Andy Martin

Clifton Mitchell is a true perfectionist. He doesn’t take on many projects but when he does you can be sure the finished product will be gold 🙂

This item, which is Clift’s version of the Mikame Craft effect Mystery Key Holder that was invented by Satoshi Toyoda, is a real delight. It is one of the very few items (out of thousands) that has ended up in my Gig-Rig ready for action anytime in the future.

Although the idea behind the original Mikame Craft version is a stroke of genius the version they sold has a number of limitations.  Clift has addressed all of those issues and then some.  Most importantly he made the key look like a common place item, rather than an obvious magician’s prop, and created an interesting and amusing line of patter to go along with it.

More than any other effect I am looking forward to trying this out over the holidays, and I’m quite confident it will drive them wild.  Thank-you Clift for letting me have one of these as I know you have a lot of demand for your products, I love it 🙂

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This is Milson-Worth’s version of the card box and it’s a masterpiece. The cover is heavy duty, solid walnut construction with a distinctive look to it to stand out from the many popular models out there. There would be no mistaking that this is a Milson-Worth card box.

One feature that stands out is the cover can be freely handled as the “flap” is a lockable one, both before and after the transformation. Don’t recall ever seeing this added touch in the many boxes out there. The locking and release mechanism is cleverly built into the cover and entirely under your control.

As with the famous painted MW line, Lyn Johnson also demonstrates his skills with woodworking on this item and it ranks among the best I have seen. Definitely, one of my favorite MW pieces in my collection.

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There have been many versions of the Card Duck over the years. It was invented by Laurie Ireland and marketed by him as Otto, The Automaton Duck.

Warren Hamilton’s Jo-Anne – The Improved Card Duck has been the Card Duck standard for many years. The paint job is amazing and the mechanism to pick the ducks is consistent and reliable.

Warren created three main versions of his duck:

• The Original Jo-Anne (c. 1946)
• Senator Crandall’s Gwendolyn Card Picking Duck  – the big difference with this version was that the feed box detached which was a key part in The Senator’s routine.  (c. 1951)
• Jo-Anne’s Country Cousin (featured on this page) (c. 1963)

The main differences with the original and The Cousin are:

• Bright colored paint-job with much brighter and bolder eyes and lashes 🙂
• Beautiful looking straw hat with metal clip so the hat does not fall off.
• Small colored egg release on the base with lever to keep them in place until you are ready.

Otherwise the actual card picking mechanism is basically the same.  Though I will say this Cousin is probably the most reliable duck I have ever tried.  In tests I picked up twenty cards one after the other without a single skip or miss.  That is one reliable duck 🙂

Performing Dickie and Jo-Anne for over forty years has helped me realize that it really doesn’t really matter what the prop looks like as most of the magic emanates from the performer. It does help if the duck can actually pick the cards smoothly on queue, but most of the other tweaks and improvements pale when compared with a solid routine and a charismatic performance.

This is true for most magic effects and why the best performers have relatively few actual effects in their repertoire because the audience wants to see the person perform almost regardless of what effect they actually perform.

That being said how could anyone not fall in love with Jo-Anne’s Country Cousin? 🙂

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This effect, crafted by A&B Magic Products, demonstrates the exceptional quality of the magic manufacturing business operated by Alexander Great and Ray Bonner during the 1960s and 70s. They were known for their expertise in producing top-notch brass items and other metal-based magic tricks, some of which stood on par with renowned manufacturers like Brema. Their creations were often featured by magic retailers, including Abbott’s and Roydon’s, among others.

In addition to the touted features in the advert below I particularly like these other features:

• The candle fits very snugly in the brass holder.
• The two caps are start in the left and right pockets, making it a seamless and natural movement to discreetly discard the tip while retrieving the second cap.
• The caps themselves are very solid and stay snug at the end of the tubes with ease.

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This tray, a creation from the collaboration of Larry Becker and Roy Roth (R.A.R. Magic), is truly a remarkable piece. It boasts impeccable craftsmanship and, under regular circumstances, presents nothing out of the ordinary – a truly unique Bank Night tray. Spectators can freely handle and select envelopes from the tray, with only one envelope left for the performer. Remarkably, even the final envelope can be swapped out right up until the very end of the routine.

The switch is very clean and even if you watch very closely in the video you won’t see anything. It really is that easy and smooth, and I’m using a small envelope.  If you were worried about angles you could use a larger envelope and no one would be the wiser.  I really like this device 🙂

This amazing tray was also the inspiration for Larry and Roy’s high end Nostradamus Prediction Chest released c. 1991.

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The name for this item was originally coined by Petrie-Lewis c. 1920, and when Milson-Worth developed their version, they retained the same name. While I haven’t personally seen the P&L version, Milson-Worth has crafted an exceptional product, and I believe it’s of comparable quality.

However, one common issue with exquisitely made props like this is that manufacturers often prioritize one part of the effect (the vanish of the candle and appearance of the silk) over the other part (the initial vanish of the silk) and don’t provide an equally impressive method to go with it. In this case, the success of the entire trick relies heavily on the effectiveness of the vanish of the silk. Fortunately, Viking offers a solution with their Wonder Silk Vanishing Tube, making it the perfect complement to the Ultra Candle Tube.

The weakest part of this routine is the appearing candle “with lighted wick”.  The method is a little tricky and it would have been better if Milson-Worth had spent a little more time thinking through the method to light the candle.  Otherwise, this is a true beauty 🙂

One of the things I enjoy about doing my Speed Demos is bringing together all the items necessary to demonstrate a prop effectively. So naturally, when I present a demo for this routine, I’ll include the Wonder Silk Vanishing Tube to enhance the overall effect and presentation.

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I’m a big fan of Magic Wagon’s old jewelry box finish props, and this 2007 beautiful Siam Card Box is no exception. While I enjoyed the effect, I found it somewhat brief, considering the size of the prop just for a single card prediction.

To make it more captivating, I combined it with a modern hip-sized remake of the Himber Thought Control wallet, creating a more intriguing routine suitable even for a unique venue like the Porcupine 🙂

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What a clever idea from Magicraft. This is about as clean and effective approach you can come up with to turn a candle into salt and no wonder it was a complete sell-out at Magi-Fest when it was first released in 1974. Maybe not mechanically clever, but you have to admire the solution for this effect ?

Magicraft Products was a small dealer and manufacturer founded by Tim Dereme in North Canton, Ohio c. 1966. As far as I can tell they were in business until c. 2004.

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The first time the Wandering Mummy was available from a Magic dealer was in the mid 1950’s from the German Magic Dealer Joe Wildon.  These were manufactured by Oskar Rey and were almost the same as the set produced by Inzani-Henley in England but about five years earlier.  Remo Inzani and John Henley obtained the rights from Wildon/Rey in the late 50’s to craft and sell The Wandering Mummy. The first mention of Inzani-Henley’s mummy was in The Magic Circular September 1959, then in Abra November 1959 and in their own catalog in 1964.

This is a deluxe version with a number of differences from the standard Mummy released by Inzani-Henley (if you look at the final four photos after the adverts you will be able to see these differences as I have compared them with the original mummy).

• The two sarcophagi are adorned with better quality fixtures.  In particular on the sarcophagus where the mummy vanishes a full-size mummy is used instead of the more common small shrouded figure.
• The mummy’s themselves are much more detailed and less toy like.
• A neat presentation case houses both of the sarcophagi with padded foam and felt to stop them moving around when closed. These mummies are securely protected.  This case is not part of the original set, but looks and works perfectly.
• Even the instructions have been re-typeset and printed on vintage antique stationary, instead of the usual poorly printed photo copy that I have seen three times now.  This is a good thing because the instructions provided by Inzani-Henley are one of the best sets of instructions you will find.  They are so good in fact that Dr. Albo directly copies them in Dr. Albo Vol. 7 when he describes The Mummy (pg. 42).

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Bob Kline crafted only eight of these exquisite frames. Initially, when I received it, I had a suspicion that it might be the work of Eddy Taytelbaum, given its exceptional craftsmanship. However, upon examining Dr. Albo’s Volume 10 photos, it became clear that they were distinct. To confirm, I reached out to Gene Gonzalez, a renowned Taytelbaum expert, who promptly confirmed that it was not created by Eddy.

To delve deeper, I consulted Bill King’s comprehensive book on Bob Kline and discovered a clear photo and description of the frame. What made it a bit challenging to identify was that Bob referred to it not as a Slat Frame but as a Slot Frame.

What’s particularly appealing about this frame, akin to the Taytelbaum versions, is that the frame itself opens up, allowing for a cleaner display. I’ve leveraged this feature to great advantage in my routine. Most of the frames I’ve encountered, such as the Joe Berg and Owen’s ones, are fixed without an opening, unlike this one.

When selecting a routine for this frame, I aimed for simplicity and cleanliness. Working with Jumbo cards requires caution since even basic moves can be challenging or raise suspicion due to their size. After devising my routine, I tested it on my wife, who is a discerning critic, and she not only liked it but also didn’t question any of my actions.

The routine is remarkably straightforward, requires no setup, and is always ready to go. I’m delighted with the positive response from my wife. So when you watch the Speed Demo, rest assured that it has received the coveted “wife approval.”

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