absolutely Beautiful!

This is an amazing version of the Blue Phantom built in the UK by British Craftsman Andy Hurst. The first one I purchased on ebay and did not know the source, but now I do: Andy Hurst at eMagictricks.

I have never heard of him before but I do hope he continues to build more magic like this.

To my mind this is even better than the Voit/Lackner version that came out in the 1980’s from ZZM. What I particularly like about this item is that instead of having a spring load to "make the magic happen" it uses a screw mechanism which seems to work better.

I’m a huge fan of Magic Wagon and they make incredible magic, but their version of the Blue Phantom pails when compared to this one.

I believe in a few years this will be as sought after if not more so as the Voit/Lackner version. It is a beauty!

Click here for more information.

Absolutely Beautiful!

This is an amazing version of the Blue Phantom built in the UK by British Craftsman Andy Hurst. The first one I purchased on ebay and did not know the source, but now I do: Andy Hurst at eMagictricks.

I have never heard of him before but I do hope he continues to build more magic like this.

To my mind this is even better than the Voit/Lackner version that came out in the 1980’s from ZZM. What I particularly like about this item is that instead of having a spring load to "make the magic happen" it uses a screw mechanism which seems to work better.

I’m a huge fan of Magic Wagon and they make incredible magic, but their version of the Blue Phantom pails when compared to this one.

I believe in a few years this will be as sought after if not more so as the Voit/Lackner version. It is a beauty!

Click here for more information.

Absolutely Beautiful!

This is an amazing version of the Blue Phantom built in the UK by British Craftsman Andy Hurst. The first one I purchased on ebay and did not know the source, but now I do: Andy Hurst at eMagictricks.

I have never heard of him before but I do hope he continues to build more magic like this.

To my mind this is even better than the Voit/Lackner version that came out in the 1980’s from ZZM. What I particularly like about this item is that instead of having a spring load to "make the magic happen" it uses a screw mechanism which seems to work better.

I’m a huge fan of Magic Wagon and they make incredible magic, but their version of the Blue Phantom pails when compared to this one.

I believe in a few years this will be as sought after if not more so as the Voit/Lackner version. It is a beauty!

Click here for more information.

Great Item!

So if you can’t afford or more likely can’t find a Wizzy Dizzy Milk from Wellington, this is a great fill-in and one you’ll be able to freely use without worries.

It is well made and durable and a real fooler! You can always rely on Joe Fairchild’s quality manufacturing for brightly colored props that will last.

Highly Recommended for Performers everywhere!

Click here for more information.

The Original Three Mini-Magic Marvels are Back!

36 years ago I was at an IBM convention in Brighton, England and my magic life was changed forever. In those days the dealer rooms were huge treasure troves of amazing magic that I had never seen before. I had a very limited budget and so was trying to spend my money wisely.

The second day in I came across this small booth which was covered with these incredibly detailed and colorful min-magic tricks. They just looked amazing. This was the first time I met Alan Warner. He demoed his marvels and I wanted them all, but of course I could not afford them. In the end I chose just three: this item the amazing Oriental Blocks, the annoyingly simple but deceptive Dice-a-Matic, and finally the stunning Siamese Ribbon.

After the convention I lost touch with Alan, but I performed those three effects all the time. To me they were not collectible effects, just great magic. I probably performed Dice-a-Matic more than all other Warner tricks combined!

I did not get in touch with Alan for another 23 years, but in 2000 I was perusing some catalogs at Viking Magic and realized Alan Warner was the dealer who had built these three amazing illusions from all those years ago. I quickly set about making up for lost time and soon had a very sizable collection of Alan’s amazing magic. I created two websites for Alan (the first and the second) and got to know him and his talented wife Mignon very well. Today I consider them my close friends.

Over the years I was forced to sell much of my collection including all three of these early painted items. However in the last two years I have been able to find mint copies of each one and they are better than ever. I feel very lucky to have all the gang back, and even luckier to have become friends with a man who turned my world around all those years ago!

Thank-you Alan!

Click here for more information.

I Love my Mini-Duck!

So I had one of these little guys years ago, but unfortunately he was damaged on delivery by a large Khyber Kobra – yes they were poorly packed in the same box and the big ATA case for the Kobra literally crushed the duck!

I’m glad to have one back. What is amazing about this little guy is until you see the 4th photo you think it is a Hamilton Jo-Anne Duck. Jimmy Hearsum did an amazing job in creating this miniature replica.

He works really well, once you have the right cards and you don’t over fill the card tray. I have found slightly smaller cards than the mini-bicycle cards work best.

So my ducks are happy again!

Click here for more information.

Another Beauty from Thomas Pohle!

Most micro magic from Pohle is something to be excited about and this is no exception.

Beautifully made in wood with an almost self working mechanism with nothing added or taken away. The hearts and spades blocks keep changing position.

Notice: In the photos it looks like the clubs and diamonds move too, but this is not the case. In fact it is much easier to understand the movements because one moment you have black/red then two reds and two blacks – you don’t need to remember suits or anything that complex …

This set also comes with an up to date translation from Wolfgang Wollet, which is much better than translations from Google that you often find with these props.

Lovely, high quality micro magic in mint condition that you rarely see these days!

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Clever, Intricate, and Beautiful

Joe Stevens’ has a secret weapon and it is the amazing craftsmanship of Louis Gaynor. What a wonderful little box (2.5 inches square) this is. When it is opened it looks very innocent. But amazingly without any funny moves you can produce 4 single half dollars, followed by a climax of 4 more. I have never seen anything quite like this little box. And it is made with very fine tolerances. A lovely example of intricate prop magic.

This box now comes with a custom wand that can be used instead of the original gimmick. It doesn’t do too much for me but I’m sure some people will like the choice.

Perfect for collector’s and performers too.

Click here for more information.