Li Chang’s Boxes (Willi Wessel Collection) by Alan Warner

For more details on Willi Wessel’s unique Alan Warner collection click here.

I’ve always liked the look of these beautiful teak boxes. They are compact and strong and with the red and blue Chinese symbols look very striking. What is even better about these boxes is that they are a general switching device, anything that fits in one box can be transported into the other box: cards, billets, letters, colors, etc. You could use them in forces, do as I do effects, mind reading effects – the list is long!

There are no switches, flaps or external devices – the boxes are totally self contained and the method is just so very clever and very convincing. You will love how they look and how they operate – very different from any other card boxes I have seen.

Effect: The two boxes are on the performer’s table together with six mini patience playing-cards which are lying face down. A spectator is requested to select one of these cards and to remember it. The spectator is then asked into which box he would like his chosen card to be placed – the one with a red Oriental character, or the blue one. The chosen card is placed in the selected box and the lid is closed.

The spectator is now asked to name his card and the remaining five cards are then turned over to show that they are all different. The spectator’s box is then placed on his outstretched hand, the box first being given a quick shake from side to side by the performer to confirm the presence of the chosen card within the box. The performer holds the other box. A snap of the performer’s fingers and the impossible happens… the spectator is asked to open his box – NO CARD! The performer opens his box and there it is – THE SPECTATOR’S CHOSEN CARD!

• FREE SELECTION
• EXAMINABLE BOXES
• NO SWITCHES

The spectator has a completely free choice of both playing-card and box. The boxes bring about the transposition and have been specially designed to withstand normal examination.

VERSATILE APPARATUS

THE PERFORMER IS NOT RESTRICTED TO USING LI CHANG’S BOXES SOLELY FOR THE ABOVE EFFECT! Any small object that will fit into the spectator’s box will vanish and reappear in the performer’s box: the spectator can place a marked coin in his box, the performer can do likewise and the coins will transpose, the spectator finishing up with the performer’s coin and vice versa. Other ideas will no doubt occur to the imaginative performer once he knows the working principle of these ingenious little boxes. We supply the two special boxes and six mini patience playing-cards for the Alan Warner routine set out above.

BEAUTIFUL HANDCRAFTED APPARATUS:

• These two small wooden boxes are 7.6 x 4.5 cms, are made in teak, and have brass-hinged lids.
• Each box is decorated with a circle of contrasting wood which has been set in relief on the lid.
• Cut into this contrasting wooden circle is an Oriental character.
• To differentiate between the two boxes, the backgrounds of the Oriental characters are a different colour.

The apparatus comes complete with The Alan Warner Routine.

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