Review by Andy Martin for Indian Rice Vase (Rare 15" size) by D.A. Tayade

Review by Andy Martin for Indian Rice Vase (Rare 15" size) by D.A. Tayade
Review by Andy Martin for Indian Rice Vase (Rare 15" size) by D.A. Tayade
5 out of 5

Boy what a rare and beautiful example of D.A. Tayade’s work this Rice Vase is.  It stands 15″ tall which is quite a lot more impressive and rarer than the 11″ and 13″ ones you normally see. This will look amazing in your collection or in your next performance.  Made from wood and perfectly hand painted this is a premium example of this classic effect.

The load chamber is massive and although you can fill it pretty close to the brim and still vanish all of the rice, I found it easier to work with if you minimize the amount of rice you use – just makes the whole effect a little more manageable and less messy without detracting from the magic.

The problem I have with this effect is normally it is over too quickly.  I managed to track down a great set of routines by Eddie Joseph titled Queen Esther’s Magic Vase that appeared in the December 1965 issue of Genii magazine.  And after reading through those routines I came up with the routine below.

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Review by Andy Martin for Mental Die by Milson, Tannen's, Paul Diamond, Unknown

Review by Andy Martin for Mental Die by Milson, Tannen's, Paul Diamond, Unknown
Review by Andy Martin for Mental Die by Milson, Tannen's, Paul Diamond, Unknown
4 out of 5

This Mental Die is well made with very fine tolerances, but has no frills and is stripped down to work perfectly every time.  It easy to do and comes with an extra effect in the instructions that most people miss called Spectral Control which is a great way of performing the effect with some extra magic instead of simply determining the top number on the die.

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Review by Andy Martin for Custom Linking Ring Bag (10", Red) by Frank Starsinic

Review by Andy Martin for Custom Linking Ring Bag (10", Red) by Frank Starsinic
Review by Andy Martin for Custom Linking Ring Bag (10", Red) by Frank Starsinic
5 out of 5

This is one of the last things I purchased from Frank Starsinic’s great company before he closed-up shop earlier this year. Frank produced a great line of custom bags, pouches, cases, and various leather goods and will be missed. If you have a nice set of Linking Rings then this is the perfect carry bag.

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Review by Andy Martin for Reserved B.S. (Billet Switch) by Koch Magic

Review by Andy Martin for Reserved B.S. (Billet Switch) by Koch Magic
Review by Andy Martin for Reserved B.S. (Billet Switch) by Koch Magic
4 out of 5

This is based upon Bob Ostin’s Dice Prediction c. 1953. And is quite similar to Nelson’s Mental Gimic. However, the difference between Bob Koch’s version and both the original and Nelson’s is that it uses gravity instead of a spring or rubber band.  This makes is less likely to break, but also means that it can make more of a sound and is less versatile. 

The unit is the most solid of all the versions I have seen and is very easy to switch out for other items such as billets, notes, and bills.

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Review by Andy Martin for Tapit (Tappit) by House of Enchantment, Royal V. Heath

Review by Andy Martin for Tapit (Tappit) by House of Enchantment, Royal V. Heath
Review by Andy Martin for Tapit (Tappit) by House of Enchantment, Royal V. Heath
4 out of 5

This is a remake of Heath’s Mystic Tappit  – not sure why Jay Leslie spelt “Tappit” incorrectly  when he released this but it should have two p’s.

This is a functional version and Jay has included an extra phase which works well too.  But to my mind it is not necessary and just repeating the standard effect two or three times in a row is really enough to blow their minds.  This is one of the few effects that gets better with repetition.  And unlike the original bakelite tiles these colors will not fade 🙂

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Review by Andy Martin for Frozen In Time 2.0 – The Swedish Touch by Lars-Peter Loeld, Masuda

Review by Andy Martin for Frozen In Time 2.0 - The Swedish Touch by Lars-Peter Loeld, Masuda
Review by Andy Martin for Frozen In Time 2.0 – The Swedish Touch by Lars-Peter Loeld, Masuda
5 out of 5

I’ve always liked Masuda’s Frozen in Time, but this latest update using ideas from Swedish Mentalist Lars-Peter Loeld really turns this is to a real miracle because the frame can be fully examined by the audience.

It is easy to do and you’ll no doubt love this as so many others already do.

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Review by Andy Martin for Frozen in Time – Swedish Touch Stage Version by Lars-Peter Loeld, Masuda

Review by Andy Martin for Frozen in Time - Swedish Touch Stage Version by Lars-Peter Loeld, Masuda
Review by Andy Martin for Frozen in Time – Swedish Touch Stage Version by Lars-Peter Loeld, Masuda
5 out of 5

This is a beautifully produced stage version of the Frozen in Time 2.0 – The Swedish Touch.  And not only does it work the same (and perfectly at that), it looks amazing.  They really did a bang-up job on this.

I found the stage version took a little more time to get the knack due to the size of the clock but an extra five minutes of practice is not going to kill you 🙂

I suggest you get both so you’re always ready to roll no matter what the situation.  The final image shows the difference in size between the standard and the stage version.  The stage version is much bigger but not unmanageable at all.

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Review by Andy Martin for Brass Plug-box (Limited Edition of 100) by Terry Roses

Review by Andy Martin for Brass Plug-box (Limited Edition of 100) by Terry Roses
Review by Andy Martin for Brass Plug-box (Limited Edition of 100) by Terry Roses
5 out of 5

What a clever brass utility box this is and made so perfectly by Terry Roses. It comes in a beautiful inlaid oak  carrying case too. Terry Roses does it all: he is a sleight of hand enthusiast, an avid collector of gambling equipment, locks, Houdiniana, a lecturer, a fantastic craftsman, and the secret identity of Dr. X.  These were originally sold directly by Terry Roses c. 1982 and in 1987 a few sets were also sold by Stevens Magic Emporium.  SME called this item the Ultimate Prediction Bottle (Plug Box) just to keep things interesting and historians guessing.

Although, I had read about a plug box before in Modern Magic and Thayer Quality Magic and even recall that Viking’s Bill Vanishing Tube was based on the same principle, this is the first one I have played with.  And I must say I love it 🙂  It is very effective and can be used to vanish, produce and exchange coins and other smaller items with ease.

Includes:

  • The Brass Plug-Box
  • The Oak inlaid carrying case.
  • Instructions from Modern Magic.
  • Instructions from Thayer Quality Magic and an NMC Presentation Routine (Bonus).
  • Three different Fantasy Coins which look and feel real and add a little mystery to the various effects you can do with this clever little box (Bonus).

It is nice to get surprised when you pick up one of these old brass items that really is a very wonderful device and perfectly machined.

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Review by Andy Martin for Mental Die (Black and White) by Anverdi, Murphy’s Magic

Review by Andy Martin for Mental Die (Black and White) by Anverdi, Murphy’s Magic
Review by Andy Martin for Mental Die (Black and White) by Anverdi, Murphy’s Magic
5 out of 5

As a follow-up to Murphy’s amazing Mental Dice, these are the thumper (vibration) based individual dice in black and white.  They are just as amazing as the three dice set and now you can be blindfolded when you perform the effect.

All the routines that come with it are clever and entertaining but the Basic 3-phase routine  or the Color Match are more than enough to convince your audience you can do real magic with just a single die.  In fact, when I first saw the Color Match performed I was fooled by the ending too.  What is more if you have the Mental Dice already you can program the thumper to work with those too, (though you can’t have more than three dice trained to one thumper).

Many effects can be done with a single dice. They work perfectly every time and are easy to charge and easy to understand and work amazingly well.

These dice are so close to real magic, it almost feels like cheating  🙂

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Review by Andy Martin for Ultimate Mental Die by Magic Wagon

Review by Andy Martin for Ultimate Mental Die by Magic Wagon
Review by Andy Martin for Ultimate Mental Die by Magic Wagon
5 out of 5

As cool and reliable as the latest version of Anverdi’s Mental Dice is there are plenty of magicians and collectors that avoid any sort of electronics in their magic.  Luckily, there have been a number of effects where you can discern the number on top without any electronics.  They began c. 1973 with Milson’s (yes before Milson-Worth) Mental Die, the next version was Chazpro’s Die-Cipher c. 1990, then Die-Cipher II was released c. 1994.  Last year (2020) Secret Factory released their Collector’s ESP Die which was another great non-electronic item. There have also been many other versions as can be seen in the final photo generously provided by Canadian Collector John M. Talbot (thanks John!).

But for quality and sheer simplicity of use (though certainly not simplicity of manufacture) this version from Magic Wagon is probably going to be moved to the top of the list for non-electronic Mental Die effects.  The method is very clever but easy to use and learn and you probably won’t need your reading glasses either.  It works so well when I first tried it out I didn’t think it was working, until I read the instructions again 🙁

No batteries, nothing added or taken away and the box can be examined pretty strictly.  Does the box look like a magic trick, yes probably, but I think most of the Mental Die effects do.  But either way I’m pretty sure you’ll love this method and the beauty of this product.

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