Andy Martin

Here is a rare beauty from Alan’s early days when he’d create some wonderful and unique items for children’s performers.

As often is the case with Alan’s work, The Chinese Money Box is not what you are expecting. Normally in this type of die-box type effect the large Chinese coin vanishes after some byplay and is found somewhere else on the Magician’s person. In fact, this is an option but what really makes this item unique are these two features:

• When the coin has vanished the kids can still hear it rolling back and forth as the performer tips the box from side to side. But during this byplay the magician can expose half the coin in the back of the box, which will get the kids screaming even more.
• This is then followed by the startling climax that the coin they think is rolling back and forth is in fact a large gold coin instead of the original silver one.

I am almost always pleasantly surprised when I pick-up one of Alan’s items – he goes the extra mile to squeeze out all the magic he can from his wonderful items.  I think you will be pleased too 🙂

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This is a very clever vanish of a block invented by Jimmy King and first sold by U.F. Grant and then later by Mak Magic. Although it looks similar to the See-Thru Block Vanish it works completely differently and it is a very convincing vanish that I think you will enjoy ?

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The first version of this remarkable illusion was invented by Okito c. 1904 (Dr Albo Vol 1, pg 103).  Among others, variations have also been built by Thayer, National Magic Company, Henry Bohlen and Town House Magic (Deluxe Visible Block Penetration c. 1946), Richard Gerlitz, Mel Babcock, Magic Wagon, Mikame Craft, and Nielsen Magic.  It is performed by Dr. Albo in the Ultimate Okito.

However, not all Visible Block Penetrations use the same Okito method.  The key tell tale sign in performance is “slow-motion”: can the penetration be done slowly and visibly?  If it can then it is most likely based on the same method.  If it is visible but almost instant it is probably not using the same method.

The version featured here was designed and built by Bud West and sold by Abbott’s and does not use the Okito method. However the performance of the effect is different from other similar effects such as the Harries Super De Luxe Penetration and if you are familiar with those versions it is important to study the effect and read the instructions because at first it seems a little awkward. But once you understand the different approach it becomes easy to perform and is a very convincing illusion.

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These boxes were designed by Roy Roth for his cabaret act and they are very compact.  The loading mechanism is very similar to Himber’s Her Majesty’s Box (c. 1945) which has also been used by Viking Mfg. and Davenport’s.

These work well but the quality is not as fine as Himber’s original or the later versions.  But it is quite amazing how small the boxes are.  However, don’t confuse this with Roy Roth’s other Nest of Boxes and his Prediction Chest/Nest of Boxes which are have also been called Nest of Boxes in R.A.R. magic adverts and catalogs.  This is the first version I have seen of this style.

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This is a remade version of Viking’s  Jack and Jill Jumbo which is an updated version of the Steve Dusheck and Jim Hill effect: Cases of Metamorphosis c. 1984.  All of these effects are versions of Al Baker’s Cherchez la Femme.

This is a nicely made version, though heavier and not as fine as the Viking version.  The addition of the separate stand allows you to show the cards in the stand before you begin so that you can show the cards and the frame cleanly to begin with. The holes to see the jumbo card through the frame could be a little larger.

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Since 2019 the Mystery Blox as been my version of choice. But sadly I have gone back to John Kennedy’s Mystery Box II due to reliability issues.

I was practicing with the Mystery Blox this holiday season and the gimmick came apart unexpectedly.  I replaced it which was relatively smooth. However, my Mystery Blox has never been the same.  I tried it on some friends and it went drastically wrong twice.  I even tried a brand new box from PropDog and had the same issues. 

It is true if you really work it in you should be fine, however the more you work it in the less life the gimmick has, so now you are stuck between a rock and a hard place. If you work it in too little it can fail you, and if you work it in too much it will also fail you by breaking on you when you least expect it.

So as much as I love this box and idea it certainly can be more unpredictable than the original Mystery Box and as a result I have now switched back to as my go to set: https://www.martinsmagic.com/allmagic/cards/mystery-box-ii-by-john-kennedy/ .  I just don’t have the time or inclination to deal with issues that can arise with this box.

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Clifton Mitchell is a true perfectionist. He doesn’t take on many projects but when he does you can be sure the finished product will be gold 🙂

This item, which is Clift’s version of the Mikame Craft effect Mystery Key Holder that was invented by Satoshi Toyoda, is a real delight. It is one of the very few items (out of thousands) that has ended up in my Gig-Rig ready for action anytime in the future.

Although the idea behind the original Mikame Craft version is a stroke of genius the version they sold has a number of limitations.  Clift has addressed all of those issues and then some.  Most importantly he made the key look like a common place item, rather than an obvious magician’s prop, and created an interesting and amusing line of patter to go along with it.

More than any other effect I am looking forward to trying this out over the holidays, and I’m quite confident it will drive them wild.  Thank-you Clift for letting me have one of these as I know you have a lot of demand for your products, I love it 🙂

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This is Milson-Worth’s version of the card box and it’s a masterpiece. The cover is heavy duty, solid walnut construction with a distinctive look to it to stand out from the many popular models out there. There would be no mistaking that this is a Milson-Worth card box.

One feature that stands out is the cover can be freely handled as the “flap” is a lockable one, both before and after the transformation. Don’t recall ever seeing this added touch in the many boxes out there. The locking and release mechanism is cleverly built into the cover and entirely under your control.

As with the famous painted MW line, Lyn Johnson also demonstrates his skills with woodworking on this item and it ranks among the best I have seen. Definitely, one of my favorite MW pieces in my collection.

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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.

Warren Hamilton’s Jo-Anne – The Improved Card Duck has been the Card Duck standard for many years. The paint job is amazing and the mechanism to pick the ducks is consistent and reliable.

Warren created three main versions of his duck:

• The Original Jo-Anne (c. 1946)
• Senator Crandall’s Gwendolyn Card Picking Duck  – the big difference with this version was that the feed box detached which was a key part in The Senator’s routine.  (c. 1951)
• Jo-Anne’s Country Cousin (featured on this page) (c. 1963)

The main differences with the original and The Cousin are:

• Bright colored paint-job with much brighter and bolder eyes and lashes 🙂
• Beautiful looking straw hat with metal clip so the hat does not fall off.
• Small colored egg release on the base with lever to keep them in place until you are ready.

Otherwise the actual card picking mechanism is basically the same.  Though I will say this Cousin is probably the most reliable duck I have ever tried.  In tests I picked up twenty cards one after the other without a single skip or miss.  That is one reliable duck 🙂

Performing Dickie and Jo-Anne for over forty years has helped me realize that it really doesn’t really matter what the prop looks like as most of the magic emanates from the performer. It does help if the duck can actually pick the cards smoothly on queue, but most of the other tweaks and improvements pale when compared with a solid routine and a charismatic performance.

This is true for most magic effects and why the best performers have relatively few actual effects in their repertoire because the audience wants to see the person perform almost regardless of what effect they actually perform.

That being said how could anyone not fall in love with Jo-Anne’s Country Cousin? 🙂

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This effect, crafted by A&B Magic Products, demonstrates the exceptional quality of the magic manufacturing business operated by Alexander Great and Ray Bonner during the 1960s and 70s. They were known for their expertise in producing top-notch brass items and other metal-based magic tricks, some of which stood on par with renowned manufacturers like Brema. Their creations were often featured by magic retailers, including Abbott’s and Roydon’s, among others.

In addition to the touted features in the advert below I particularly like these other features:

• The candle fits very snugly in the brass holder.
• The two caps are start in the left and right pockets, making it a seamless and natural movement to discreetly discard the tip while retrieving the second cap.
• The caps themselves are very solid and stay snug at the end of the tubes with ease.

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