Clock of San Marco’s Square by Collectors’ Workshop, John Good

Twenty years since I first performed this effect I still love it!  Better than any electronic version (even this beauty from Urs Auckenthaler), it is quiet and very reliable and really looks eerie.   I created a quick demo video so you could see the action up close with no sounds to cover the motion – you can’t hear a thing!

A Beautiful card effect created by Collectors’ Workshop’s chief illusion builder: John Good.

Collector’s Workshop make some wonderful and expensive props. However, it is in some of their cheaper effects where you can find some real workable and entertaining routines. The Clock of San Marcos Square is one such effect. I have used this many times on lay audiences and they just love it. It looks uncanny and is very convincing. Even if you can afford their expensive stuff you would be hard pressed to find a more unusual, workable, and entertaining close-up effect!

(Please notice there is a slight bend in the pen this is not a mistake, as one site I found said, but designed this way to make the pen move better, and it is described in the instructions too.)

Effect: The performer fans a deck of cards, then removes 12 cards. The spectator secretly selects one of the 12 cards, which are then arranged in a circle. The rest of the deck is placed in the center of the circle and a pen is balanced on the deck. The spectator co^cc^ntt^i^’tes on his card, and after 20 seconds of concentration the pen begins to move. The pen turns slowly around like the hand of a clock. The pen stops and it is found to be pointing to the selected card.

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