Year: 2016

These are made in Asian Mahogany, and when I first received this from my good friend George Robinson I don’t think I fully appreciated how cool it was. Contrary to what some are saying on the internet, these are made perfectly in George’s shop, but sadly this version has also been copied over the years by others both in India and Sri Lanka. The finish on the copies is not as shiny or as smooth and if you think you are getting the same thing from elsewhere for less think again, it is not the same and I’ll stick with the original version built here in the USA by George Robinson and his team.

When I received from George I remember thinking it was just a “fancy ball vase”! Well it is way more!

Great Job George!

_EF The basic routine is:

• You show the Vase
• Remove the lid and show the orange which you then remove
• This orange multiplies into two oranges
• And then an orange silk appears
• You place the orange back in the vase and replace the lid
• And when you lift the lid the orange has vanished too!

A really great routine which is surprisingly easy to do. Everything works beautifully and it looks amazing.

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If you’re over 45 or want to use a blindfold this is the marked deck for you! I really love these cards and the routine Henry has put together is perfect! Now whether you will have the balls to use them close-up is up to you, but I think the way Henry performs the routine their are no issues.

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So how do you improve upon an already perfect mini-illusion? You make it in a Limited Edition out of select hardwoods (in this case Walnut, Cherry and Maple) and you sit back and appreciate the quality in your hands! This is easily my favorite item from Craig Beytien and his wonderful Illusion Arts Magic! The transposition between the two stands is so fast and effortless, you can’t help but step back in amazement!

It is quick to reset and from a short distance there is nothing to see. It is like a really slick, mini-version of the Substitution Trunk effect without the intense practice – the transposition happens in an instant.

The standard version of this item is here and can be purchased from my friends Joe & Mark at Stevens Magic!

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Wow! Dean’s real Miracle!

This is truly a miracle effect from Dean Dill. Not only is the effect in the miracle class, but the props are too!

When you drop down this sort of cash for a trick it better be really, really good – but sadly it often is not. In this case however, you easily get your money’s worth. The table is beautiful and unique, the coins are flawless, and even the travel case is perfect.

The routine has been painstakingly thought through and the performance DVD by Dean himself takes you through all the steps. If only more manufacturers would follow through with this much attention to detail, we’d have a lot more great magic, and a lot less trash filling our shelves.

This effect is not self working, but it is certainly not difficult either, and when you spend this much on an item it is certainly worth spending a bit of time getting used to the routine. Once you have mastered the moves you will blow them away every time.

Thanks Dean for making perfect magic – you have set the bar very high for magic, for value, for quality, and for entertainment.

Most Highly Recommended!

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One of Richard’s most intricate, but also amazing, creations.  As I find myself adding a few select effects to my collection that I missed the first time around it is hard to ignore this amazing beauty from the master engineer and designer himself: Richard Gerlitz.  The first time you set this up you have to take it slowly and read the instructions two or three times.  It almost seems impossible that this could work so smoothly, but once you have set it up and run through the sequence everything happens as it should and you are left with one damn fine illusion!  Once you have set it the first time it gets much easier and with practice you could do it in five minutes or less.  If you break this item down there are three main magical moments:

• You begin by showing three ornately decorated blocks from all sides and clearly show that the ribbon goes through all three.  You can pull the ribbon from end to end or in between each block.  There is no doubt that a single ribbon goes through all the blocks.  And there are no funny moves either.
• You then separate the blocks and cleanly cut the ribbon attached to the center block.  Again the ribbon is most certainly cut in two places.  This block is placed on top of the other two and every one can see the ribbon sticking out of the top block and the bottom two.
• You snap your fingers and the ribbon in the top box vanishes (effect #1).
• You then pull the ribbon from the left hand side and the 100% severed ribbon from the right hand side travels too (effect #2).
• Finally, you pull the ribbon all the way out from the left and you again clearly have one long single ribbon (effect #3).
• The blocks are clean there is nothing added or taken away and you really have performed a miracle!

I can’t stress enough the first time I did this I was struggling a bit with how it would work.  But thanks to the Richard’s amazing engineering – it just works.  And it is perfect every time.

Highly Recommended for lovers of beautiful magic everywhere!

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This is a deluxe version of possibly Magiro’s finest hour: Hydro Die. It was created in a limited edition of 15 in Germany I was told. You place the submarine clearly in the bottom of the container, fill it with water, say the magic words and it disappears with out trace. Works really well and large enough to be seen in a parlor setting but it could be performed in a formal close-up setting (assuming you could find the water).

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I really enjoyed creating the website for the almost unknown German Craftsman Willi Wessel, I uncovered so many amazing tricks that I was not aware of.  Although Willi has retired and is no longer building magic he did make this special version of his Paddle Waggle for me as a thank-you for the site.  I was very happy because it turns out this is my all-time favorite paddle effect!  If you ever get the chance to purchase any of Willi’s rare and amazing magic, jump on the chance!

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I’ve been trying to track one of these bad boys down for a while.  This is Eric Lewis’ wonderful Savoy from his book A Continuation of Miracles, built by his son Martin Lewis at Magikraft Studios in 1993.  Martin has made a few improvements to the original design, and the finished product works flawlessly and is a real beauty.  What most impressed me when I finally saw this up close was how small the unit was and how much better it is than the Mikame version (which, unlike many items built by Mikame Craft, was actually credited to Eric and Martin Lewis even though the last name spelt incorrectly).

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This is a beautiful version of Eric Lewis wonderful effect Locked Book Release from his book A Choice of Miracles, built by his son Martin Lewis at Magikraft Studios in 1993.  This version really looks and feels amazing and unlike the P&L version it uses real books instead of blocks of wood styled to look like books.  The books can be freely displayed and the pages riffled to show they are real.  This effect works using an old block release method and although I’d be the first to admit it takes a little finesse to make it smooth, when you put the time in you’ll have a beautiful effect that looks really stunning in your collection.

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It turns out that just because your wife can jump into a Zig Zag box 16 years ago, doesn’t mean she can do it again today without some practice.  So although my wife was almost able to demonstrate the full illusion when I was taking photos she could not quite make the full zag this time around.   Next time we try she’ll be more prepared, but in the meantime what a beautiful version of Robert Harbin’s finest hour this Zig Zag is.

Built by the perfectionist John Pomeroy in the 1970’s, it stands 69″ high and breaks down into two fiber cases.  John Pomeroy was a prolific Builder, Inventor & Performer as well as owner of GEM Magic Manufacturing.  His quality was equal to Owen magic and many other fine builders.  This beautiful custom built Zig Zag Illusion by John Pomeroy is one of the best versions of this stellar illusion I’ve seen and is a typical example of John’s fine craftsmanship. John was so inspired by Harbin’s Zig-Zag Illusion that he suggested 35 improvements for its construction all of which were endorsed by Harbin and the two corresponded up until Robert Harbin’s death in 1978.

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