Reviews

This is a wonderful outfit which is made well and looks great.  There have been so many versions of John Kennedy’s Mystery Box since it won Trick of the Year 1997 in The Magic Menu and although some of them are worth the time for me I’m still happy with John’s version 2.

I do like David Penn’s solution here and really can’t fault it. But for me it doesn’t really add any more to the impact on the audience and I like the simplicity and compactness of the Mystery Box.

I will add once you have been performing an effect for ten or more years it gets harder and harder to change.  For three years  I was performing Mystery Blox instead of Mystery Box, but I ran into some reliability issues and switched back in 2023. It is unlikely anything will ever come along that convinces me to change.  This doesn’t mean one is better or worse, it is just too much effort to change unless it is a huge improvement, and so far I have not seen one.

But I will still check out new ideas from time to time 🙂

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This is another nice wooden prop made by TCC Magic.  Their Magic is well made and well priced.  I like this box but I would probably not use it just for a single card.

If you watch the TCC trailer video they often use items that have a little more thickness than a single card.  This to me is the real value of this box – you can do card box routines with items thicker than single cards, which is what many card boxes are designed for.

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You can’t keep a good man down and Dave Powell knows what the people want 🙂

This was a custom order that Dave only made six of.  It is slightly larger than his standard Victorian Ring Box which is 2″ x 2″ x 1.75″ and this larger one is: 2.5″ x 2.5″ x 2.5″.  The extra size helps you place other small objects inside without being too cumbersome.

This box works very smoothly and looks perfect doing it 🙂

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This amazing prop was created by Val Evans and this is why I love tracking down these old props 🙂

What a clever, clever item that really defies explanation.  Look at these test conditions:

• The tray has huge slats in it so you can see through the whole trick.
• You can cleanly show the tray on both sides.
• Then you take a normal hanky (which can be borrowed if desired) and cover the slats.
• Then you hand the deck of cards to the spectators and have 3 cards chosen.
• The cards are normal and they can choose any cards (no forcing).
• The houlette can be examined to.
• The cards are inserted into the houlette and slotted into the tray over the hanky.
• Everything is self-contained with nothing added or taken away.

There is no way these cards are going to rise.  But rise they do 🙂

I love this clever prop and you’ll never find the same joy in any of the modern electronic items available today.  This is how real magic should look.  A very clever method that magicians will love and a very perplexing effect that the audience will love 🙂

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This is the larger version of Casino Royale distributed by Howard Schwarzman. It is good for larger close-up venues and even parlor. For formal close-up performances and high-end establishments like The Porcupine it is perfect 🙂

A great close-up item that requires no reset and is easy to do – it’s a game of chance where the Magician always wins 🙂 It is one of those items that resets instantly, is easy to perform and looks great.  Because this is the smaller one it fits more easily in the pocket or bag too.

The effect is basically the same as Jack Ruda’s Turning Stone but performed with better quality props.

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This is a high-end version of Magiro’s amazing Wurfel Mysterium. This version was sold by Magiro to Domenico Dante who ran Progetto Magia in Italy. Howie, from Howard Schwarzman’s Limited Editions Magic, purchased them from Progetto Magia, changed the name and added the English instructions.

The effect is the same just the props are better made. In this form or the original it still remains one of the most amazing effects that Magiro ever created and simply defies explanation.

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The Real Original from Germany not Italy

So for five years I was under the impression that the original version of this effect was called The Cubes of Cagliostro from Italy and brought to the USA by the great Howard Schwarzman. Well if you study the instructions for this, Wurfel Mysterium by Magiro, and then look at the diagrams on the instructions that come with the Schwarzman version you will see they are identical.  After discussions with Domenico Dante who ran Progetto Magia in Italy it turns out that Magiro sold these wooden versions to him which were then purchased by Howie 🙂

So like so many of Magiro’s ideas this is an amazing, clever and simple effect and either version is the genius of Magiro.

This is one of those beauties you will not be disappointed with! Highly Recommended for collectors and close-up performers.

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Ed Massey invented this clever and original effect. The initial version of Squeeze Away Block first appeared in Blackstone’s Annual of Magic c. 1929 in a contribution written and illustrated by Massey. Commercial versions started appearing c. 1946.

This is a beautiful version of the classic Massey effect and one of the the very rare early items from the now famous German Craftsman Thomas Pohle.  These were sold by Eckhard Boettcher in very limited numbers.  This is the first one I have seen. Made very solidly in Mahogany and Brass – it is a real rare beauty for sure 🙂

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The first time I saw a similar effect to DragonScale was ten years ago with E.S.P. by LabcoMagic and I was suitably amazed with Soren Harbo’s beatuiful effect.  DragonScale has more features for about half the price but that is because you get to use the full power of your smartphone (iPhone or Android are supported).  The two biggest criticisms of DragonScale I have read are:

1. It should come with a custom reader, not just a smartphone. The price would sky-rocket.
2. I can do everything with a stacked deck without DragonScale. Good luck doing the described effect with a stacked deck and not once looking at the cards 🙂

I’m not a big lover of anything to do with electronics but you have to give this effect its due. If you are performing more formal close-up, as opposed to walk-around where I’m not sure I would recommend this effect, you can create some outstanding miracles that could not be done simply with a stacked deck (even if you are lucky enough to remember one!).

One of the routines in the tutorial that took my eye was when the performer leaves the deck on the table and looks away.  The first spectator cuts a portion of cards off the deck and you can tell him what card he cut too.  The next spectator cuts off a portion and you are able to tell them how many cards are in their hand.  Finally the third spectator cuts off a third portion and you are able to tell them how many clubs, hearts, spades and diamonds are in the packet.

In no instance do you turn around or need to see the cards.  Zero memory work too and you could even use your own stack if you wanted.

I did found you should not use a close-up mat when performing this – it works best when on a hard surface like the table or bar.  But if your close-up pad is stiffer then it could also work, but my mats are fairly plush and I found it a little less accurate.

So if you are looking for that one killer effect this could easily be it.  Use a new deck, keep your battery charged and go for it 🙂

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This is a great version of J.F. Orrin’s Uplift effect. Uplift was invented by J.F. Orrin c. 1945 and improved by Jack Hughes c. 1947 and it is found in Jack’s book World of Magic Vol. 2.  This effect is easy to learn and perform.  The routine is not as extensive as the Ultimate version released by Len Belcher, but it is easier to set-up and perform so that is worth considering.

This version is made well and I like how the stack of blocks is the same height as the tube, which of course is not possible for the Belcher version and other similar props such as Strat-O-Sphere.

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