5 Stars

This effect was first invented by James Lucier as The Cockeyed Skeleton In The Closet and described in Genii October 1949. The effect was also released c. 1949 through Sedghill Industries as The Scrambled Skeleton  with credit also going to James Lucier. There have been many versions of all shapes and sizes ever since.

This version from the talented and inventive craftsman Michael Baker is easily the prettiest and most substantial version I have ever seen. In addition to outstanding construction it includes some neat features:

• The blocks are double sided with a skeleton on one side and a zombie on the other so you can switch up the routine as desired.
• It includes a unique Tombstone in a wheelbarrow container that not only has a very effective vanish but it much more entertaining than the more usual Devil’s Hanky or similar approach to vanish.  The vanish involves a penetration of the block by a large spike and even close-up looks perfect.
• The main tube has a three-dimensional rustic coffin facade which makes the whole unit seem more authentic and certainly lends itself to some more interesting patter presentations.

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I’ve seen many types of nest of boxes over the years but this design by Tommy Wonder expertly reproduced by JM Craft is certainly one of the cleverest.  It is surprisingly easy to perform with Tommy’s routine taking care of all of the tricky parts and it works perfectly and looks amazing.

In Tommy’s book and also when Tommy discusses the method in Visions of Wonder with Max Maven, Tommy refers to a special table that he uses for this effect.  There seems to be some confusion if the table is needed to perform this and I can confirm it is not.  It is best if the box cannot be seen at first and is lifted from behind another prop on a standard table, from a shelf in the table, or from behind the bar, etc.  but apart from that any table works.

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This is another beautiful brass item from the craftsman Terry Roses.  And as with Terry’s other brass collectible line it comes in a beautiful inlaid oak carrying case too.  Identifying this item was a little trickier as it has been misnamed in every ad and website, I have seen it, including where I purchased it from. 

From the outside it looks almost exactly like Terry’s Brass Plug-Box and in fact in the Stevens Magic advert it is even called a plug-box.  But the second you remove the lid and see how it functions it is certainly not a plug-box.  Plug-boxes can be used to vanish, appear or exchange coins and thin items.  This is designed for much larger items over an inch square and has no exchange capability.

The next most popular identification is that this is a Devil’s Bank or Devil’s Coin Box first created by Carl Brema c. 1926 used for vanishing a coin.  This box can certainly vanish a coin.  However, it is missing two features of the Devil’s Bank: a slot in the top and a rattle feature (as added by George Robinson at Viking Mfg.) when the coin has been stolen away.  These are key components of the Devil’s Bank.  In particular, without the slot in the top the load chamber is over an inch square which makes it a little unwieldy to hide when first displaying.  Particularly as you must start by unscrewing the lid. 

Which leads to the most likely purpose of this box …

The final identification of Brass Prediction Box I decided upon is derived from half of the name used by Stevens Magic in their advert for this item c. 1987.  In that ad it is called: “Ultimate Prediction Bottle (Plug Box)“.  Well they have the prediction part right because this is perfectly designed for the secret insertion of a prediction, signed coin, any small object or billet around one inch square. In fact, it could be used as a small Lippincott Box or a (very) small watch or ring box.

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This very clever effect and equally clever piece of apparatus was invented by Laurie Ireland and Carlton King c. 1932 (Carlton was the chief demonstrator for the Ireland Magic Company).  It was available for purchase for about fifteen years but after that Ireland Magic stopped making it and only sold the workshop plans and instructions.  As far as I can tell even after Ireland Magic became Magic Inc. and they  continued to publish the workshop plans to this day, the prop itself has not been built since the late 1940’s. Once you read the instructions you will quickly understand why, there is a lot going on here and at first it is a little daunting.  This unit came with the original instructions and the workshop plans that were later released and using the workshop plans is a littler clearer.  Once you have walked through this effect just once it all becomes much clearer and if I do a speed demo of this you will find it even easier to understand.  It is really not that complex when you see what you have to do, but it is a little tricky to describe in words.

When The Houdini Handkerchief Escape was first released it caused quite a sensation and even impressed the great Harlan Tarbell.  Here is a description of what happened in the M.U.M. minutes as published in the The Sphinx (July 1932, pg. 207):

“… Lastly came the long awaited Houdini handkerchief escape which was the sensation of the three conventions. This flashy effect simply smacked the audience between the eyes, and even Tarbell, that blase old master of the craft was seen to hitch forward eagerly on his chair when “Houdini” vanished. This clever trick is by far the most outstanding small illusion that has been shown in these parts in the past year at least, and the Messrs. Ireland and King (a harmonious combination on this side of the Atlantic, at least) deserve congratulations for having produced so clever an effect.”

I’m pretty confident even if you have heard about this very clever piece of apparatus you have never seen it performed.   I love finding cool prop magic like this and am always amazed at the lengths some clever inventors go to in an effort to entertain and fool us 🙂

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What a wonderful and clever item this is by the inventive genius Ed Massey.  I’ve only ever seen one other of these which is surprising for someone as popular as Ed Massey.  It really is a great item and can be used for other effects too.

What is really neat is the performer never needs to touch the actual cards (the spectator can do all the selecting and placing) and the cards can be signed if you so desire.  It is easy to do and requires no sleights and reset takes seconds.  The tray pretty much does all the work for you 🙂

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If you received one of these and did not know who created it you’d swear it was made by Warren Hamilton or Milson-Worth. The construction, paint job and black-art are absolute perfection.  This item is in fact a standard lower end Square Circle* (from the likes of MAK Magic) that has been completely refinished and improved by Ron Reid.

Ron takes his work very seriously and after just seeing this one piece I know I’ll be on the look out for others.  He has been been refinishing props for about 30 years and got started by reading Paul Osborne’s column in Genii magazine.

As this is such a special square circle I didn’t want to just produce some silks so dressed up the routine a little as can be seen in the video and described below.

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This is a parlor sized version of the larger stage version created by the talented craftsman Rocky Clements c. 2009.  It is a very clever effect if a little messy to set-up.

While this prop is entirely different in size, appearance, design, and much of the method, it should be noted that the original method was invented by David Howarth c. 1967 called the Ultimate Prediction Slate and manufactured and marketed by Ken Brooke as the Nemo (Prediction) Slate. 

Rocky worked on the design and ironed out some issues with the original construction and design and ended up wit the Final Answer.

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This is a wonderful double effect from Vienna Magic and the inventive mind of Wolfgang Grosskopf.   It has been tricky to pinpoint an exact date when Wolfgang invented the idea. I was able to track down references to Kartenwürfel as early as 1957, and Wolfgang was most active from 1970-2000.  My best guess is Wolfgang had the idea c. 1980, and it was later built by Vienna Magic and released by Eckhard Boettcher c. 2002. This version is with Jumbo cards and an elegant wooden packing case to store them. (If you have more accurate dates please contact me.)

The effect requires two cards to be forced and a simple move which is certainly not big enough to call a sleight, plus you have the full cover of the hanky to do it under. After a few tries you’ll have the workings of this down pat, and then of course you’ll just need to focus on your overall presentation.

One of the things I like about this version is one end of the packing case has black felt which is perfect to place the case on its side and slide out the dice, due to the size of the jumbo dice it is easier to slide them all out together and by turning the box on the black felt, this is made much easier.  It seems like a small point but taking out the dice any other way is not as smooth, and this method also ensures you take the dice out in the correct direction.

This is a great version and a fun and unusual effect that you will get a lot of fun out of.

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Colin Rose released a series of old fashioned magic apparatus under his Victorian Collection banner with the intricacies and artistic appeal of a long forgotten era where attention to details by the craftsmen of the time made these items museum quality pieces to be cherished over generations. This is a lost art as it requires skill and patience.  These were created in association with Colin’s friend Paul Coker and this fine example was crafted by Paul Coker as can be seen by the stamp on the bottom of the vase. 

Paul Coker worked alongside Colin to create some of the ornate issues in the Victorian Collection which was in celebration of The Magic Circle Centenary (2005), this also included some of the more elaborate issues from The Trafalgar Collection which was issued the same year. Paul’s work is also featured in The Harlequin Collection and a few one off issues that went into Private Collections.  Paul and Colin’s association lasted for about seven years when Paul retired and focused on his ornamental turnings and restoration work for which he was world renown before his involvement with Colin.

With both Colin and Paul now retired finding this sort of impeccable wood turning is almost impossible for any price.  The vase works perfectly and Colin and Paul thought of everything – there is even room enough to secrete a coin in the base when the vase stands flat on the table which adds more opportunities for magic and mystery.  When you hold a magnificent item like this in your hands you begin to understand why so many collectors and magicians are drawn to wood turnings – talk about magic in the palm of your hands.  Just breathtaking and even Floyd Thayer would be proud of this piece 🙂

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