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This is beautiful remake of Joe Berg’s wonderful Improved Card Drawer c. 1945 by avid magician and talented woodworker Marvin Cull c. 1998.  Marvin did a wonderful job and although I have not seen the original Berg boxes in person, from photos it appears that this is as good if not better than the originals.

The Improved Card Drawer is a card drawer box that allows for two changes and the drawer can be removed 100% and can be examined.  Even the outer cover can be shown quite cleanly and handled by the spectator, though I would not recommend a thorough examination.  What also works well about the design is the cleanness of the release mechanism.  There are no levers or slides to change.  Just push the drawer in all the way and the change happens, so the moment it happens is up to you with nothing added or taken away.  You’ll love this box for sure.

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Here we have another beautiful recreation by Carl Williams of the Okito Mystery Paddle that was originally created by Okito c. 1955.  This version by Carl Williams was released c. 2000 in a limited edition of less than 30.

The instructions say this is an adaption of a well-known slate trick marketed by Annemann, which I was unable to find a reference to. But as far as I know it is an adaptation of U.F. Grant’s Slate of Mind.  Apart from looking significantly nicer I like the fact you start with a full deck and have six cards “randomly” chosen from the deck with neither the audience or the performer knowing what they are.  That gives the impression that one card out of a whole deck was in fact predicted.

If you ever wanted to perform any form of Slate of Mind, Okito’s Mystery Paddle would be the best way to do it: it looks beautiful and is more convincing.

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Here is another work of art from Michael Baker and only three of these were ever made.  As is often the case with Michael’s creations he spared no expense or time in the creation of this remarkable miracle.  Every panel has a different picture and the colors are rich and intoxicating.

The method is as clever as the props are beautiful and there is a lot going on to create the perfect illusion of an impossible transposition from the large cabinet to the small.  Even though right up to the last second you can show the orb is inside the large cabinet, it magically transports itself to the smaller cabinet.

I’m looking forward to seeing the Speed Demo for this bad boy, and I hope you are too 🙂

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This item from Magic Wagon is inspired by two of my favorite effects: Tony Lackner’s Hand of Cleopatra and John Good’s/Collectors’ Workshop’s Clock of San Marco’s Square. Right up front I would say I would not replace either with Arrow of Truth … 🙁

However, I am referring to the traditional uses of Cleopatra and San Marco’s.  Luckily, thanks to the clever guys at Magic Wagon this box can reveal two items, not one.  And the always thinking John M. Talbot shows how this feature can be used for more than a nice copy of two classic effects.  John has created five effects that are included with the instructions:

• Elementary My Dear Watson – this is closest to how I perform Cleopatra, with an extra twist thanks to the ability for the two reveals.
• Sally Picks a Card – this is my favorite and John really shows you how to squeeze a great surprise, which is a little scary, from an otherwise innocent two reveal system.
• Point The Way – John makes use of some interesting Steampunk cards and a real compass.
• Dead or Alive – The Room goes dark and a scream is heard in the distance 🙂  Need I say anymore,  John knows how to have some fun!
• Win or Lose – another novel use of this box as an old gambling device.

I don’t know under what circumstances John gets involved with Magic Wagon’s effects, but I do know when he does the item is significantly better thanks to his clever routines and out of the box thinking.  I hope the partnership continues because some Magic Wagon items that start out as nice boxes literally transform into real miracles  when he gets involved.

Great job Magic Wagon, and please stick around John 🙂

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This is easily one of the very best items created by the original Collectors’ Workshop Founders and Dream Team of Rich Block and Nick Ruggiero. This has it all:

• Startling Vanish and Reappearance of a real Alarm Clock
• Incredibly reliable remote control
• Hilarious Situation Comedy built into the Routine
• Easy to perform and easy to set up
• Intriguing Props and Sounds
• Packs neatly into a custom ATA case for storage

Most importantly, unlike some of the more complex items such as P.T. Barnum’s Delight, this is incredibly reliable and works right out of the box.  You have to read the detailed instructions but it all sets-up logically and in my testing it has not failed once.  It is very solid, you set it up and follow the directions and you have comedy gold at the push of a button and one of the most amazing visual vanishes of a clock you will ever find!

Time Odyssey is hard to find these days and it has not been reproduced by George Robinson, who purchased  Collectors’ Workshop twenty years ago, due to the complexity of the manufacturing required. One of the many reasons Collectors’ Workshop have been so revered by Collectors and Performers over the years is due to amazing effects like Time Odyssey 🙂

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