Andy Martin

This is a very deceptive and easy to set and use device for making a vanished ring appear in an impossible location.  The spectator can inspect this until they are blue in the face but they’ll have no way of figuring out how the ring arrived inside the little brass box.  What is particularly deceptive is that the thread is pretty deep and so it takes many turns to take the lid off, which makes the illusion even more impressive because there is just no way to quickly screw the lid on, and yet load time is instant.

Not only does this box look classy it can handle any small object that fits inside including a large array of rings and small broaches.

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This effect was first produced by A&B Magic and then by Paul Diamond c. 1975.  Subsequently the rights where purchased by Viking Mfg. It is a great way to begin an Okito Box or Matrix routine.

It is not really a walk around effect because the set-up takes a few minutes of preparation and glue or a glue stick.  In fact if you pre-cut some paper (I use this packing paper from Amazon and fold it up and cut up a whole sheet with a guillotine to get lots of matching small pieces quickly) you could do the set-up in 30 seconds, but this is not the sort of thing you want to be messing with in a restaurant.  That being said, it is a very effective production of four or five coins that you almost never see these days. 

Just think about it – you hand the three rings and pieces of paper to the spectator and they seal everything up – the nature of the tight paper really precludes any trickery, and yet almost without them taking their eyes off the rings in an instant they can hear something rattling inside the rings – the paper is still sealed and when pierced out fall the coins.  A lovely moment.

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This effect, originally known as the Elusive Life Savers was invented by Edgar Ralston and built by Okito c. 1947.  It was a favorite effect of Okito’s and he often carried it with him and performed it to both children and adults. 

It is  a wonderful effect and can be used to switch for anything that fits inside the tube from candy, silks, necklaces, and even liquid.  Easy to do with a quick reset time.

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In 1991 Marcelo and Victor Contento founded their company Contento Productions and so began the creation of some of the best engineered custom props for magicians. One of the most popular items  was this item: The New Generation Card Fountain.

It is still the best card fountain available and the one to beat. This version is the third series released c. 1998 and came with an optional remote control (not included).  It is truly hard to believe that 22 years later there has still not been a better engineered, stronger, or more reliable card fountain. 

You load the cards and flick the switch and eight seconds later the cards fly out of top.  The ad copy says 4 feet high but I think that is conservative and it can easily handle more than a full deck of poker sized cards.  I often add an extra 20 or 30 cards to keep the stream of cards flowing for as long as possible.

When I received my first one of these in 2000 I still remember how amazed I was with the quality of the finish and electronics. A tear actually came to my eye (boy those were the days!) and I immediately called up Marcelo to thank him for producing such a beautiful device 🙂

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This effect is based on a an old children’s toy of the 1930’s. Others, including: Fred Kaps, Ken Brooke, Herbert Martin Paufler, Tony Lackner, Vienna Magic, and more recently Francois Danis, have also created effects with the same basic principle.  But of the ones I have seen up close there is no doubt Eddy’s is the prettiest and most reliable.  It works perfectly.

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P&L created this wonderful version of the classic Rice Bowls c. 1920.  It was a big step forward because instead of the old celluloid disc method, these relied upon special bowls which were made perfectly. In fact, they are closer to Lota Bowls than Rice Bowls with nothing added or taken away.  These are certainly the version to get and they are beautifully crafted by P&L.

Thanks to Brian Watson’s tip in his wonderful book Anytime Anywhere Cups & Balls I found the ideal pouch to store these (Brian uses it for his cups, but these bowls fit perfectly too – purchase Brian’s routine for the brand name and details!).  I also added a Cotton Muslin bag to hold the rice, and you can load the bowls with water, place them in the pouch along with the rice and easily store and carry the complete outfit until you are ready to perform.  If you ever wanted to perform this classic this is the best set-up for sure.

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The original Up, lift (not Uplift as it was subsequently spelled) was invented by the great British Inventor J.F Orrin and it appeared in The Magic Wand, March 1945. It was improved by Jack Hughes c. 1947 as Orrin’s Stream-Lined Uplift and is found in his World of Magic Vol. 2.

This version, perhaps the ultimate version, was invented by Len Belcher and released by Supreme Magic Company c. 1971.  It is a very nice outfit from Supreme at a time when they made real props made to last.

It really is a wonderful routine, easy to do, with multiple surprises and an unexpected final blending of all three silks into one.

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This incredible levitation was first released by Patrick Snowden c. 1998.  However, according to Mike Close (in Magic Magazine, December 1998) he saw a clever Chicago magician utilize the same principle in a charming miniature levitation c. 1978.  The effect looks like real magic and the New version is easier than ever to do.  Instead of the pad of paper the original came with it now comes with a full size (14″ x 18″) good quality close-up pad, made of solid wood with real padded velvet that will last a lifetime.  And the pad can be used before and after the levitation with few restrictions.  There is a one time set-up required but once done you should be good for years.

This is more designed for a formal close-up setting or a parlor setting and certainly not walk-around.  The close-up pad is fairly large and bulky and you have to maintain some control of the environment for maximum effect.  However, with a very small amount of practice you will have a real miracle on your hands and the effect in the video is portrayed accurately.

I think if I was to perform this I would perform a few card and coin effects before hand – you can even use the Sharpie to sign a card or write something down during the act then I would end with the levitation and leave them awestruck as you exit the room 🙂  It certainly looks like real magic.

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One more from the talented Kent Bergmann! Before Kent became the king of 3D printing he created quite a stir with his Z-Wood (Zebrawood) line of magic. This is a rare beauty from those times. Anything from his Z-Wood Magic line is highly sought after by collectors.

Pieces of Eight is a themed collection of magic that is rarer than his Paddle-Works and even more sought after – just ten of these were produced and Kent only released nine to the public, keeping one for himself.  This is the only set I have ever seen.  The collection comes with a 20 page booklet of instructions and eight certificates of authenticity (one for each effect).  Kent spared no expense on this beauty and the box and contents weighs more than 6lbs – you can feel the quality dripping from this bad boy.

Housed inside the beautiful box are eight unique effects:

• Pegged
• Sea Sense
• Swiped
• a “Reale” Penetration
• P-King’s Ring
• Commodore’s Cards
• D.J.’s Locker
• Hooked

The Woods used in this stunning creation are:

• Zebrawood –the heavy grained wood mainly used.
• Bloodwood – the red colored wood.
• Wenge – the black colored wood.
• Maple – the white wood.

Kent’s line of 3D Magic is really amazing but nothing beats the feel, color and smell of genuine wood, and it is hard to find another collection where so much care and attention to detail was poured into it’s creation.  Excellent job Kent!

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Originally created c. 1995, this is the second release c. 2001 and it is my favorite Fabrice Delaure creation. You know when something is your favorite because you buy and sell it multiple times – this is my third set of these little guys and like the previous two it works perfectly, even though Fabrice has not made these for well over a decade.

In fact, Fabrice no longer makes magic like this – it is all white board and iphone related gadgets. Whilst some of these are cool, I don’t think they are as magical, since there are so many screen transmission systems available to the general public anyway.

What I like about the box is that it is not high tech or glitzy and certainly looks devoid of any electronics. There are no switches whatsoever on the box – you simply use one of the giants to turn the box on and off by placing it in one of the slots facing to the back instead of to the front. The transmitter and receiver work 100% of the time and are very reliable even 20+ years later. It uses standard 9V batteries available everywhere.  The receiver is about the size of a deck of cards and has ten LEDs representing one for each slot in the box so it is very easy to see which giants are removed.

Highly Recommended for collector’s of fine old school electronic miracles!

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