This clever mechanical slate was created by the prolific British magician, author, and inventor Peter Warlock. It was released by Harry Stanley c. 1956 and then reissued by Supreme Magic c. 1978. This is the original version sold by Harry Stanley and it looks and works perfectly.
There are two phases to the effect: the selection of a four digit number and then the further selection of one of those final digits – all of this is predicted in advance of the actions happening and it looks quite amazing. Hence “Five” Thoughts Ahead 🙂
The weakest part in the original routine as supplied is the selection of the four numbers does not use a gimmicked add-a-number device. Over the years there have been a few devised but one of the very best is the Bogey by Ray Piatt and Larry Becker:
So to do justice to this clever slate you should best combine it with The Bogey – then you have the perfect complement of two devices to produce a truly impressive feat of mentalism. And of course I provide both devices for completeness 🙂
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