5 Stars

Well look at the Flocking on these!

So the Tricky bottles trick, invented by James Swoger, has been around since the late ’50’s and there are some good and bad versions out there. This latest version, by the master craftsman Jay Leslie, doesn’t use bottles it uses Bowling Pins.

Not only is the method different from the bottles the tubes are very high quality and lovingly made. Jay even Flocks the interior of the tubes with this black, felt like material that really adds a nice smooth finish to the tubes. The tubes are very nice indeed – great paint job, solidly constructed, and will last a lifetime. Did I say I liked the tubes? They are so much better than the tubes you normally get for this sort of effect.

The other nice thing about this version is that not only can either Pin be chosen and examined by the spectator but also either tube too. But from even close-up with the easy to learn handling that never becomes apparent. The routine is pretty much the same Do-As-I-Do, but with wonderful apparatus. Its easy to do too!

Great Job Jay! Certainly Recommended!

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Beautiful Box, Great Comedy, and Without The Hassle!

So Robert Houdin’s Light and Heavy Chest has always intrigued magicians. However, most versions, including the expensive modern one from Tom Yurasits, are not very practical. This certainly can be used and used and I see no reason why it won’t keep on working for years to come.

Thanks Ron for sending me #1 of this limited edition!

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A Wonderful Version of a True Classic

We all remember being fooled by the Chinese Sticks as kids and what better way to reproduce that feeling than with this wonderful set from my good friend George Robinson at Viking Mfg/Collector’s Workshop.

These sticks look stunning in their bright red and gold tips and have a nice solid feel to them. The mechanism is smooth as silk and all that is needed is practice and a fun routine that they also come with.

Good to see these back in production, get a set now before they run out again!

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What a wonderfully upbeat Author!

Frances Ireland (Marshall) wrote this wonderful book in 1946. It is the only magic book I have read by a female magician, and it makes for a very refreshing read. She covers almost all areas of magic with advice and anecdotes, but she does so in such an entertaining way that you feel positively gushing with goodwill towards your fellow magicians at the end.

She makes you feel lucky to be in the magic business! And for those who want to make a go of magic as a professional performer or dealer she offers some very sound advice. Here is what she has to say about the benefits of magic:

"If you’re sick, magic will help you feel better. If you’re poor, you won’t buy a lot of useless equipment, but will concentrate on sleight of hand, which some day may make you rich. If you’re rich, you don’t have to practice sleight of hand, but can become a collector and the envy of the poor. And if you’re grouchy, brother, you’ll mellow and melt like butter when your audience applauds your first show. You can’t stay grouchy in show business. I guess the only kind of man who can’t benefit from magic is a corpse."

Frances sadly passed away last year, having spent over seventy years in the magic business as a performer, author, and magic dealer. From reading just this one book she surely sounded like a wonderful lady!

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Sometimes you can sell too much!

Most magicians I have known have, at one time or another, sold a prop that they never used only to really regret it later. Dean’s Box is one of those for me.

I don’t really know why I sold it, but I’m glad to have purchased a new one. Interestingly enough, the cloth has changed color from red to black since the first time I purchased this effect.

This is a beatifully made box with a really wonderful series of three effects with some rope and a ring. It is easy to do, though it takes some handling practice.

Highly recommended, and this time I won’t sell it!

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What can you say! Simply Amazing!

I’m not going to fool anyone if I say I have read the whole of this book – it is huge and heavy. However, it holds nearly all of the known published miracles of Ted Annemann and it is a book that I am very eager to read from cover to cover.

Ted Annemann was one of the real heavyweights in magic thought and creation, and its hard to imagine anyone not getting a truck load of wonderful ideas from this book.

I know this doesn’t do justice to the man or the book, so buy it yourself and post a review for us all to read! Beautifully produced and Highly recommended!

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