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WILL ALMA M.I.M.C. (LO N D O N )

M lY

I TH E STAR SERIES

One Hundred and Fifty-Three Tricks Printed by W estern Printing & Lithographing Go. Racine, Wisconsin Printed in TT. S. A.

HIS combination of one hundred and fifty three tricks combines a series of card, coin, handkerchief, chemical, h a t and mis­ cellaneous tricks. The book contains over ninety illustrations to show the workings of various tricks an d these are to be found throughout th3 th e book. Reference is made in explaining various tricks to th e use o f a servante. This, of course, is only necessary when am ateur “magicians”*' attem p t a practiced perform ance. Otherwise, an y other article which can be used fo r the purpose of tem porarily secreting articles w ill do. Although in the coin tricks, all ref­ erences a re m ade to English money, th is caa easily be changed to American money*

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The State L ib ra ry o f V icto ria “A L M A C O N JU R IN G C O LLE C T IO N ”

Card Tricks TO MAKE FALSE SHUFFLES t—False shaffies are neces­ sary in order to keep certain cards a t either tbe top or bottom of the pack. The pack is held in the left hand, and the ihalf of it th a t contains th e special card or cards 13 taken w ith the rig h t hand. The cards to be retained in position are kept tightly held by the forefinger and thum b, and those in the front or a t the back of them , as th e case may be, are dropped, a few a t a tim e, on either side of those held in the left hand. Place the retained cards back in th eir original position in the pack as each shuffle is finished. TO SIGHT THE TOP CARD:—I t is often necessary t* know the card a t the top of th e pack, and th e opportunity to look a t it does n o t occur. Ruffle the cards which are held in the rig h t hand, and in doing so, tu rn up the top righthand corner of th e top card w ith the thum b, when th e su it and value of th e c a rd which is printed there ca a be easily seen. DEALING SECONDS, OR RETAINING T H E TOP CARD. Hold th e pack in the left hand, and pretend to deal th e first card, b u t instead pull two cards forw ard, and retain th e top card w ith th e thum b of the hand th a t is holding th e pack, and w ith th e other band draw away the second card from underneath. T H E QUICKEST PASS ON RECORD-.—Place th e se-rea o f clubs and the eight of spades a t the top o f th e pack. T hen “ force** the eight o f clubs en d the seven of spade* on members of the company. Let these two cards be shown round then have them placed by one of the audience in d ifferen t p a rts of the centre of the pack. Ruffle th e cards, or if preferred, shuffle them thoroughly, taking carte to keep th e two cards th a t were placed a t the top always in th e »ame position. Then ask some one in the com panr

where they would like th e two e&Ttte th a t th ey selected to appear. They will invariably say on th e top, b ut if they are asked for in another, p a rt of the pack, make a rtecessary pass to suit th e need. A fter expressing doubt as to whether it can be done, th e seven of clubs and eig h t of spades can be displayed, and th e company will be quite convinced you have brought together th e two cards th at were placed in d ifferent p arts of th e pack, the sim ilarity of the four cards lending itself to the deception. TO NAME A CARD IN THE CENTRE OP T H E PACK. Having sighted th e card a t the bottom of the pack, which is retained face downwards in the left hand, draw it w ith thum b slightly towards the person. Then hold th e pack towards one of the company, and draw back the top p a rt of the pack so as to "fa n ’* th e fro n t edge of a few cards in the centre. Ask some one to p ut a finger on a card they would like you to name. Draw away th a t card, all those above it, and also the one a t the bottom of the pack, a t the same tim e nam ing the latter card as the one chosen. Show th e card is th e bottom one of those removed. TH E INSEPARABLE J A C K S D is p la y the four Jacks fanned in the hands, hiding three other cards behind the Jack a t th e back of th e set. . Close the cards together, and place them on th e top of th e pack, inform ing th e company th at the Jacks are th e four top cards, as they have seen. Then take th e top card, and w ithout exposing it place it in the centre of th e pack, an d then place the second an d third cards in other parts of the pack, keeping up a ru n n in g commentary th a t th e company are sure th e Jacks a r e being properly separated. Then ask some one to cut th e cards, i. e. placing those removed beneath the others, and the four Jacks will be discovered together in th e centre of the pack. TO TELL WHICH OP THE COURT CARDS A PERSON HAS CHOSEN-;—This is a very simple trick, but a t the same tim e a very popular one. In most packs, the white m argins a t the edges of th e court cards are of different width a t top and bottom, and also a t th e Bides. Select the court cards, and arran ge them w ith th e broad m argin all the same way. Ask a person to pick out and note a card, and then watch closely whether he tu rn s it. Hold forw ard the pack for the card to be replaced in such a way th a t it

goes back w ith the broadm argin reversed from those to hand. Shuffle th e cards,' an d then display the card th a t is disarranged. THE MAGNETIC A C E S D iv id e th e pack into three piles,' and lay them face downwards upon the table. Ex­ hibit the two red aces a n d lay one on top of the first pile (the top card of which you will have previously noted) and the other on th e second pile. Then place the second pile so th a t the aces are in different p arts of the pack* Hold th e cards face downwards in the hand, and w ith the rig h t hand draw th e cards one a t a tim e from th e bottom of the pack, and expose them on the table. W hen th e card th a t was a t th e top of .the pack is brought forth, draw back and retain th e next card, which is, the first ace, and proceed to draw the other cards. W hen th e second ace is produced, the first can be brought forth as the next card, and the effect of th e two aces having come to­ gether is obtained. TO CATCH THREE CARDS FROM THE P A C K T h r e e cards (duplicates of which th e perform er has secreted in the right-hand trouser’s pocket) are forced upon members of th e audience. The cards selected are then 'returned to th e pack, and when i t is received back from th e audience, the three duplicate cards are brought from th e pocket palmed in the rig h t hand. Hold th e pack between the first finger and thum b of th e right hand, throw it up in th e air so th a t i t scatters in all directions, an d pretending to make a grab a t th e cards as they fall, bring forw ard the th ree palmed cards, and display them fanned in the hand. THE THREE-CARD TRICK, OR FINDING T H E QUEEN. This very old tric k , which is still practiced on race-coursea and a t sports meetings throughout the country, is one of the most infamous of card tricks, and is here inserted th a t th e novice m ay know of it and w ith th e hope th a t the knowledge m ay be th e m eans of preventing him and others from being victimised. One card is held fac6, downwards between the second finger and thum b of the le ft hand, and tw o cards in a sim ilar position, one above the other, in the rig h t hand, th e queen being exposed in fro n t of the other. W ith a very quick pass th e three cards are throw n face downwards upon th e table, an d pretence is made of

dropping the queen first of all. Really it is the back card of th e two in the rig h t hand th a t is first dropped. The trick is usually performed w ith such rapidity and skill th a t tho onlooker feels certain th a t the first card was the queen, which he is requested to find. This is the m ost common and simplest way of “Finding the queen.” TH E MYSTERIOUS D EA L:—The four acea and the four kings are packed together in the following order:—two aces, a king, two aces, then three kings. Then the first card is turned face upwards upon the table, the next card is placed underneath the pack held in the perform er’s hand, the third card dealt out, and each subsequent alternate card is placed underneath th e pack. The cards are dealt out in order of an ace, th en a king, each time. TO FIX A CARD SELECTED FROM THE TACK ON THE CEILING OR W A L L:—Force a card, then let the draw er retu rn it to the pack, and shuffle the same. A duplicate of the forced card, w ith a tin-tack through the centre of it (the point a t the back), is concealed in the right-hand trousers pocket. While th e cards are being shuffled, w ithdraw the card from the pocket, holding the tack between the second and th ird fingers of the rig h t hand. Take the pack in the left hand, bring the rig h t over on to th e back of the pack, and place the palmed card on it. Show the face of the pack to the audience, and rem ark th a t you will tr y to fix the card th a t was selected and is now in th e pack, on the ceiling or wall. Throw the pack sm artly and squarely a t the ceiling or wall, and th e w eight of the pack will drive th e topm ost card w ith the tin-tack through it into th e surface throw n a t, an d it will rem ain firm ly fixed there. TO PRODUCE THREE CARDS IN A FRAM E:—The three cards for this trick are pinned on a blackboard fram ed as a ^picture, and covered by a blind (working on the American blind principle) and glass. When the blind is draw n down it is hooked on to a catch a t the back ou' the glass. The least pressure on the glass jwill releasG the blind, and cause it to roll up. The fram e w ith th e blind drawn down is hung upon the wall. Duplicates of the three cards th a t are in the fram e are forced upon members of th e audience. They are then placed in different p a rts of the pack, and th e perform er

ILLUSTRATION L Upper left 1, R ight 2, Centre 3, Middle L eft 4, Middle R ight 5, Lower L eft 6, Lower Right 7.

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Announces th a t he will throw the th ree cards selected inside th e fram e. The whole pack is then throw n a t th e glass— n o t too hard, or of course i t will break, and th e th ree cards are a t once shown inside the fram e (see page 7, Illustration L, Figs. 6 and 7). RUBBING SPOTS OFF A CARD:—H ie sequence of a su it from th e nine downwards, is placed a t the back of th e pack, and the ten cards, e.g. the ten of spades, in fro n t of the pack. Hold the pack in the left hand w ith t h e . fro n t exposed to the audience, and while pretending to rub the fro n t card with the rig h t hand, place the thum b of th a t hand a t th e back of th e pack, draw ing th e nine of spades down and aw ay under cover of the palm of the hand. Rub the fro n t card again, and this tim e leave the palmed card on the fro n t of th e pack, m aking it appear th a t you have rubbed a spot off th e fro n t card. This can be repeated several tim es. The thum b should be damped an d the card will come away from the back m ore easily. THE DISAPPEARING CARD:—This is a very old an d popular trick, but one so simple th a t it is not perform ed sow . I t p artakes of th e cylinder order of tricks, an d fo r its perform ance a card stand suitable for the purpose will be necessary. The pedestal has a false top, underneath which a card—a duplicate of which is forced upon one of the com­ pany—is placed. A fter the forced card has been shown the perform er m ust vanish it. He then shows th at there is noth­ in g on th e card stand, and places the cover on it. Tapping th e sta n d w ith his wand he promises to produce th e card beneath it. When th e cover is raised i t takes w ith it the false top, and th e selected card is disclosed underneath.

Coin Tricks A COEN FOB PALMING E FFE C T :—The fro n t an d back of th e hand a re dis­ played two or three times, and suddenly a penny appears in th e hand. APPARA TUS:—A penny w ith a th in w ire rin g attached

HXUSTRATTOTT A

fk to the centre. This is found on page 11, illustration B, Fig. 8. T H E TRICK:—The second finger can be inserted in the ring, which will be invisible if held at the second joint of the finger. The hand will then be well displayed. , When showing the fro n t of the hand, have the coin concealed a t the back, an d then, while turning the hand over, open the second and th ird fingers, and the coin will drop or revolve into the palm , and the back of the hand can be dis­ played. A fter showing both sides of the hands to the audi­ ence two or three times the penny can be displayed in the palm , and then vanished again. The perform er will soon learn to do this trick very quickly. This coin will be found useful for a num ber of tricks, TO PALM A SIX PEN CE:—A sixpence m ay be easily palmed in the fleshy p art between tho thumb and first finger, and will not be seen when the hand is well dis­ played. This is a very useful trick, for the coin cannqt be seen in either th e fro n t or th e back of the hand (see Illustration A, Page 9, Fig. 5). TO H A K E A COIN FLOAT ON WATER E FF E C T :—A two-shilling piece is made to float on a basin of water. "A PPA RA TU S:—A two-shilling piece, a piece of aluminum • f fhe same size and design, and a basin of water. THE T RICK :—Borrow a two-shilling piece, and have the alum inium duplicate palmed in the hand. On taking the borrowed coin, exchange it for the palmed disc, and with a steady action place the la tte r upon the surface of a basin o f w ater, where it will float. When taking the disc from th e w ater, dump the florin a little, and then retu rn it. A member of the audience may be asked to try the experi­ m ent with the same two-shilling piece, but of course he will not succeed. TO CAUSE A COIN TO PASS THROUGH A HANDKER­ CHIEF IN WHICH A NUMBER OF COINS ARE EN­ CLOSED E FF E C T :—A number of coins are placed in a handkcrehief, and one is shaken through ft. APPARATUS?—Four or five pennies, and a silk hand­ kerchief. 10

ILLUSTRATION B

THE TRICK:—A coin is palmed in th e hand, th e hand­ kerchief placed over both coin and hand, and the five coins placed in the handkerchief exactly on top of the one in the palm . The handkerchief is then folded over th e fro n t, and draw n across th e back enclosing the single coin in a sort of envelope. Make a few rem arks, shake the handkerchief, and th e coin w ill drop out. TO BALANCE A CARD AND COIN ON THE FINGER, AND TO REMOVE THE CARD WITHOUT DISLODGING THE COIN APPARA TUS:—A playing card and a penny. THE TRICK:—Balance the playing card on a tip of th e second finger of th e left hand, and on th e centre of the card, i.e. immediately over the finger, lay a penny. Flick th e corner edge of the card sharply w ith the second finger of th e rig h t hand, taking care to strike quite straight. The card will spin away an d leave th e penay balanced on the finger. VANISHING COINS ON A PLA TE E FFE C T :—H alf a dozen coins are swept from the table into a plate, on which they are heard to clatter. The plate is immediately displayed empty. A PPA RA TU S:—H alf a dozen pennies an d two plates. TH E TRICK:—One of the plates is secreted in a servante, an d th e other laid upon the table. Lay the coins upon the table, tak e up a position behind it, hold th e plate ju st be­ low th e edge of the table and—apparently—sweep th e coins into it. They will be heard to clatter on the plate (fo r they really fall into the plate previously secreted in th e servante,) and th e empty one is then produced w ith all possible alacrity. MAGICAL PRODUCTION OF A COIN A PPA RA TU S:—A penny. ' TH E T R IC K :—Have a penny palmed in the left hand, display the back of the hand, and expose th e rig h t hand fully. Tap the palm of the rig h t hand w ith th e left, in effect really throw ing the coin into it. The coin is then palm ed in th e rig h t by covering it with the thum b and th e hand closed, th e left hand is displayed empty, and a fte r m aking one o r two revolving motions w ith th e hands th e penny is exposed in the rig h t hand. (See Page 13, Il­ lustration M , Fig, 1 and 2).

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ILLUSTRATION M

THE DISAPPEARING PENNY E FFE C T :—A tum bler standing bottom upwards upoi a sheet of white paper is covered by a 'paper cylinder and then lifted and placed over a coin. The cylinder is removed and the coin has vanished. APPA RA TU S:—A small tumbler, white paper and a penny TH E T RICK :—Gum the rim of a small tum bler, anc spread a piece of white paper across it. Then cut awa} th e edges, so th a t the top of the tum bler resembles a drum. The tum bler is then laid rim downwards upon a sheet of white paper. A penny is laid upon the paper, and the perform er places a paper cylinder (which is ex­ hibited to show th at it is empty) over the glass, and the two are lifted and placed (still top downwards) over th€ penny. The cylinder is then removed, and of course the penny, being hidden by the paper drum of the glass, appears to have vanished. Care should be taken always to place the cover over the glass, when passing it over or away from the coin, also to keep th e glass on the sheet of white paper, otherwise the pasted end will be exposed. TO CHANGE A SHILLING INTO A SIXPENCE E FFE C T :—A shilling is placed in a box, which is then tapped w ith a wand, handed back to one of the company, who opening it finds a sixpence instead of the shilling inside. A P P A R A T U S A flat box, in appearance the same a t the top as a t the bottom, but really possessing two com­ partm ents THE TtU CK :—A sixpence is (secretly) placed in one com partm ent, and the em pty one is shown. A shilling is then inserted in the latter, and the box cleverly turned upside down. Then the other side is opened, and the six­ pence produced, TO PASS A COIN THROUGH A HAT INTO A GLASS E FFE C T :—Three coins are throw n into a borrowed hat, which has been stood upon a glass, and one of the coins passes rig h t through the h a t into the glass. APPARA TUS: A derby hat, a tumbler, and four pennies. T H E TRICK :—The bowl of the h a t is laid on the rim of th e tum bler, an d ju st underneath it a penny is wedged half-way in the glass. Two coins a re then dropped into 14

the hat, and th e th ird one thrown a t the side of the hat, bo th a t it releases th e penny, which falls into the glass. Take the coins out of the hat with the right hand, palm one by holding i t ag ain st th e inside o£ the hat w ith the thum b, and display two. This trick is on Page 16, Illu stra­ tion G, Fig. 2. TO RUB A PENN Y THROUGH A CANDLE A PPA R A T U S:—A penny and a candle. THE TRICK:—The penny is shown in the right hand and then apparently throw n into th e left, which is im­ mediately closed, while the coin is simultaneously palmed in the other hand, the back of which id displayed open. Pick up the candle w ith the rig h t hand th at contains the palmed coin, and holding it perpendicularly, rub the back o f the candle with the left hand, saying th at you will rub th e coin through the candle. Open the hand, display it empty, and pretend to draw the palmed penny from the bottom of the candle w ith the rig h t hand (see Page 13, Il­ lu stration M, Figure 3). TO DROP A COIN IN A BOTTLE A PPA R A T U S:—A sm all coin (e.g. a sixpence or a far­ thin g ), a household m atch, and a broad-necked bottle. THE TRICK :—Snap (but do not break) the match in h alf a t the centre, i.e. m aking an angular prong of it, and lay it upon the neck of the bottle. Then place the coin upon the match. T hat trick is to cause the coin to fall into the bottle w ithout touching either. I t is accom­ plished by lettin g a drop o r two of w ater fall upon the p a rt of the m atch where it is broken. The prongs will natu rally open, and the coin fall into th e bottle. This trick is on Page 18, Illustration D, Fig. 4). TO BALANCE COINS A P P A R A T U S ‘Three pennies with thick edges, and a th in strip of wood slightly longer th a n the three coins placed on end. TH E TRICK :—Lay three pennies edge to edge in a row in the left hand, and upon them place the wood th a t has been concealed in the palm of the rig h t hand. Grip the ends of the stick between the thum b and second linger of th e rig h t hand, a t the same tim e holding tho top and bottom coins tightly. The coins can then be raised per-

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ILLUSTRATION G Cpper No. 1. Center Left No. 2. Centre Bight No. 8 and No. 4. Bottom L eft 5, Bight 6.

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pendrcularly, and shown as if self-supported upon th eir own edges. (See Page 21, Illustration N, Fig. 7 and 8). TO HOLD A PENN Y SO THAT A STRONG MAN CAN­ NOT TAKE IT FROM THE FINGERS This trick is only suitable for a very ta ll person, or a t any r a te should be played w ith a person much shorter th an th e perform er. A challenge is p ut forth th a t a penny held between th e fingers cannot be taken away by another p arty w ithout his touching th e person holding the penny. The penny is shown held in th e ordinary way, b ut im­ mediately th e challenge is accepted, the hand is held high above the head. If th e opponent jumps in the air, or stands upon a chair, the coin shohld be held away so th at it cannot be reached. THE DIMINISHING COINS E F F E C T :—Three coins shown between the fingers are changed to two. APPA RA TU S:—One penny, and another w ith a thin groove cut round th e centre of its edge, and then cut in two across th e centre, or a little to one side of itw If a sm all indiarubber band is fitted into the groove the penny can be folded in half, and, when released, will spring TH E TRICK :—The penny th a t is cut in h a lf is folded over, and shown fanned underneath the other penny, so th a t th e company believe there are three pennies. The other hand is displayed empty, and then placed over th e one holding th e pennies, which are rattled together; th e indiarubber band will cause th e penny to open out flat, and one of th e pennies appears to have vanished. I t will be m ore effective if an assistant is asked to hold th e w rists in order to prevent a coin from passing up the sleeve. (See P age 21, Illustration N, Figures 3 and 4). THE MULTIPLYING COIN E FF E C T :—A penny is displayed held between th e con­ ju re r’s fingers, and attention drawn to th e fact th a t there is only one coin. The perform er waves his hand, and then discloses two coins in his palm. A PPA R A T U S:—One side of a penny is bored away (the rim is left uninjured) in such a m anner th a t a worn penny, th e edge of which has been filed daw n, can be 17

ILLUSTRATION D Top Bow—Illustration 1. 2nd Row—Illustration 2, 3, 4. 3rd Row—5A and A. Bottom 6 and 7.

fitted inside th e case th a t is thus made. THE TRICK:—Display the penny'inside its covering case to the audience, following the directions given in the first paragraph, and in waving the hand pull the oase into the palm of th e hand w ith the thum b and display the two coins (see Page 11, Illu stration B, Fig. 7). TO MAKE A SHILLING SPIN ON THE POINT OP A NEEDLE APPA RA TU S:—A bottle, two corks, two forks, a needle and a shilling. TH E TRICK:—F ix a needle perpendicularly in a cork, which is th en inserted in the mouth of a wine bottle. Make a slit in the bottom of the other cork, and tightly fix a shilling in i t ; now stick two forks into opposite sides of th e cork, with th e handles hanging downwards. Place the milled edge of the shilling on the point of the needle, and th e cork, shilling and forks will spin w ithout falling off (see P age 23, Illustration F, Fig. 4). A variation of this trick is obtained by laying the shilling (flat) a t the bottom of th e cork, and letting the centre of it rest upon the needle (see Fig. 5 Illustration F.) TO REVOLVE A COIN BETWEEN TWO PINS Place a half-crown flat on th e table, then seize it between two pins held a t the extremities of the same dia­ m eter. The coin may then be raised without trouble. Blow against the upper surface, and the coin will revolve w ith tremendous speed, and appear like a metallic sphere. TO VANISH AND PRODUCE A COIN This very effective and simple little trick is illustrated on Page 9, Illust. A, Fig. 6 and 7, and a fter a glance a t the picture and a little practice the learner should soon become proficient in it. The coin is held a t the back of the hand between the second and th ird fingers, and the palm dis­ played as in Fig. 5. The hand is then waved a little, and while this is being done the coin is dropped between the fingers on to th e thum b (see Fig. 6), and the back of the hand is shown. Repeat two or three times, and then produce the coin quickly, holding it between forefinger and thumb. TO PASS A COIN This is perform ed in almost exactly the same way 19

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1ms been described fo r card palm ing, and is illustrated on ¥*ge 9, IlJust. A, Fig. 1, 2 and 3. A coin is held be* tween the first a n d fourth fingers of the rig h t hand {see Fig. 1). The second and th ird fingers are draw n