On the subject of new decks, there are two lovely French-themed releases.  I, personally, prefer the Bourgogne Deck (pictured), but the Nouveau Playing Cards are also striking and they are apparently the United Cardists official Annual Deck for 2016. So if you’re a collector you better grab one of each! £15.50.

We love magic which happens as part of the main effect – or on the way – and if it is something which can get a laugh at the same time then you are suddenly in the realm of entertainment!  That’s why we love the look of Sharpee from Peter Eggink.  Have a watch of the video to see how effective this looks – when you need your spectator to sign a card you offer a tiny Sharpie marker – but as you remove the cap it turns into a Jumbo one!  Magical, funny, entertaining – have a look at the video.  There are even a few other ideas you can use the pen for as you’ll see.  £31.99

Here’s another unusual suggestion (we do like to broaden your horizons!) which could make a lovely addition to your collection.  It is actually a magic auction catalogue – but is a work of art – featuring photos from the stunning Nielson Collection of magic posters. There is no doubt that this was a golden age of magic and the beautiful pictures in this volume will inspire and charm you.  £38.50

And finally, here’s a suggestion which is entirely rooted in nostalgia. When I was a child I used to wait eagerly for the next installments of the magic magazines I subscribed to – Magigram and Club 71. They were packed full of news and great magic and I would spend hours pouring over their pages.

Sadly both magazines have ceased, and the companies who published them no longer exist. However, all the content is now available in digital format. There’s a world to explore, but I’m just going to point you to one compilation DVD I spotted – which is of particular interest to me since it has my first published magic effect in it. To be fair, it’s not an amazing trick (I was only a young teenager!), but for these five minutes let me enjoy nestling alongside such greats as Max Maven, Angelo Carbone, Justin Higham and Simon Lovell – it is almost certainly the only time I will! Only £9.50.

That’s all for now. We’ve got some great new magic tricks up for review this month – watch this space…

The post Trick of the Month – August 2016 – the cards, sharpies and nostalgia edition appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

The trailer looked so clean. The adverts seemed to rule out all the ‘normal’ methods. Could it really live up to the hype?

A Phantom Hope?

And the answer, it seems, is yes and no.

For a start, when I opened the parcel I was extremely surprised by what I saw in the Phantom packaging. The ‘specially engendered utility gimmick’ was certainly not what I was expecting. I do not want to expose too much here, but the gimmick itself is disguised as a Sharpie. This has pros and cons.

I have seen some people talk about this like a James Bond style gimmick – and I see what they mean. Using an everyday object does mean it is ‘hidden in plain sight.’ However, it is at this point that its strength becomes its weakness, since the Sharpie does need to be very close to the action for this to work. And to my mind that looks a little bit odd with some of the handling.

It also, and this is only a minor gripe, makes the advertising video a little misleading – since the advert has been shot from angles which mean the Sharpie cannot be seen at all. I understand why inventors and dealers are always keen to show their products in the best possible light, but this is definitely teetering on the edge of misleading.

The gimmick comes with a link to watch or download video instructions. These are well shot and demonstrate 3 or 4 effects. There are helpful ‘re-cap’ sections after each effect is taught. The effects are a rising card, a haunted deck, an self-unscrewing bottle and a coin vanish.

The rising card is probably the strongest and least unnatural handling but I think there are probably better ways of accomplishing the haunted deck. I really like the concept of the self-unscrewing bottle, but in practise I’m not sure how reliable it is. The coin vanish is relatively clean, but offers almost no advantages over straight sleight of hand, or even other much older gimmicks (e.g. the Raven) – I can’t really see it being much use.

The gimmick is versatile and so perhaps we’re still waiting for the killer application of it. It is well made and should last for a long time with careful handling. I think the strongest feature of all the routines is that they can be done with borrowed props – which is certainly an advantage over many rising card decks I own. However, for handling cleanness I think I’ll be sticking to a more traditional method for the time being.

Available direct from Merchant of Magic for £27.99 (at time of writing).

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

The post Peter Eggink – Phantom – Review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

Bicycle Cards have always been our homeland. Why not take the chance to stock up on a collector’s brick. Follow the link for more details of the contents. £49.99 (they also have a lovely wooden card case for that special deck at only 99p! Bargain!).

 
The original haunted deck was a strong one – then Peter Eggink came up with a great new concept. And now everyone is talking about Haunted 2.0 – which takes the whole thing to a new level. A hands off, self-cutting deck revealing the spectators card. Really spooky. £28.99

If the New Year leaves you in a reflective mood you could do little better than spend a few hours sat down with the latest book from card master Roberto Giobbi. I have been reading Confidences over Christmas and it contains some thought provoking essays as well as some great effects. Beautifully written and produced – a delight to own and enjoy. £32.50

Happy New Year!

The post Trick of the Month – January 2013 appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

Regular readers will know that we are a great fan of Roberto Giobbi’s excellent Card College books and the ‘Lighter’ volumes. Well now, for those of you who prefer to learn via DVDs, he has started producing Card College DVDs. The first two volumes are out now for £95.95 for a 4 DVD set. (and don’t forget you can still get 15% off until Jan 4th!)

FlightCase is a nice little signed card to card case effect by the ingenious Peter Eggink. And what’s even better is that it is currently reduced to only £12.99

And if you can’t wait another minute before trying your new trick out, why not download Cameron Francis’ excellent little trick Duped. Lots of magic in a short space of time – in the hands, instant reset, no special cards – sounds like my kind of worker. Only £6.99

The post Trick of the Month – January 2011 appeared first on Bicycle Cards.