4 Stars

The original Buried Treasure effect was invented by Ed Massey c. 1957.  This improved version was built by Arturo (Glenn Babbs) c. 1964 and sold by Abbott’s and  U.F. Grant. This particular item was sold by Abbott’s.

The improved Arturo version is easier to set and the effect is more impressive because the signed coin vanishes and appears inside a third box that is sealed inside a second box which is surrounded by beans, as opposed to just one box as in the original effect.  There have been a number of versions built by various builders including very pretty ones by Mel Babcock and Louis Gaynor. However, one of the features of these original Arturo made boxes is that the large outer red box dismantles further which makes it easier to set-up.

In the Abbott’s advert it talks about tying the outer and inner box with a ribbon – this is certainly possible, but because of the astonishment created by pulling the tiny box out of all of the beans I don’t think it adds anything to the effect and just slows down the pace.  But of course you could use ribbons if you wanted to (and I even include some for you).

This is a truly amazing effect which will amaze your audience and is easy to do 🙂

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This is a very well made box with a clever method and it is easy to do.  It is best performed with people in front but it certainly does produce the effect that is advertised.  The problem that I have with the effect is that it is not really a penetration, but a transposition.  The block transposes itself onto the rod.  If it was a penetration you would move the rod down onto the block.  That does not happen.

If you look at the first video Rob gets closest to making the effect work, because the block stays in the same place – but to do Rob’s effect you have to use a ribbon instead of a rod.  I think this a method looking for an effect and I think it could have been better but I don’t think Magic Wagon really thought about what the actual effect was 🙁

But full marks for craftsmanship as we have come to expect from Magic Wagon.

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Another perfectly crafted item from Magic Wagon which looks great and is relatively easy to do if a little fiddley. As far as an effect goes you can tell a lot but by how animated the vidoes are. This is the second effect in a row where Madison has not even bothered to speak … that pretty much tells you what he thinks of it … 🙂

I think the last two items for 2022 were not so great after a very strong year. Maybe it makes more sense to produce one a quarter and focus on quality effects instead of just well made boxes? Just a thought – Magic Wagon produce amazing items but they do need to entertain the audience too, so don’t forget the routines.

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Another perfectly crafted item from Magic Wagon which looks great and is relatively easy to do if a little fiddley. As far as an effect goes you can tell a lot but by how animated the vidoes are. This is the second effect in a row where Madison has not even bothered to speak … that pretty much tells you what he thinks of it … 🙂

I think the last two items for 2022 were not so great after a very strong year. Maybe it makes more sense to produce one a quarter and focus on quality effects instead of just well made boxes? Just a thought – Magic Wagon produce amazing items but they do need to entertain the audience too, so don’t forget the routines.

Click here for more information.

This is a unique little box from Optical Oddities Mfg. Co. released c. 1987.  I believe Optical Oddities was Dave Pavlov’s company in Las Vegas that was formed c. 1981.

This box is different from anything else I have seen.  The effect on the audience is similar to what can be be achieved by a Lippincott Box but there are no moving or sliding sides.  The two issues I have with this are: it can only accommodate a coin about the size of half dollar nothing thicker or larger and it is difficult to do the move silently.

I personally believe this is more of a trick for magicians and still think Joe Porper’s original Strong Box is the best type of Lippincott Box available.

But an interesting unique method all the same 🙂

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The Elusive Rabbits or Hippity-Hop Rabbits was invented by The Great Norman (Norman Hazeldene) c. 1947. Norman sold the rights to Harry Stanley when Harry was in partnership with Jack Hughes and Arthur Dowler and they released the first version in early 1947. The effect was a big success.

Davenport’s released their first version c. 1958 when they were located at New Oxford Street.  This version is probably the same design as their first version but the instructions say Charing Cross Underground which is where they moved to c. 1962.

This is a good sized version with a simple clear design and bright colors.  I found the release for the climax a little stiffer than I would like but after adding some lube it became much easier, though this would not be my first choice for this prop.  However, they do work fine and are in great condition for their age and would look perfect in your collection.

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Jack Hughes invented the Clatter Box c. 1949 and it appears in his World of Magic Vol. 2.  It has been copied without permission by many magic dealers throughout the world over the years 🙁

The original Clatter Box was quite small and was made of metal. Jack changed the style of the box several times over the years, but the method of release remained the same.  This version is the wooden style that became more popular over time.

This Clatter Box takes a few tries to get comfortable setting it up, but once you have done it a few times it becomes second nature. It is important that you seat each section properly otherwise the box will fall apart too soon, or will not look solid. But if you do it right it looks very convincing and is a surprise to the audience when it all falls apart.

I thought this would complement the Joseph Silk Pistol perfectly and am looking forward to working on a Speed Demo this weekend.

The best way to perform this is to whisper to the spectator to time the pull of the knob with the firing of the silk pistol so that it looks like the silk literally flew inside the box 🙂

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TCC have been making magic since 2008 and they are committed to produce very high quality magic for an exceptional value.  I have seen many Mini Drawer Boxes over the years and this one falls about in the middle of the pack. It is very well made but doesn’t have a breath taking design like The Cleveland Drawer Box or Dave Powell’s amazing Victorian Prediction Box. Also the mechanism is pretty fool proof but it is not hidden so you cannot show the whole bottom of the box without covering a small section with your hand.

The method is very standard with nothing to really new here.  It can be shown empty and then it can be shown full.  If you were just using this for cards it is pretty big which is probably one of the reasons TCC call it the Anything Box.  Unlike some drawer boxes it has spare space in the bottom so you can exchange  small things like coins, billets and tissue paper – but this is certainly not a new feature or unique to this drawer box as TCC claim.  Alan Warner created an amazing routine using this same approach with his Chan Chu and quite a few of the smaller boxes do have some room to exchange items.  Just don’t expect to change a red deck for a blue deck!

Where the Anything Box really scores is the price  for $80 in 2022 you won’t get anything even close to the quality or the utility.  I would certainly prefer a smaller box so that you could easily walk-around with this.  It will fit in your outer jacket pocket but it will fill it up.

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TCC have been making magic since 2008 and they are committed to produce very high quality magic for an exceptional value. This is a well made set of knives in a nice leather holder and good quality online video (with English subtitles). 

These knives handle well and transform very easily (some of the easiest I have used) and most people will love them 🙂

However, I see one issue that bothers me a little.  The colors  are not solid – the white has some swirls of grey and the black has some swirls of grey and in certain lighting it might take a minute to recognize the color change.  It might be a small point, but I like my color changes bold and beautiful.  I’m not talking shocking pink here, but if you are going to use black and white make sure there is no ambiguity.

The quality is certainly there, and it is obvious that TCC is all very consistent with their high quality, I just think they have fallen a little short with the color choices 🙁

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This is a comprehensive set of coins that are basically uncredited versions of various Dream Coins and Triple Coins released by Johnny Wong c. 2008.

The big difference with John Jurney’s coins is they can talk a little when compared with the original ones released by Johnny Wong.  That being said there are some interesting routines that John Jurney has put together and the price is good for the selection you get.

In addition, the Chinese Coins in this set look more realistic than Johnny Wong’s do.  Finally this set offered here comes with Old English pennies but later releases used Australian pennies.

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