Andy Martin

Wow, this is amazing!

So maybe you’re ready to move up from Si Stebbins or the Eight Kings to a stacked deck that not only looks like a shuffled deck, but is still easy to learn.

Then Osterlind’s Breakthrough Card System is for you. Just setting the deck up once you very quickly get the idea, and if you just spend an hour dealing out cards you’ll have the stack down. It’s really quite amazing how this works, but it does and I thank Richard Osterlind for publishing it.

Apart from the stack rules, it comes with some extra tips to get very proficient, fast and a selection of effects. Of course there are so many effects that could benefit from a stacked deck that you’ll soon be breathing new life into many old chestnuts.

Highly recommended!

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Great Magic, Great Props, Great Value!

So here is the first effect in the Exclusive line of Martin’s Magic Off the Shelf Craftsmanship Series! Unfortunately, the line is so exclusive there will only be one of each effect made 🙁

The germ of the idea for this effect came from reading an ad for an effect by Dexter – Box of Bombay.

You start by showing a beautiful box that has a top tray with 4 Egyptian Canopic Jars featuring the 4 Sons of Horus: Imsety, Hapy, Duamutef, and Qebehsenuef. You take the tray out and remove a deck of mummy shape cards – just to keep the mummy theme going. You also show 4 cards of the jars and without showing the spectator you chose one as a prediction and place it in the bottom part of the box. You then replace the top tray so that noone knows your prediction.

The spectator now chooses a card from the deck, and then selects any one of the 4 jars (no force involved). The tray is lifted out and the spectator reaches in to find the one prediction matching the jar they chose. Now the spectator opens up the jar and finds a prediction in the jar of the card they also chose and we come to the end of a great mystery!

Beautiful, Off the Shelf Craftsmanship, at its finest!

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Now this is more like it!

This is a significant improvement to the original version of this effect. With the help of the radio controlled stylings of Chuck Caputo, who made the radio controlled compass according to my specifications – and if I do say so myself I think its Chuck’s finest work to date, very impressive!

The Magician shows a beautiful box with an ornate brass compass freely revolving around in it. A spectator is chosen and handed the box. A framed compass with glass front is also shown. This is turned away from the audience, but the performer never goes near it again.

The Magician ensures that everyone is familiar with the points of a compass and then asks the spectator to close their eyes and turn around until they are getting dizzy. The magician then asks them to look at where the compass is pointing. They say "North." The magician then turns over the large compass prediction that he used to explain the compass and on the back it says "The Compass will Point North!"

Naturally, the audience are not impressed. So the effect is repeated, and instead of looking at where the compass is pointing this time they look at where the specator is pointing. It can be any of the 8 points of the compass – lets say its South East. The spectator now goes up to the compass frame and the hand is pointing to the exact direction that the spectator said.

Another entertaining mystery comes to an end.

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This is how an Egg Bag Should be made!

I have not performed the Egg Bag for over twenty years. However, recently I was reminded of all my earlier performances by reading Classic Secrets of Magic by Bruce Elliot. Once reminded I then read about the work of Lynetta Welch at Fabric Manipulation so decided to order the Silk Legacy Egg Bag.

And what a beauty it is – very small, very supple, and perfect for all the standard Egg Bag moves and more. I am very excited about getting this true classic back into my act. Thanks Lynetta for doing such a nice job and suggesting the Silk version – it truly is beautiful.

Apart from the quality of seams, material and manufacture there were three other things that caught my eye with this bag:

It has a double edge of sewing on the gimmick side,

The silk material makes it very easy to turn it inside out,

The sheen and lightness of the sheen tend to make it fold in a nautral way thereby further adding to the illusion that the bag is empty.

The silk of course is not like silk handkerchiefs, a much stronger and thicker quality is used so this will last a long time. Finally, this bag is small but that is how an Egg Bag should be. I have seen some huge bags that could hide a dozen eggs … hardly amazing to loose one little egg.

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reviews October 8, 2003 Reviews 5 Stars, Andy Martin

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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Simple is normally the Best!

As I wean myself from high priced electronic miracles, it becomes obvious that so many seemingly impossible effects are possible with very simple props, that don’t require eight batteries and two transmitters!

Paul Richards has a real winner here for the casual or strolling performer, it is simple to do, easy to remember, and reset, and works every time. There is even a presentation that doesn’t require a table or the dice. All in the mind.

Very nice!

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Great Trick with Comedy and Magic Potential

This trick has great potential to play well for kids. There is some byplay to be had with making up funny names for the two animals chosen and showing the animals in the first place, some laughs to be had as you show your sketches as predictions, and some killer magic as you do in fact successfully predict both choices without any funny business.

I knew how this effect was going to work when I ordered it and was hoping for a nice stand to spin around. The makers credit the idea to Burling Hull’s Radar Vision, I am not familiar with that effect but would say that this effect is exactly like Ultissimo – I am not sure which came first.

For $39 don’t expect the best props in the world – note to self if its less than $100 don’t expect too much! However, these props are certainly workable and as long as you’re not trying to impress the local Magic Collector’s club you’ll be fine. The stand, unlike Ultissimo does not spin around but its a big stand so that maybe just as well. There is a smaller version of this effect and I think for most performances the smaller one would be better. But if you’re doing big shows to 100’s of kids then this will be perfect for you.

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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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