Andy Martin

I am long past the time where I will learn to do either the Cups and Balls or the Chop Cup.  However, if I were to perform the Chop Cup, this beautiful cup offered by Wellington Enterprises would be the one I would choose.  The design, features, and craftsmanship are perfect 🙂

This beautiful cup was released in two versions:

• The Standard Aluminum cup – 4.6oz
• The Heavyweight Brass cup – 10.6oz

Click here for more information.

I am long past the time where I will learn to do either the Cups and Balls or the Chop Cup.  However, if I were to perform the Chop Cup, this beautiful cup offered by Wellington Enterprises would be the one I would choose.  The design, features, and craftsmanship are perfect 🙂

This beautiful cup was released in two versions:

• The Standard Aluminum cup – 4.6oz
• The Heavyweight Brass cup – 10.6oz

Click here for more information.

What a striking and unique item Diabolus-Kassette is 🙂

I don’t know much about Uli Kigele but he has written for Eckhard Boettcher and also crafted less than 100 of these boxes.  The box is based upon an Herbert Martin Paufler idea and it is striking, clever and very rich and colorful looking.

When I received the box it came with German instructions which I translated using Google which did an ok job, but you have to spend quite a lot of time figuring out what Google really means when referring to magic effect descriptions.  I worked on the first routine provided, streamlined it, and created what I feel is a wonderful routine that my video hopefully demonstrates.

But I am just scratching the surface of what this box can do.  It is a utility box that permits two specific events. But with some thought you can do even more. The reset is quick and you can show the box cleanly.  You can make things appear, vanish or change and there are no flaps to deal with.

I think this is the sort of item that the two talented Canadian’s, John and Simon, could really go to town with 🙂

Click here for more information.

This is the final beautiful brass item from the craftsman Terry Roses. And as with Terry’s other brass collectible line it comes in a beautiful inlaid oak carrying case too. It is the old ball and tube effect first created by Carl Brema c. 1929 as The Atlas Ball and Tube Mystery.  Then c. 1936 Brema created an improved (locking) version. And finally c. 1939 Brema released a giant sized version known as Brema’s Giant Ball and Tube.

This version by Terry Roses is a Giant, semi-locking  ball which perfectly combines the features of all three.  The ball and tube has never looked so good 🙂

You can’t actually give out the tube for a full examination, but because of the semi-locking it can be handled very fairly with nothing to ditch at the end.

Click here for more information.

The inventor of this effect was the German Paul Corduan (17. Februar 1894 – 4. Januar 1961). His stage name was “Doc Corten”. First sold by the German dealer Heinz Jacobi under the name “Corduan-Verwandlungswürfel” (translation: Corduan Change Dice).

Thomas Pohle created his first version of this effect when working with Eckhard Boettcher who provided the routines c . 1984. Over the years Thomas has created a number of versions and this is still the style of design I like the best.

The professionally translated instructions (so you can understand them!) feature three routines, and I based my routine on parts of a lesser known routine where you use these blocks as practice blocks for illusions such as the Mis-Made Lady and any Divided Lady effect.

The method is very clever and easy to do but if you don’t read the instructions on how to do it you might do it the wrong way (as I did for years). By referring to the parts of the assistant (head, body and legs) the effect becomes more interesting to the spectator. Now that I’ve spent the time to work on the routine I like it even more – who knew reading the instructions could bring so much enlightenment 🙂

Click here for more information.

This is one of the original Card Ducklings released by Rich Bloch c. 1984. I prefer it to the early ones created by George Robinson with the googly eyes however, I think recent releases from George are closer to the early CW ones.

There have been many versions of the Card Duck over the years. It was invented by Laurie Ireland and marketed by him as Otto, The Automaton Duck.

This duckling looks adorable and works well as long as you maintain the beak and ensure that the cards are not too sticky.  When I opened this the cards were clumping badly and the rubber pads on the beak were completely solid – forty years is a long time to wait between picking a card.  After trying various pieces of rubber and pads with no luck I placed a piece of black felt on the top and double sticky tape on the bottom beak and it started picking up very smoothly.

You do have to make sure his beak travels the full distance and don’t rush things. But after some trial and error my little guy was picking cards like a champ 🙂

Click here for more information.

Ed Massey invented this clever and original effect.  The initial version of Squeeze Away Block first appeared in Blackstone’s Annual of Magic c. 1929 in a contribution written and illustrated by Massey. Commercial versions started appearing c. 1946.

This is Conjuror’s Workbench (Jack Ruda) beautiful close-up version of it where you visibly make the solid center block disappear right in front of their eyes only to have it show up in a hat or somewhere else.

Made from solid black walnut, hand rubbed furniture-grade finish, top and sides are doweled with brass pins and the bottom is attached with screws for strength. The blocks are solid maple and the gimmick is made of brass and aluminum. There were only 12 of these made.

As much as I love the mechanics of the larger versions of this effect, they do have some real angle issues. The close-up versions are much easier to perform and this version from Jack Ruda is perfect to perform.

Click here for more information.

Here is a wonderful collection of low priced “Collector’s” items from the famous Indian producer of magic products Sam Dalal ? Good old Sam the Sham, you can’t keep a good man down.

No one is going to believe these items rival the wood craftsmanship of (in no particular order) Colin Rose, Alan Warner, Kent Bergmann, Owen Magic Supreme, Michael Baker, Paul Lembo, Mel Babcock, Dave Powell, Magic Wagon, Thomas Pohle, Francois Danis, Louis Gaynor, Viking Mfg., to name just a few of the many thousands on this website.

However, if you have a low budget or are used to plastic versions of these items you’ll be more than happy with these wooden miracles from Sam.

Click here for more information.

This is Richard Himber’s brilliant “The Big Trick” 🙂  This was initially released with the Topper effect, and was later advertised on its own. It is more startling than Topper which is probably why they did that.

I’ve seen many version’s of the razor blade cutting the deck, and it all started with Richard Himber’s Big Trick.  The quality of this box is something to behold: fine Italian leather, 24k gold dectorating, and solid gleaming chrome.  Looks stunning and beautiful.

The effect is easy to do and the reset takes less about a minute.  I love it 🙂

Click here for more information.

I’ve wanted to obtain one of Richard Himber’s Topper card boxes for many years and finally managed to track one down.  It looks beautiful and the two effects that were released with it are perfect:

• Topper
• The Big Trick

The key with this effect is the force has to be clean and so I created a special deck and added the torn corner to really sell the finale.  I don’t think it gets much better than this.

It is easy to do and has a very quick reset.  If you don’t want to tear the corner (which was not originally part of Richard’s effect) then the reset is even simpler, but I think it adds a lot with the torn corner.

Click here for more information.