4 Stars

This is U.F. Grant’s wonderful and overlooked Improved Proxy Substitution Chest. The original version released c. 1946 used just a single chest, but an improved version was introduced c. 1966 using two chests.  This is the latter kind.  It doesn’t look very much when you get it but it is a very convincing transposition that is embarrassingly easy to do.  The basic plot is that two items borrowed from the audience, an item from a lady and an item from a man, change places in a very clean manner.

I thought it would it would be perfect for a Batman and Superman ultimate Smackdown contest …

The chests have plenty of cosmetic marks and scratches  but they work perfectly.  If I was to perform this regularly I would probably repaint them in blacks and browns to represent buildings or maybe green and red for Kryptonite, but as they are they work perfectly too.  Of course you don’t have to use Batman and Superman – any two small items under about 6″ would work.

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Mr. Magic is a low-price creator of magic from India.  I’m not sure who is actually behind the operation but they sell a lot of magic through their main distributor: Murphy’s Magic.  You won’t find much from Mr. Magic on my site, but recently for a great routine for the ABC blocks by Duane Lafin I needed a cheap and simple forcing bag and for $6 this was perfect.  Looks good and is very deceptive.  The construction would probably not hold up under duress but for this effect I could not find a better looking bag.

You have to supply your own cards or forcing items, I’m using A, B, C letters for the ABC effect.

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Dominique Duvivier created this effect c. 1997 and it was also known as Les Jokers Translucides. It was released by Jeff Busby shortly after as Translucent Jokers and Jeff wrote very detailed instructions for it.  It is not a difficult routine to master but it will take some time and practice to do it well. 

In 2020 Airship Magic released this version in a Limited Edition of 24 sets.  It remains faithful to the original with a nice quality Himber wallet included.  The only issue I had with the wallet was that things were a little snug, but I’m guessing that would improve quite quickly over time if you perform (or practice) the effect.

A very different and visual routine that slips into your pocket and is ready to go to amaze and amuse them all.  Airship include the Jeff Busby instructions – a full 13 page spread.

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This is Steve Dusheck’s entry in the Book Test market and it was inspired by effects created by Phil Goldstein and Larry Becker. Very well produced, It is a little bold, but some of the best magic is.

The book cannot be examined, but if you follow Steve’s simple suggestions and routine you have in your hands a clean and convincing book test that will fool even the most knowledgeable spectators and some magicians too 🙂

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Here is a rare beauty from the German master magic duo of Tony Lackner and Eckhard Boettcher c. 2000.

The props are well made and look interesting and colorful and the method is easy to do.  It comes with a great patter  story filled with drama and intrigue which I have done my best to edit and enhance below (beginning with a basic google translation).  Basically the princess is hidden under one of the three pillars and if her brother, the prince, cannot find her on the first attempt, the lovely and beautiful princess will be forced to marry a hundred year old Persian scholar who is possibly the ugliest person in the world. 

The pressure is on to save the princess …  which of course you do by successfully producing an envelope with the name of the pillar that the princess is under 🙂

This effect has recently been remade and significantly upgraded using an electronic gimmick as The Mystery of Horus by N8 Quality Magic. This is the original that uses an old school method that needs no batteries, and requires no reset or maintenance.  Not a sexy method but reliable and just as amazing to the spectator 🙂

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The Coin Wand was first exposed in Hoffman’s Modern Magic as The Half-Crown (or Florin) Wand (pg. 203), it was first used in performance c. 1872. Stanyon’s advertised their version c. 1902, Roterberg advertised there version c. 1904, and Thayer were advertising theirs at least as early 1921 but probably earlier. Thayer also had a Slender Coin Wand, but this did not use the same mechanical approach.

Colin’s Coin Wand is about as smooth as the Owen’s Coin Wand though the finish is not quite as nice and there is no flared end with the Owen’s.  Like the Owen’s this does makes a slight scraping sound which can be heard very close-up, but this is not a close-up item anyway so it is moot.  Very fine motion.

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Even though I normally don’t like gimmicked versions of Paul Curry’s “Out of This World” this deck is technically not gimmicked (it is simply a deck with a half red backs and half black backs) I do like Stephen Tucker’s thinking.  This is probably more to fool magicians than something you would replace Out of This World to lay people because the premise is kind of strange – why are you dealing the cards face-up?

But it still has some merit and unlike many other versions I decided to keep this one for now as it feels like there is some potential here 🙂

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Michael Baker is always working on something new or refining his existing line.   He now has produced this wonderful item in three sizes: Regular, Giant, and now this one, Mini.  A version was also created exclusively for Stevens Magic here.  

Vampire Block Escape is related to the popular Vampire Block but it does not use a chain or cord.  It uses a slightly different mechanism but looks great, works smoothly and is convincing to the spectator.

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The third item in Thomas’ Egyptian Series is a clean prediction with colorful looking props.  There are no funny moves and the spectator can turn over the card and open the prediction themselves.  Reset is quick and this is always ready to go.  The only downside is that it can not be repeated to the same audience but with Thomas producing so many neat items these days that won’t be a problem 🙂

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