Production Deck by Joker Magic

Effect: The magician takes a deck of cards out of the case, shuffles and cuts the deck and a matchbox magically appears right between the cards! You can make any small object appear between the cards (a folded card, a prediction, dice, a small lighter, a key etc.). It is a good idea to make a duplicate object disappear prior to the trick.

It can appear to be shuffled, but is essentially a false deck that can be used to effect the production of a small item, such as the enclosed matchbook. The deck is fun to play with because its hollow nature is masked by a receding panel of sorts that moves in and out with a gentle spring action. The prop is interesting, but it must be said that the suggested routine is one that can pretty easily be approximated with sleight of hand and a regular deck. In a way it’s something (as Sol Stone might have said) that is laboring like an elephant to give birth to a mouse.

I think there are other approaches to the prop that a thinking magician might want to explore, such as switching it in after a series of card effects, and perhaps openly exposing the gimmick in order to introduce, say, a group of coins for the next effect, or, perhaps, using it to “crush” a small item between groups of cards, whereupon the item seemingly ceases to be (I like this very much). Again, it’s very well-made, but I think it will require some thought in order to best milk its potential.

Considerations: The box is clever, but more so than the included routine.

(David Regal – Genii Magazine, February 2007)

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