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This is a highly upgraded version of Tony Lackner’s Princess Qianlong created by the multi-talented Ottavio Belli and his N8 Quality Magic.  Ottavio’s work is breathtaking to be sure – I have two of his other items which I will add soon.  I’m adding this before the others because I wanted to relate the amazing customer service I have received from both Ottavio and the USA dealer I purchased this through: Joe Long …

Having purchased two other items from Ottavio (also through Joe) I had high expectations of this beauty.  I was very familiar with the original Lackner item and in fact really like it, though clearly it is not in the same league as The Mystery of Horus but I like the story and the simplicity of the method.  When Horus arrived I was keen to try out the electronics.  When I first tried it, the method did not work 100% of the time.  I assumed I was doing something wrong and promptly contacted the long suffering, but vital to contemporary magic collectors like myself, Joe Long.  Joe got back to me with a video of the unit working perfectly before he shipped it and I shared with him my video, which was less than perfect – clearly something bad had happened in shipping … 🙁

Joe contacted Ottavio  who was very upset that the item was not working, but he quickly went on to not only fix the issue, but to redesign it to basically remove the chance of it happening again.  I just received the final version and it not only works perfectly it also looks even better.  I must stress that I believe I had the only unit that had issues, everyone else was very happy with theirs, but Ottavio  still went ahead and addressed my issues.  It was one of those freak occurrences that produced an even better result.  If you look at the last two photos you’ll see the difference in the two platforms – a simple change that makes all the difference 🙂

So onto the magic 🙂  This unit not only looks stunning, but it works perfectly.  Although it is electronic in operation, it uses readily available batteries that can be easily found and that are easy to replace.  Also, Ottavio has included some features that make it very easy to turn off the whole system to save battery life, without having to constantly remove batteries between performances – which is necessary so often with electronic magic. 

So bottom line:

• Looks amazing and very unique;
• Can detect at a glance where the Horus has been placed (even yards away from the base);
• There are no visible switches or mechanisms for the spectator to find – everything looks clean and above board.
• Uses readily available and easily changed batteries;
• Has secret switch mechanism that significantly extends the battery life;
• Amazing Customer Service;
• What else could you ask for?

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This is another wonderful and interesting looking puzzle effect from Alan.  His two previous items: Red Chinese Puzzle and  The Oracle are quite different to Rainbow Puzzle and all have a place in your collection.  This starts of as a simple geometric rearrangement of the puzzle pieces from one complete puzzle to one with a missing piece.  Then the missing piece disappears from one box and ends up embedded in the puzzle in the other closed box.

Easy to do and easy to reset and remember with Alan’s clever visual aids 🙂 Never underestimate the power of a visual aid when it comes to setting magic props.  Alan uses the lid to remind you the order of the puzzle pieces and a black dot in the corners of the pieces to tell you which direction each piece should go.  It doesn’t sound much, but once you read the simple rule you’ll be able to create either puzzle without once referring back to the instructions – which is always a welcome feature in my book.

If you don’t have this one in your collection then it is time you did.

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What can I say about this beauty?  One of my all time favorite effects in magic is The Wandering Mummy and although Eddy Taytelbaum’s version is the most desirable I have owned many others.

Magic Wagon’s version is perhaps one of the cleanest version I have seen and works perfectly. What is unique about this version is that the two sarcophaguses nest together. This is a nice touch as you don’t need an extra box to carry the mummy’s in.

Magic Wagon have also taken care of all sounds that often accompany this effect and the routine can easily be performed without a hitch.  Quite amazingly I could not find one video demo of this item on YouTube,  which for such a popular and easy to perform effect is pretty surprising.

(Click here for more history about The Wandering Mummy)

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A wonderful looking illusion from Thomas Pohle.  It is very similar to Angleo Carbone’s Prison Box and Squeeze Thru, though Thomas has never owned either of these items.  His effect is based on a cardboard model he saw on YouTube. Thomas wanted to make it in wood – and improve it with his creation of the locking tab. While Thomas’ cabinet is not the same as the two effects mentioned – out of respect for Angelo Carbone – this initial run of Houdini’s Escape will be the only ones ever made. There were fifteen units sold.

Thomas has done an amazing job on the look and working of this effect – it looks perfect and the mechanism is smooth and easy to use.  It is possible to lock the unit in place (unlike the Angelo Carbone’s versions), and this is a minor miracle in itself, with very fine tolerances.  For me I don’t think it is necessary to lock the unit, but having the option is good to have.

A very fine piece that is sure to please both the Thomas Pohle fans and the Houdini Collectors, and given there are only fifteen units available these will be in higher demand.

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Here is a rare beauty from the German master magic duo of Tony Lackner and Eckhard Boettcher c. 2000.

The props are well made and look interesting and colorful and the method is easy to do.  It comes with a great patter  story filled with drama and intrigue which I have done my best to edit and enhance below (beginning with a basic google translation).  Basically the princess is hidden under one of the three pillars and if her brother, the prince, cannot find her on the first attempt, the lovely and beautiful princess will be forced to marry a hundred year old Persian scholar who is possibly the ugliest person in the world. 

The pressure is on to save the princess …  which of course you do by successfully producing an envelope with the name of the pillar that the princess is under 🙂

This effect has recently been remade and significantly upgraded using an electronic gimmick as The Mystery of Horus by N8 Quality Magic. This is the original that uses an old school method that needs no batteries, and requires no reset or maintenance.  Not a sexy method but reliable and just as amazing to the spectator 🙂

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The Coin Wand was first exposed in Hoffman’s Modern Magic as The Half-Crown (or Florin) Wand (pg. 203), it was first used in performance c. 1872. Stanyon’s advertised their version c. 1902, Roterberg advertised there version c. 1904, and Thayer were advertising theirs at least as early 1921 but probably earlier. Thayer also had a Slender Coin Wand, but this did not use the same mechanical approach.

Colin’s Coin Wand is about as smooth as the Owen’s Coin Wand though the finish is not quite as nice and there is no flared end with the Owen’s.  Like the Owen’s this does makes a slight scraping sound which can be heard very close-up, but this is not a close-up item anyway so it is moot.  Very fine motion.

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