Gerti

I still have no idea where the title for this effect comes from – but I love it. The effect that is, not the name, though there is nothing wrong with the name!

This is the classic ‘coin in the hand’ routine – a spectator signs one of two coins and you can tell who has which coin.

There are a number of different presentations suggested. For me the ‘lie detector’ is the most workable, but there is another one using 3 coins and determining their dates, and a third routine which is essentially the same as the dates version but with numbers written on 3 coins.

Dee Christopher aids with explanations and gives some useful clarifications and tips.

Regular readers will know I have a fondness for mental magic and also for magic that fits in your pocket and is easy to do so you can concentrate on presentation. This ticks all the boxes and is a bargain at only £12.99. Available from MagicTao.

Looking Glass
This title is rather more intuitive than Gerti! It bills itself as a ‘utility device for obtaining secret information’ and, if truth be told, is not a new gimmick, but an old one made more widely available.

Romanos gives you a number of routines to get your imagination going – a borrowed bank note serial number revelation, a business-card peek, an ESP routine (this was to my mind the weakest and most contrived routine – there are much more straight forward ways of achieving this effect without this gimmick!), a routine with a ‘lucky coin’ and of course, a card revelation (Gambling Peek).

There’s even a ‘looking glass’ routine which doesn’t use the gimmick! Two gimmicks are supplied to give you a few more options – can’t really say more without exposure.

There’s a bit of a ‘knack’ to this one – so you won’t be doing it straight away. But it isn’t difficult – you will simply have to practise for fluency. If you like this kind of effect it is well worth a play at the price.

£12.99 from Magic Tao

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