Review by Andy Martin for Back Stage Deluxe by Viking Mfg.

Review by Andy Martin for Back Stage Deluxe by Viking Mfg.
Review by Andy Martin for Back Stage Deluxe by Viking Mfg.
5 out of 5

This effect was invented by Jack Hughes’ c. 1947 as The Lady Vanishes.  Jack based it upon an earlier similar effect with a glass he also invented called Back Stage Beaker Vanish c. 1946. Both of these effects have been widely copied over the years with the names often switched (as in the case of the Viking release).

Sometimes the manufacturers have credited Jack Hughes (for example Abbott’s), but often not. Viking’s instructions say that this effect is based upon Aldini’s Backstage c. 1975, but Aldini’s effect is clearly the same as Jack’s The Lady Vanishes.

That being said I don’t think there is a prettier or better made version than the Viking release – bright colors, smooth vanish and easily attached drape.

Click here for more information.

Richard M

Posted March 9, 2022:

Such a great resource for magic collectors.

Thank you and keep up the great work!

Richard

Richard M
London

Review by Andy Martin for The Bountiful Bowl by Owen Magic Supreme

Review by Andy Martin for The Bountiful Bowl by Owen Magic Supreme
Review by Andy Martin for The Bountiful Bowl by Owen Magic Supreme
5 out of 5

This beautiful item was created by Owen’s c. 1973 as a limited edition. It is a truly beautiful prop and an amazing production item. In essence this is a oversize version of the classic Bran Vase first described by Ponsin c. 1853 and later described in Professor Hoffmann  c. 1876 (The Bran and Orange Trick). The effect was improved by Paul Fox c. 1930 as the Paul Fox Candy Bowl.

The challenge for me was not only finding some suitable confetti and a sensible load but also finding a container that I could reach into to add the confetti. Due to the size of the bowl you need a fairly large container to hide the action.  I settled on a 12″ x 12″ x 12″ black gift bag which packs flat when not being used and provides plenty of room to load the confetti and doesn’t look out of place in your act.

I have included instructions for a Bran Vase routine from Tarbell and Thayer but now that I have gone to the trouble of getting the necessary equipment it is easy to piece together from my Demo.  The Speed Demo should be here soon. 

You’ll probably never perform this but it will look amazing in your magic collection 🙂

Click here for more information.

Review by Andy Martin for Mental Tiles (Mentalsteine) by Harry Keyl, Eckhard Boettcher

Review by Andy Martin for Mental Tiles (Mentalsteine) by Harry Keyl, Eckhard Boettcher
Review by Andy Martin for Mental Tiles (Mentalsteine) by Harry Keyl, Eckhard Boettcher
5 out of 5

Another beauty from the Dutch magic dealer and craftsman Harry Keyl.  This is a wonderful piece of mentalism that fits neatly in your pocket and is always ready to go.  It does not require any memory work or special moves.  You follow a simple procedure and can predict the chosen number every time. It looks very convincing and the spectator can chose different numbers each time and yet the prediction is correct every time.  Also, the final prediction can be different each time too if you desire.

This effect is a very clever version of Bob Mason’s Predicta Total but to be honest you probably won’t even realize this even if you are familiar with Bob’s effect because Mental Tiles is so clean and simple to use, it hides the method even better than the original effect.

Harry Keyl’s work looks very similar to the work of the Dutch master Eddy Taytelbaum and are very rarely seen these days.

Click here for more information.

Review by Andy Martin for The Palamedes Revelation (1 of 24) by Damir Djanis

Review by Andy Martin for The Palamedes Revelation (1 of 24) by Damir Djanis
Review by Andy Martin for The Palamedes Revelation (1 of 24) by Damir Djanis
4 out of 5

This is a great looking item produced in a limited edition of 24 units from the new craftsman Damir Djanis released by George Robinson at Viking Mfg. It uses a clever and unique mechanism which allows you to show any of 6 numbers on the die in the box.

Click here for more information.

Review by Andy Martin for The Wandering Mummy by Spanish Craftsman, Unknown

Review by Andy Martin for The Wandering Mummy by Spanish Craftsman, Unknown
Review by Andy Martin for The Wandering Mummy by Spanish Craftsman, Unknown
5 out of 5

As most visitors to this site well know, like many Magic Collectors I have a great affection towards the Wandering Mummy effect.  So you can imagine my excitement when I recently found this set built by an unidentified Spanish Craftsman c. 1990.  I don’t have any other details about who the craftsman was so if you do please contact me.

This set of mummies works very smoothly and does not employ the “floating” feature that the early mummies such as those from Inzani-Henley, Eddy Taytelbam, and Alan Warner used.  It is one of the lesser desirable features anyway and most recent mummy sets do not include it either. 

This set does not have the high design quality of Eddy but it is still  a wonderful set of Mummies and works very reliably. It also looks wonderful with the other mummies here.

Click here for more information.

By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Close