Card in Bottle Nested Boxes by Carroll Baker, Robert Harbin

This is an effect created by Robert Harbin c. 1948 and it first appears in Abracadabra (Vol. 6, No. 138, 18th September, 1948).  It is also detailed (with credit to Harbin) by Martin Lewis in his Making Magic Vol.2 DVD. Harbin’s article from Abra was also published in Magic Magazine January 2008. 

Effect: The performer shows an empty bottle and places it inside of a small “treasure chest” that is then placed inside of a larger “treasure chest” and left in plain view of the audience. A helper chooses a card from a deck and shows the selection to the rest of the audience. The card is returned to the deck and made to vanish.

The large chest is opened and the small chest is removed. The small chest is tilted toward the audience so that the helper can reach in and grab the “empty” bottle that was placed in there before the effect started. Much to their surprise, the chosen card vanished from the deck and is now sealed in the bottle.

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