Year: 2017

This is the sturdiest tripod base I have seen from my good friend George Robinson. I used it for my close-up case over the holidays and it was rock solid.  Not only is it very solid but the knobs are easy to turn and tighten without any tools or gloves.  Just a wonderful utility item I will use for the rest of my life!

Great Job George!

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So I’ve owned at least three versions of Badlands Bob dating all the way back to 2001 and although I’ve always thought it was a clever idea it was never something I was going to perform – I just was never comfortable with the gimmick and finding the “sweet spot”.  But with the addition of a bigger box from Magic Wagon, Tony Curtis, and Peter Nardi and complete removal of the gimmick, that has all changed.  In fact, I would go as far as saying this is one of my favorite  Collectors’ Workshop and Magic Wagon items now.

When you receive this item ignore the printed instructions and stampede to Peter’s video instructions as they are clear and discuss most of the key points.  However, one thing I prefer to do is not to make the change happen visually.  I prefer to place the small Badlands Bob box into the larger box face down and close the box and give it to the spectator.  After the suitable magical incantation  they can open the box and take out the Badlands Bob box and the die now shows their number.  It seems really impossible.  If you play with this item for a few minutes you can quickly figure how to make it instantly reset and work automatically every time.  It really is magical with no more fumbling or delays.

I love this item and unlike 97% of the magic I buy, it is sitting on my KEEP shelf right now.  This really has taken a clever item from the original Collectors’ Workshop team and turned it into a self working miracle.  Simply Beautiful.

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So this is a clever and versatile utility device from the good guys at Magic Wagon and this one is a little different. The routine comes with five different ideas from John M. Talbot and I’m sure you’ll enjoy his Ghost Catcher routine call “Proof!” The box comes with brass bolts, dice, and jars to get you started too. I think you could make this a feature of your act if you were prepared to spend just a little time with it.

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What a clever and beautiful device this Da Vinci Clock is from the never resting guys at Magic Wagon. At first glance you might think it works the same was as the old Wonder Clock, it doesn’t.  Then you might think it works the same was as the old Tele-Vision boxes from Germany, it doesn’t.  As far as I know it uses it’s own unique mechanism and is much easier to use than anything else I have seen like it.  Without any form of electronics or transmitters you can always deduce the hour and minute that the spectator sets it too.

Even Da Vinci himslef would be impressed with this beauty!

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Just received this purse from Meir Yedid and boy do I love Kelvin Chow’s Quiver purse, easily the best coin purse I have seen. It can be used to switch, vanish and produce pretty much any small item and can be freely handled and opened by the spectator. If you were a fan of the Larry Becker style coin purse, you will really love these bad boys. Well made and more convincing than anything I have seen before.

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Steve Cook is back with possibly his definitive version of Al Koran’s masterpiece: The Gold Medallion. With this version the final revelation is clearly embossed on Gold Medallion. The spectator can even rub their fingers over the symbols. The method is different from Koran’s and requires less nerve I suppose, so this may appeal to some who can’t handle the original method. Really a very nice version and great to see the team of Steve Cook, Tony Curtis, Alakazam Magic, and of course those master craftsmen of neat little boxes, The Magic Wagon Team.

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What a rare find from the master inventor himself, Nick Ruggiero, and Rich Bloch – the original founders of Collectors’ Workshop and creators of some of the most amazing mechanical props ever.   After they sold Collectors’ Workshop to George Robinson, Nick and Rich came back for a few years with some wonderful pieces under the Signature Pieces line.  There were less than ten of these bad boys created about ten years ago so  you’ll be real hard pressed to find or see another.

The basic effect is as follows: A stack of six half dollars are placed under a hollowed-out weight on the right hand pan of a balance scale. Another empty hollowed-out weight is placed on the left hand pan. The magician makes a magical pass and the scale slightly tilts to the left. Magician lifts the right hand weight and there are only five coins left. He raises the left hand weight and one coin is seen to have traveled to the left. Replacing the weights over the coins he makes another gesture and the scale tips further to the left. The right hand weight is lifted and the coins are gone. He lifts the left hand weight and now all six coins are seen to have migrated to the left hand scale. Both weights are now handed out for examination.

It comes with five pages of original instructions and although you have to read them carefully the effect as stated is doable after a few tries.  Since this is a brass item there is a little bit of tarnishing, but nothing that detracts from the beauty or working  of this effect either as a center piece to your collection or as in a formal close-up performance.  And if you want to start buffing you could certainly do that too.

A rare treasure that will look wonderful in your collection.

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As you many of you know I’m a big fan and close friend of Alan Warner (in fact not only have I created two websites for Alan, my wife created one for his talented wife Mignon too) and the first item I ever purchased from Alan when I was 14 years of age was Siamese Ribbon.  At first glance this item looks very similar to Siamese Ribbon.  But once you see the workings you will realize the method is different and the box is created in such a way that it can be viewed from any angle – even behind – at all times.

This may not be more collectible than Alan’s beautiful piece, but is more practical for sure.  Very easy to perform and the set-up even comes with a simple gimmick to ensure you cut the ribbon so that it is the perfect length for this mini illusion.  Kent also includes 21 feet of ribbon and a pair of matching scissors.  Ready to perform the second you receive it.

A real beauty Kent!

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Things have been crazy here, but I am finding time to slowly start adding some new magic.

So I was looking forward to these two new pieces from Kent and his 3D Magic Works line of amazing 3D creations and finally cracked them open tonight, though they have been sitting on a shelf for almost three months.  What a unique, easy to do and clever item this is.  The name of course comes from the Milson-Worth Astro Ball and this is just a delight to play with, and much easier than the larger version with a 100% different method and effect in fact.

With this bad boy not only does the little ball jump into the goblet, but it jumps back too mimicking what you do with the cup and ball outside.  Just a wonderful, and automatic in working item.

Great job Kent and Méo.

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