5 Stars

The Cork Penetration was invented by Eddy Taytelbaum and there have been many versions over the years including these ones.  As is often the case Eddy’s version is still the gold standard but this is a very nice set from the talented Francois Danis.

Most versions of this effect have a hole in the card but that is not always the case and Francois’s uses a complete card.  In Fact, Francois has gone the extra mile and created some custom cards of the Pharaoh and his wife and blended it in with an interesting, if a little gory, story 🙂

This looks great in your collection and works perfectly too.

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This is a bold and colorful limited edition that Thomas created in 2023. It is a visually interesting and the magic looks great. Thomas only made one run of these because it was too time consuming to make.

There is an option to change which painting is transformed at the end, but to be honest most people would not bother and I’m not sure how necessary it is. I added some cards with Van Gogh pictures to add a little extra kick. It is a clean effect and simple to perform and follow.

The vanish of the painting and the rearrangement of the cubes are particularly clean and visual and I’m sure you will love them. Great Job Thomas 🙂

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Norway’s Finn Jon (Finn Hauger) invented this clever idea c. 1964 and about a year  later Anverdi created a beautiful stage size version in plexiglass and created some new routines with the device too.

Performed correctly it is a real beauty and everything can be given to the spectator to examine, they will find nothing.

Anverdi created at least two versions of this item: this one with a blue ring and wider bolts and the earlier version with a red ring and thinner bolts.  This is the nicest version he created.  Some came with plexiglass boxes and others without.  This version had a beautiful wooden box custom built for the effect and it works perfectly.

When performing this effect I prefer to be as hands off as possible and that is what I hope to display in the Speed Demo.

This really is a beautiful effect and one of Anverdi’s signature pieces.

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This is a modern looking version of the Gallows released by Greg Lindsay, Thomas Pohle’s The East Friesian Bedside Lamp, and others over the years.  It is the same basic effect – the bulb hanging down from the wooden arc will turn on and off in mysterious ways.  This version was created by Die Magie des E. Kur and distributed by Eckhard Boettcher with the German title: Nibiru, der Erleuchtete.

It is a nice looking, solid and reliable prop that is easy to operate.  One bonus feature with this version is that the cord that holds the bulb can be pulled up a small amount to show the cord is just running through the wooden arc.  This is a nice little convincer that everything is above board.

As usual with all versions of this effect the difficulty is to come up with a routine that has some justification for the light.

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What a great item from Mike O’Dowd. Although Cube-A-Libre type effects are popular with collector’s and dealers I’m not sure how popular they are with most lay people – to my mind there are just too many blocks to keep track of. Which is why I love this effect. Just three blocks and the moves are easy to learn and understand.

This is quite different from other similar effects and works differently too.  It is easy to do though there are a few angle issues and this is not really a close-up effect, but a parlor effect.   But I think Mike squeezes a lot from this set-up and hopefully my Speed Demo will demonstrate that 🙂

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The legendary British Inventor, Craftsman, and Dealer Jack Hughes invented many staples in magic that we take for granted today (including: TV Card Frame (1936), Coins in Glass (before Copenetro) (1939), Clatter Box (1951) and many more. He also invented this beauty, Attaboy, c. 1937.

Both of these versions were made by Abbott’s in Colon, Michigan, who own the exclusive USA manufacturing rights.  The Attaboy on the left is one of the very earliest releases, though both versions would be considered vintage.  The main differences between these two versions are:

• the earlier one had more detailed artwork.
• the earlier one had a smaller base.
• the earlier one only worked with bridge sized cards *

*Notice: even though Harry (the later one) takes Poker sized cards I found Bridge sized cards worked smoother all around and that is what I used for my Speed Demo.

I noticed I had these two Attaboy’s in my closet so spoke to my good friend, Paul Richards (of old Elmwood Magic fame), and we came up with what I think is a great routine that gives this beautiful idea and prop the extra kick it needs.  I hope you like it 🙂

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The problem with classic magic utility props like a Silk Cabby is that there are many versions out there but very few specific routines designed to use them.  I held off purchasing the beautiful Silk Cabby Deluxe from Viking Mfg. because I couldn’t think of anything new to perform with it.

Luckily as I was researching the prop I came across the wonderful routine in The Berg Book by Joe Berg called Berg’s Silk Cabby Routine on page 259 which is just what I was looking for and this routine is based on Joe’s idea.

I chose the silks and wand to perfectly complement the Silk cabby.  The main differences with the original routine was I used silk ribbons instead of ropes and I placed the wand through the two holes at the ends instead of cutting new holes in the front and back of the Cabby.

This is about as good as you’ll get when it comes to effects with the Silk Cabby. The routine name is not very inspired but I’m confident you will love the routine 🙂

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Normally I would not expect to be raving about a Silk Cabby from India, but this beauty designed by and built for George Robinson at Viking Mfg. by Sunil Batra in India is a real beauty.   It reminds me a little of the quality and finish produced by Milson-Worth and the price is certainly reasonable for what you get.  You would never guess this came from India unless it was mentioned in the description 🙂

The cabby mechanism works perfectly and is smooth and quiet with no fumbling.  However, the problem with this Silk Cabby is coming up with a routine that is a little different.  Luckily Joe Berg has a great routine in The Berg Book which I detail here.

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What a wonderful item from Anthony Yap’s Retro Rocketeers all the way down under in Australia 🙂 If you’ve been looking for one of Magic Wagon’s Mini Phantom’s from 2013 but have been unable to find one at any price, then this is your closest alternative.  Anthony does a great good job blending 3D printed items with real wood (in this case Jarrah Eucalyptus). Although, in my opinion, you’ll never truly compete with fine hard woods and brass, Casino Phantom comes close enough for all but the real die-hard fans 🙂

This item comes with two sets of chips: wooden chips and standard poker chips.  I personally found the standard poker chips the better choice for real performances – they contrast better and look more familiar.  However, having both choices is a wonderful touch and the wooden chips do allow you to perform a quicker version of the same effect with chips due to their thickness.

For someone who spends way too many hours researching the history of magic props, I’m pleased to see Anthony has taken the time to give a detailed and accurate historic account of  this effect on his website and video introduction.  Of course this item primarily began with Erhard Liebenow’s Chip Lift.

Retro Rocketeers have a growing product-line that is sure to interest many of you looking for your cool magic fix so I would check them out when you have a spare moment.

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