5 Stars

This is one of the earliest releases of Owen’s beautiful Temple of Cambodia created during the late 1950’s and early 1960’s by Carl Owen himself. For something almost 65 years old it looks amazing with a few scratches and marks but otherwise a really beautiful piece. I spent some time adding some lubrication to a few key areas and some small strips of black felt to minimize the noise and this beauty works perfectly now.

You could do quite a lot with these props but the routine that comes with the later instructions (that I have included) about the King of Cambodia works well for me.

The key moments in the routine are:

• The stack of gold (red and yellow discs) are cleanly shown separate.
• They are placed in the center of the cabinet.
• Each compartment either side of the center of the cabinet is shown empty.
• The stack is removed from the center and placed under the tube.
• The ghost goes into the center of the cabinet.
• The ghost swaps places with the stack of gold.
• The cabinet is broken down and shown to be otherwise completely empty .

It is an easy to do effect with simple to learn handling and patter and will look amazing in your collection 🙂

Click here for more information.

The Unique Card Rise Chest was invented by Clint Reidel and first manufactured by U.F. Grant c. 1960.  It was a big hit because it was so simple to perform but looked so good and there have been a number of versions created over the years.

This one by Viking Mfg. is easily the prettiest and smoothest one I have seen.  It works very precisely and looks amazing.

Click here for more information.

In 1890 on page 181 of More Magic Professor Hoffman described The Climbing Coin. In 1992 Douglas-Wayne Illusioneering, founded by George Richbark and Dave Dorsett, created this beautiful reproduction staying true to Professor Hoffman’s description. And what a beauty it is.

This item is built with great precision by Douglas-Wayne Illusioneering and uses no electronics or clockwork mechanisms.  It is a little fiddly to set-up at first but it really doesn’t take more than a couple of minutes once you are familiar with it.  It does take some practice to ensure you place the pieces in the correct orientation, but after a few trials you’ll be able to perform this with ease.

Part of the charm of this piece is that it really is a good reproduction of the same effect described by Professor Hoffman.  And because it uses no electronics Collectors really love this type of effect 🙂

Click here for more information.

This is a simple but effective method that if you didn’t know how it was done there is a good chance you would be scratching your head.  It is quite bold, but allows you to focus 100% on the performance.

There is zero set-up, no memory work and it is always ready to roll.  There are some angle issues but as long as the audience is somewhere in front of you everything works very well.

The instructions includes two routines: a color duplication detailed below and a children’s routine called Lucky Lotto.

Click here for more information.

The effect is easy to do and for all the high-tech feel of the props, everything is basically manual and fool proof.  If you are looking for something a little different and want to spend an afternoon fine tuning the patter and the routine you’ll have the perfect routine here.

The props look perfect and the routine is sheer gold, all you need is a little bit of acting to bring it home 🙂

Click here for more information.

A classic utility device for transforming pretty much anything that fits inside the tube – including liquids. This is a very good quality tube that should last a lifetime. Not quite as good as the Milson-Worth version, but close enough for most. A good size too at 6″ x 2″.

Click here for more information.

The first time I saw this wonderful effect, invented by the talented German Inventor and Craftsman Wolfgang Grosskopf, was when Olaf Güthling shared with me his stunning version. This version, created by Germany’s Magic Workshop, is not quite as impressive, or authentic looking, but nevertheless it really is a beautiful item.  In the world of 3D printed and resin items we often find these days anything made in real wood is always a treat 🙂

Magic Workshop  is a small magic manufacturer and dealer that was opened by magician and craftsman Laszlo Madaras in 2017. This is the first time I have purchased directly from them and the order was shipped on Monday and arrived on Thursday – that was quite magical itself and I look forward to purchasing more items in the future from this dealer.

The effect is great and easy to do.  If you’re in the 60+ club you’ll probably need the crib sheet to remember where to turn the handle to get the correct ball, but with that in hand you can be performing this the same afternoon it arrives in the mail.

One issue I had was that there was not enough padding in the drawer so it was pretty noisy.  If you watch my Speed Demo there is barely any sound now. Also for some reason the routine suggests you produce the black ball first – since the inside of the drawer is also black I think using a more contrasting color (e.g. red) makes a lot more sense.  You don’t want to open the drawer the first time and not have them notice the ball!!!

If you are wood guy like myself I have no doubt you will love this clever and well produced item 🙂

Click here for more information.

From time to time some magic enthusiasts around the world send me photos of some very interesting props that I feel compelled to include on my site. This is an effect by the great German inventor and craftsman Wolfgang Grosskopf. This version was built by Olaf Güthling and he has created an amazing an authentic looking version of Wolfgang’s idea. This looks really beautiful. Great job Olaf!

Click here for more information.

This was the final release by Magic Wagon in 2023 and I have not heard anything from them since 🙁

However, this is a real beauty.  The reviews on The Cafe are a mixed bag – some people love this and others hate it, but for me you have to embrace the fact they have created a perfect working, miniature version of the most iconic magic illusion of all time 🙂

It is easy to perform and the props look amazing – something Magic Wagon have excelled at for 18+ years. I personally would have preferred if they had used a more realistic flesh based figurine such as Cleopatra but that is a small point.

One of the nice things about taking a few months before I add Magic Wagon items to my site, is that it gives Simon Corneille time to produce a video. And this time it was well worth the wait as Simon has produced a real treat for the eyes and mind.  It does include other props from Magic Wagon that are not included with this release but Simon really knocks it out of the park this time – great job Simon 🙂

I don’t know what the future holds for Magic Wagon, but this is certainly one of their more memorable and interesting props.  Great job guys!

Click here for more information.