The magician has a card selected from the usual ordinary deck in the usual ordinary manner. It isn’t put back among its fellow cards, as usual, however, for the magus lays his deck aside.
Then he asks the selector to initial the pasteboard in such a manner that he will be able to identify it — soon. The spectator surrenders his chosen card to the performer, who openly, and very fairly, folds it within the confines of a square of newspaper. The paper is touched by a match, flames as is to be expected, and, at the last safe moment, its tiny corner is dropped from the performer’s hand.
Says the wizard, “Your marked card is gone, sir, and it would take a real magician to put together the ashes, let alone make them resume the appearance of the card as it was normally.“
“I am not a magician in that sense, though, for it would be impossible for mortal man to do. Your card was not burned – I kidnapped it. I might, were I a true magician, have put it behind that drapery, within that chandelier, under that table — but, before your eyes, I hid it close to myself — in my wallet.“
“You see ? Inside my pocket — safe with my money — practically between the three coins.” (And at this point) “What was that card you picked and marked, sir ?” (With these words you have taken your three fold wallet from your inside coat pocket) “Look. A rubber band to keep out the moths. And under the glass ? Your card, sir. Put there by the latest of magical chicanery. From the burning paper to the wallet — without a visible singe. Pick it up please, by yourself, (the card has been shaken out of the wallet onto a tray or table) check your markings, and keep it as a souvenir of fire.“
Readers who have stayed with us so far will at least, be rewarded with the utmost of simplicity as to methods for accomplishing the effect as described. There are two definite parts to the trick — taken up in part.
METHOD
No playing card will burn up inside a piece of newspaper — that is — as quickly as the paper. Thus, this first part of the feat would be impossible but for a later day procedure. James Gray, Inc., 216 East 45th Street, New York, N.Y., U.S.A., is an “Offset Printer.” In short, the card that burns is PRINTED on the piece of newspaper.
Please follow these directions :
Cut out a newspaper ad section exactly 8 1/2 x 11 inches in size. Upon the center of this page paste a playing card, preferably an AC, 2C, 3C, 4C, or the same values (with the exception of the Ace) in Spades. Outline this card with black ink. Then make the shadow lines on top and left edges as portrayed on the front page of this issue. Next paste onto the back of this sheet another ad sheet (provided, of course, that the opposite side hasn’t already its columns of ads. Four Dollars and Thirty Cents now provides you with 100 copies of a newspaper page on which rests a perfect replica of a playing card.
Next you tear off a piece, all around this paper, about 1/2 inch in from the edges. Fold it roughly in thirds each way, in order to form a packet with the imprinted card on the inside of the middle square. Then open it out to make a regular 1/3rd letter fold — place it in your inside coat pocket with the folds against your body when the coat is closed.
The wallet ? It’s in the same pocket. It is of the regular three fold type having the center glassine section, generally, and normally, used for license of identification cards. And in the glassine pocket is a card — a duplicate of the card imprinted upon your piece of newspaper.
This wallet is encircled with a rubber band. The band must be a heavy and very visible one. In the pocket it rests behind the paper, and, like that imprinted fake, it has its folds towards the body when the coat is closed.
By this time my readers have come to the conclusion that all is a fake. It’s true, insofar as the “mechanics” go, but I work for “effect” upon the audience, so offer no excuse. All that we can offer now is a trick which can be done at any time in your performance, and with the deck you have at hand when that time comes.
EFFECT
The card — and it is THE card — is forced from the deck, to take the initials. IT’s the card that matches the picture on the newspaper, and it’s the card inside the glassine section of the wallet. The force ? You have your own way, (and will no doubt use it) I know, but this one is what I have used for this particular trick. After other tricks it is put on top of the deck. About 14 or 15 cards are cut from the bottom to top and the left hand little finger holds a break. The left thumb riffles from the top down at the upper left hand corner of the deck as you ask the subject to say “Stop”.
The cards are held by the left hand, with arm outstretched, at a backward angle from the shoulder with the thumb edge towards the observers.
It stops whenever called upon, and the hand immediately swings down to the front of you. Your right hand contacts it at your middle The fingers of the right hand are at the front of the pack – thumb at back. The right hand seemingly picks off the “stopped at” upper part of the deck, but the right thumb knows the difference — the part picked off is that section held “breaked” by the left little finger. Immediately, the left hand packet is moved forward for the taking of its top card. All of this is done in one continuously active move. It is “matter of course” to the performer. Fair choice is prevalent in demeanor if not in action.
The spectator now has his card and is asked to initial it — mark it in such a manner that he cannot ever fail to identify it. It is very important to the effect that this marking procedure be emphasized. During this the performer lays his deck aside – it is not used again for the trick.
And now it is best to follow these instructions with a wallet in the pocket, a folded paper in front (near body) of it, and a single playing card.
Take the marked card from the spectator with your right hand. Keep it in view. Step back to the front, and with the left hand, reach into the inside coat pocket and bring out the newspaper. Because the folds are towards the body and thus on the thumb side, the paper is easily flipped open.
The card is placed into the paper, but when it is behind (to audience) the pasteboard is turned to conform with the left palm and shoved as far as possible under the left thumb.
The right hand is grasping the paper, fingers outside, and it’s important that the right thumb, on the inside, be upon the edge of the pictured card as though it were naturally holding the chosen pasteboard in place.
The right hand, holding paper in this way, (our specified size and edge tear make this about right) is pulled away from the left, and the arm swings around to let the audience see the card being held (?) against the paper.
The actual card is thus left in the left palm, which hand immediately goes to the left trousers pocket and brings out a paper of matches, leaving behind, of course, the card.
The paper of matches is tossed to someone close – “Please light a match – any one.” And in the space of this action you deliberately and openly fold the paper in all directions around the card held (?) there. Then, upon the approach to the spectator, turn the paper over several times between fingers of both hands to let it be seen that everything is fair.
The paper is lighted, and burns quickly. The patter lines are used. The left hand is not used during this and drops to the left trousers pocket, palming the card, and waiting until the exact moment when the right fingers let go of the last bit of flaming paper.
Then it reaches into the inside coat pocket, “diving” behind the wallet there, and bringing it out with the card against its back. The wallet is shown, lengthwise of palm, and the right hand peels off the rubber band and tosses it out with a grand gesture, during the patter.
The right hand then opens the flaps and the audience sees the card (?) beneath the glassine window, inside the wallet. The right hand now takes hold of the wallet at the bottom edge, (the end towards floor) and the flaps almost automatically close (intentionally, though) to hide the enclosed card for a second. The right hand, and left, swing over more towards body center, and it is here that the right hand pulls the wallet away to leave the palmed behind card in the left hand as though it were pulled from its case. This last action takes places as the performer starts for the selector, and the card, his own initialed pasteboard, gets to him quickly without possible trickery.
Last minute thoughts : – It will “hit” many that one might as well do the regular card in pocketbook trick, for the last part, rather than play around with a “stooge” card. We can’t prevent that from happening in cases where the magician wants to save, or hoard, his skill and ease of working. The method described is as we do it. The reaching in and pulling out of the wallet, with a continuous and unbroken move, always has been better, for us, than a reach, a fumble, and a jerky pull-away, depending upon the strength of the clip holding the wallet. The patter never has been interrupted by a movement not in keeping.
Splitting cards to that last thickness does not keep a toughness from burning longer than the paper. The patter and intent is that the card is gone. It must not look like A card is taking time to burn.
Copyright 1940 Theo. Annemann, Waverly, N.Y.
This article’s suggested materials are not to be sold by any trick or novelty dealer without written permission. Jinx #95.
50 cents per hundred buys additional sheets. Club with out of town magi (the force card must be the same) and the total cost is nil. The effect is clean and deliberate throughout; you can toss away your terrific sleight-of-hand methods, and leave your thoughts for showmanship.
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