Here’s a good looking deck from the folk at Theory 11. Designed in the US (and so a token hat tip to my extended visit here) the Citizen deck has a beautiful intricate design and comes in a fine embossed tuck case. We haven’t handled them in person but they look as if they would bring a bit of class to any performance and for the collectors you may be able to get hold of one of the wooden collectors boxes. £9.50. (If you are a collector or a serious magician, you may also like to take a look at the Royal Zen Playing Cards at £18.99)

I’ll be honest, I still usually vanish a ring in a handkerchief, but SansMinds seem to have produced a superb new way of vanishing a ring – in an innocent looking ring box. There is a clear logic to using a ring box – and it may be more reassuring for the spectator than your (snotty?!) handkerchief. This looks super. Now you just need to think about how you’re going to reproduce it! The Vanishing Ring box is currently reduced to £99.99. Well worth a look.

(By the way, if you don’t yet have a way of reproducing it, the Rolls Royce of the impossible location options is Dave Bonsall’s superb Ring Flight Revolution.  You may also consider the excellent Departure Ring Flight.)

That’s all for now. We have some really exciting news about the future of this site which we hope to announce in the next few days…

The post Trick of the Month – May 2016 appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

So let’s start at the beginning. PropDog is unusual straight away in that it is located on an industrial estate in the Hounslow/Twickenham area.  That keeps away the usual curious passers by of a high street shop and is surprisingly convenient for access to M25/M3.

When you ascend the stairs you reach a room which is half showroom (with a counter – but one you are actively encouraged to go around/behind!), half office and half (yes I know that makes more than ‘one’ – but it is a magic shop) lounge/kitchen. You can watch a magic DVD, browse through his library, or look at a prop before buying and Dave is friendly and un-pushy. The room is light and airy – decidedly unlike some of the more ‘traditional’ stores – and comes complete with a dog (called Lucy – and yes – she is the dog who inspired the shop name!) and rescue parakeet called Peeby (P.B. = PropBird of course) on a cage!

Cup of tea in hand (mine, that is) Dave explained how PropDog had started. He’s a man driven by the next challenge and had reached a point in his performing career where he was busy but felt unchallenged. At the same time, always enjoying making things on the side, he was finding an increasing demand for some of his custom items – the famous Ring Flight Revolution and popular Bonsalopes. And before he knew it he was running a magic store – the next challenge he wanted.

But what impresses me most about PropDog are the high standards Dave sets himself. From the simple but important ‘if it’s on the website it’s in stock’ rule to the 100s of prototypes he goes through to create the perfect prop. His Starbucks Chop Mugs are things of beauty and he’s still working on making the perfect chopped sugar cube to go with them.

He’s a man of clear vision and plenty of energy, and takes obvious delight in experimenting in the fully equipped workshop which is on the ground floor of his unit. As I wandered around with him I could see various props some released and some on the way in different stages of meticulous production processes. He’s an enthusiast and the results are very impressive.

So if you’re in the area I would highly recommend popping in for a chat and to pick up some great magic. Or take advantage of propdog.co.uk if you can’t pop in. I hope to be back before too long.

Oh, and I had to take this picture didn’t I?…

The post Clicks & Mortar Focus – PropDog appeared first on Bicycle Cards.