This is an exceptionally clean method for having a chosen and marked card vanish from the deck and then removed from the performer’s pocket by the spectator himself. The fact that it is marked and seen in the pack at the very last minute makes it confusing to say the least.

It won’t be necessary to detail the effect so we shall explain the method and the reader can follow it with cards in hand.

There is one slightly faked card and the accompanying illustration explains or shows the difference between the pips at either end. The card, it will be seen, can be either the Jack of Clubs or the Jack of Spades. We will assume that you have taken the Jack of Clubs and with black ink of good quality have made the Club pips at one end over into Spades. Now find the genuine Jack of Spades in the deck. Put these two cards on the bottom with the genuine card on bottom and the faked card next with the Club end outward. Have a pencil in your upper left vest pocket and the preparation is complete.

Hand the spectator an indifferent card such as the Joker to use as an indicator with which to select a card. Riffle shuffle the deck leaving the two bottom cards in place and then undercut about twenty cards and place them on top with the left little finger keeping a break at the right rear corner. Have the spectator push his card into the deck at the squared front end and see that it goes below the upper portion Hold the deck face down flatwise with floor when this is done. Have the card thrust insidewise and now raise the deck so it is facing the spectator. Right thumb lifts the upper portion at the break and pushes this pile up about an inch behind the protruding indicator card. Then right fingers in front and thumb behind of this indicator and packet pull them entirely free from the deck, the indicator card coming against the face of the packet and the force is perfect and clean.

The spectator sees the lower half of his apparently free choice to be the Jack of Spades (genuine) and the performer immediately puts the packet back onto deck with indicator still in position. Right hand takes the pencil from pocket and hands it to the spectator with the request that he initials his card so there can be no mistake as to the identity.

The right fingers at front end lift or rather bend back front half and the spectator initials the Jack of Spades. In the meantime the right thumb at the rear of the deck lifts slightly at the break, which was held again when the packet was replaced on deck, and allows one card to drop. Immediately the initialing has finished the deck, held flatwise with floor is again separated in practically the same manner as at first. The upper portion is pushed forward and both packet and indicator card removed. However, the one card dropped at rear remains behind and is the genuine marked Jack.

This left hand packet is kept in hand and the right hand packet just removed is openly allowed to be seen because only the lower half of face card can be seen and it is the faked Jack of Spades. This packet is placed on the table face up for a moment and the performer lays the left hand packet aside and asks for his pencil. The top card of this packet is palmed and with pencil is replaced in pocket.

Now the tabled packet is picked up and the Jack is visible until the packet is turned face down, the indicator placed on top and the packet given an overhand shuffle. At this time the performer explains that, impossible though it may seem, the marked card they know is there will vanish. Turning the deck face up by turning the cards over sidewise they are slowly fanned through and the Jack of Spades is gone ! The reason is simply that it is now the Jack of Clubs at the other end.

Then the spectator is asked to reach into the performer’s pocket and remove his own initialed card.

This is quite a stunner for close up work and always gives the appearance of very clever sleight of hand.