One of the most pleasing and typical English card problems for discriminate performers has been for quite a few years the sympathetic arrangement of values between suits as originated by Herbert Milton. Long a favorite of Leipzig, this mental stimulator recently appeared in print again (Milton published it years ago in a British magazine) but through uncontrollable circumstances was incomplete in its most salient details. A feature which can be used before club audiences, this effect should receive careful consideration by all those who want practical and well conceived material.

Two packs of cards are at hand and a spectator selects one. The performer removes his pack from the case, holds them with faces towards the audience, openly removing all thirteen of the Club suit. The remainder of the deck is tossed aside and the thirteen cards are deliberately arranged, always with faces toward the audience, from Ace to King, the Ace at the face of the packet. Two wide elastic bands are now used to secure the packet at the top and bottom. These are made from three-quarter inch garter elastic and of a size so as to just snugly fit the packet without effort. The banded packet is stood in full view, face out.

The performer now takes the spectator’s pack and gives it several genuine shuffles. The spectator runs through the cards himself and removes the Club suit as each card is reached. The performer shows the well mixed up in values, fans them face down and the spectator selects one, showing it around for all to see. The chosen card is pushed back into the packet FACE UP, the fan closed, and the cards likewise banded at top and bottom. The spectator now steps forward keeping the packet himself.

Now is told how the suits are sympathetic towards one another and that, because of this, the performer’s packet, arranged from Ace to King, will invisibly shuffle itself into the same arrangement as that group held by the spectator. The spectator removes the bands, holding the cards face outwards in a squared up packet. The face card is a five spot. The performer openly removes the bands from his packet. The Ace, always in view, HAS CHANGED TO A FIVE. The spectator removes his face card to reveal the next. The performer follows and again they are alike. As the action continues, of a sudden the spectator reveals a card back outwards, the chosen and reversed pasteboard.

The performer reveals a back outward card likewise, and both are shown to be the same. The rest of the matching works itself to a successful conclusion.

Prepare 12 double face cards with the following combinations. All suits are Clubs:

• Ace-Ten
• Four-Three
• Eight-Jack
• Jack-Eight
• Two-Six
• Five-King
• Nine-Queen
• Queen-Nine
• Three-Four
• Six-Two
• Ten-Ace
• King-Five

The 7 of Clubs is left unprepared but is included with the packet. To set the performer’s deck, arrange the double faced cards, including the unprepared 7, before you from Ace to King. Hold the remainder of the deck (minus the Club suit) before you face up and distribute the thirteen Clubs haphazardly throughout the deck to mix them up in value order. Case this pack.

Take the spectator’s deck and from it remove the thirteen Club cards. From back to face set them 5-9-8-A-Q-J-7-2-K-3-4-6-10. In order to save memorizing this arrangement, I have marked the backs so the entire suit can be set from 1 to 13, the 5 spot being marked 1, the nine dotted as 2, etc. Use any simple system of lines or dots for this. Put these thirteen cards on top of the deck face down and case them. Have the four elastics at hand.

Show the decks and ask the spectator to point to either one. If he selects the double faced faked pack, thank him, lay the other aside, and proceed. If he takes the other, say that it is his and ask him to hold it for the time being. Remove your cards and hold face towards the audience. Run through and remove the Club suit. Then openly arrange from Ace to King, the Ace at face of the packet. Around the top and bottom put the bands.

On the back of this packet is a five and you can see how the bands cover the upper and lower spots leaving only the center showing. As you turn to put the packet on the table in view, it is turned over. That’s all. The ace is apparently still at the face of the packet as just shown.

Now remove the cards from the spectator’s case and give the deck two or three genuine dovetail shuffles. The 13 arranged clubs on top are thus distributed through the pack without disturbing their order! Hand the deck face up to the spectator. He deals through them one at a time and lays aside each Club as it is reached. This packet is still in the same order as you previously stacked it but simply reversed.

You show the fanned packet well mixed and hold them face down for the spectator to select one. In fanning you break so that he takes the 7th card (the middle card of the packet) which he shows around. It is the 7 spot. It is openly placed FACE UP in the fan at the same spot and the cards squared and banded. Everyone sees that a five is at the face.

For the finish, the spectator removes his bands. You do the same and the ace is seen to have changed to a five. The effect continues and eventually the chosen 7 is found reversed. It has happened automatically in your packet because it is the ordinary unprepared card and was in the middle. Continue to climax.