Introduction

Welcome to Hidden Gems. For several years these ‘gems’ were a popular
feature of my Newsletters, but sadly when I upgraded my email marketing they
soon dropped off the radar. I’ve been making notes and sticking Post-its in all
my books for decades, so have hundreds of great tricks book-marked, annotated
and logged, and it was a shame that I no longer had an outlet for them. However
after some (not so subtle) prompting by friends I have finally decided to collect
100 of them together and publish them in this eBook.

It is always amusing to hear people say that they prefer DVDs (or more likely
downloads now) because they are a ‘visual learner’. It’s hard to get more visual
than reading! And of course although those same people say that they don’t like
reading, in fact that is what 99% of people spend 99% of their time doing now -
constantly reading: Facebook and other social media, endlessly scrolling through
others’ posts, comments and messages. And whilst I agree that video can be
invaluable for learning technique, I’ve always thought that when it comes to
researching and learning material it is the lazy option. But I know you already
agree with me, because you are reading this!

Treasures await you. Lots of my favourite tricks and routines are here, including
a lot of other creators’ material that I use constantly, some of it for many years.
Most of my favourite creators are well represented (a few of them twice). And
don’t worry, those that aren’t will be in the next volume should there be one. So
no Stone, Harris, Sankey, Scarne, Richardson, Wonder or McLeod this time
around. But they are in the notebooks, waiting for their chance. One of my
favourite resources both in terms of material and inspiration is Harry Lorayne’s
Apocalypse and you will find ten great items listed from their (HG#81 - HG#90).
And I could easily have included twenty or thirty more! But these ten are
enough to get you searching for yourself.

I haven’t published an index, nor have I graded them in terms of difficulty. I do

usually tell you whether a trick is suitable for close-up, stand-up (cabaret) and
more suited to professional performance or magic-sessioning. By far the
majority are for the former. If you’ve been in magic for a while and buying the
literature, most of the Gems will be in books or magazines that you already own
or have easy access two. A small handful might take a little bit more tracking
down, but I purposely avoided being a bastard and recommending great tricks
from The Crimp or other wilfully impossible to obtain sources. I genuinely want
you to read this fabulous material by all these incredible creators and kind of the
point of this collection is to point out items that are right under your nose, not
obscure and inaccessible. Although there are a couple that might need some
detective work, otherwise where’s the fun…

To that end I have set up a Facebook group so that liked-minded magic lovers,
secrets searchers and bibliophiles can chat about the material herein and
perhaps trade information about tracking down books or magazines they are
looking for and maybe even suggest a few hidden gems of their own. The FB
group is called Hidden Gems and can be found here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/147515615896034/

Please apply to join as soon as you like and as long as I know you got the eBook
from me, you’re in. So, enjoy these 100 Hidden Gems and I’ll see you online.

Mark Elsdon
November 2017.
The Hidden Gems
Hidden Gem #1: 'Uncanny' by Doug Canning, Steve Beam's Semi-Automatic Card
Tricks Volume 1 (p132) This trick fries laymen and magicians alike. In fact, it is
one of my favourite magician-foolers. You are able to identify and remove a
selected card from a deck that is shuffled by the participant and dropped in your
pocket. (Hidden Hidden Gem: ‘Impaired’ which follows on p135 is another total
wowser!)

Hidden Gem #2: 'Horse Race', The Card Magic of Nick Trost (p99) Fantastic fun,
and capable of winning you free drinks in a way that lots of tricks say they can,
but never do because they look like a con from the outset. ‘Horse Race’, by
comparison, looks absolutely fair and like a genuine game of chance. A big
favourite of Rick Johnson and if it’s good enough for him...

Hidden Gem #3: ‘The Jellybean Jar’, The Conjuring Anthology by Jim Steinmeyer
(p24) Lee Earle published Jack Dean’s seminal handling of this plot in Syzygy
back in 1994, but Steinmeyer’s brilliant handling ups the ante considerably. The
method is exceptionally clean and I’m just gutted that I never got to see this
performed before I knew how it was done. I happen to know that this is in the
repertoires of several well-known mentalists who simply never mention it to
anyone.

Hidden Gem #4: ‘Guess Quotient’ by Harry Lorayne, Best Of Friends Vol. 3 (p19)
The first trick in the book, and it’s a killer! The problem is that from both
Lorayne’s description (written in typical self-deprecating style!) and the
accompanying photos, the trick looks like an all-dealing maths-based monster.
Nothing could be further from the truth, as one performance will confirm. For
once, it really is as Harry says, “One heck of a card trick”!

Hidden Gem #5: ‘Topsy Turvy’, Bob Ostin – A Lifetime of Magical Mysteries
(p52). When I first saw Bob perform this incredible effect I nearly spat my tea
out! A strip of paper is pleated, concertina-style and then cut to form a paper
string of little men. Unbelievably, despite the openness of the handling, one of
the men is upside down, despite being permanently joined on either side. And
then, just to really kick the spectator in the brain, they can keep the paper strip
as a souvenir, there is nothing to find! Like almost all of Bob’s work, the whole
concept, effect and method is absolute genius.
Hidden Gem #6: ‘A Prediction In Millions’, Paul Hallas – Magic From The
Overground (p14) An absolute gem of a trick that has been in my repertoire for
almost 30 years. There aren’t many tricks I can say that about! The only other
person I know who uses it is Roger Curzon. In effect, it is the ultra-clean
prediction of a random nine-digit number. Use any presentation you like, and it
is suitable for both close-up and stand-up (cabaret).

Hidden Gem #7: ‘Petrified’ by David Harkey and Eric Anderson. AH-HA! (p68)
Imagine not being one of the 18,000 magicians who use Omni Deck and instead
knowing about something better. Well, now you do: in Harkey’s effect at the
end of your card routine the cards petrify and then split like a rock when you
drop them onto the table. It looks unbelievably good.

Hidden Gem #8: ‘Shipwrecked’ by Daryl/Swain/Malone, James Swain – 21st

Century Card Magic (p114) Almost the only Ace Assembly (although it actually
uses Kings) that is worth even considering for laymen. It is short and to the point
and has the best presentation ever devised for an assembly trick. Learn it today
and use it for the rest of your life.

Hidden Gem #9: ‘Irish Poker Hand’ by Dave Cambell, The Dave Cambell Legacy
(p207) THE best packet trick you’ve never seen anyone do. Wild card with a
great premise and lean handling. Fooling, entertaining and magical.

Hidden Gem #10: ‘Color Cut’ by Bob King, My Best To You (p13) An impossibly
clean Spectator-Cuts-To-The-Aces with a colour-change kicker, which has fooled
every single magician I’ve ever shown it to. When I performed it for my late
friend Kevin Fox he was so shocked he nearly fell off his chair! Powerful and
direct card magic. Bob King is the boss.

Hidden Gem #11: ‘Four Fisted’ by Gary Kurtz, Unexplainable Acts (p35) This was
a staple of my close-up and walkaround repertoire for well over a decade and
yet I’ve never seen a single other magician perform it. It is a beautiful, original
coin effect (and plot) with visual and tactile coin changes, and surprisingly for a
coin trick (although unsurprisingly for Kurtz) an engaging presentation. In effect,
copper coins turn into silver coins and then into gold, in both your hands and
the spectators! I may well dust this off to fry all my friends with at next month’s
Blackpool convention... Pro tip – for the gold coins use Danish 2 Kroner coins.
Polish them up and they are perfect.

Hidden Gem #12: ‘Signature Effect’ by Phill Smith, Mitox (p87) What a great
premise for a mentalism effect! You give your ‘Autograph Book’ to a spectator
to choose one from among the hundreds of celebrity autographs and not only
do you read his mind and tell him who he has chosen, you also have a
(prediction) letter from that celebrity’s agent addressed to you personally!
Perfect for close-up walkaround or stand-up, this piece is typical of Phill’s genius
in developing interesting, amusing and powerful mentalism.

Hidden Gem #13: ‘Afraid of Dogs’ by Ken Dyne, Bairn (p93) A great stand-up
opener (yes, it’s in a mentalism book, but it’s perfect for magic too) that packs
small and plays massive. Using some envelopes and lots of audience interaction
you get to perform a very direct prediction effect that shows off your persona
and establishes your skills.

Hidden Gem #14: ‘The Los Angeles Open’ by Gordon Bean, Joker Joker,
(Marketed effect, 2003) Back in 2003 Gordon Bean put out an effect titled Joker,
Joker which was a bit of a so-what card effect. The bonus effect, however, is
something else. It is one of the cleanest, most direct versions of the ‘Open
Prediction’ plot released to date. It’s not a purist’s version, but when the effect
is this good who cares! So check out your next magic club auction, and if you see
this available, snap it up.

Hidden Gem #15: ‘Postage Prediction’ by David Ben, Tricks, (p3) David’s
practical and far more deceptive handling (accomplished, cleverly, by simply
using different props) of a classic Marcello Truzzi mentalism effect. Tips: Have
the prediction stuck on the front of the envelope you carry all the stamps in,
accompany them with a simple hand-written letter and an engaging
presentation about “my uncle the stamp collector” and you’ll have something in
the Heirloom league that no one else will be doing.

Hidden Gem #16: ‘Spectra-Ception’ by Paul J. Siegel, The New Jinx, (p115) Paul’s
clever effect was decades ahead of its time, as evidenced by the fact that the
brilliant method has been ripped-off several times since, often by quite high-
profile mentalists! The effect? Under ‘scientific conditions’ the blind-folded
(genuinely!) performer is able to see colours with his fingertips. Further proof,
as if it was needed, that the best mentalism is ‘hidden in print’. By the way, one
of Paul’s other contributions to The New Jinx was used on TV by a very well
know UK mentalist. Happy hunting…

Hidden Gem #17: ‘Shock Treatment’ by Jackie McClements, Shock Treatment,

(p19) Jackie’s brilliant vanishing deck trick is a total fooler. I was first shown it by
Jerry Sadowitz, back in his heyday working at International Magic in London.
When he performed it, I was so shocked I nearly fell over. I’m not joking! It is
guaranteed to not only devastate laymen, but also give heart palpitations to any
magician who doesn’t know it. It has remained in my repertoire from that day to
this.

Hidden Gem #18: ‘Diming You Out’ by Christian Painter, Protoplasm (p35) This
has a very Conversation As Mentalism vibe to it, so it’s no wonder it caught my
eye. Completely impromptu, all you need are a few business cards and some
borrowed pocket change to play a powerful little mind game where you predict
the outcome in multiple ways. Perfect coffee-shop mentalism.

Hidden Gem #19: ‘A Puzzling Bill Vanish – The Sequel’ by Daryl, Clea-zean Mea-
zagic (p22) This has been in my repertoire ever since I first saw Daryl teach it in
his lecture about 16 or 17 years ago. Others have released their handlings – but
trust me, this is the best. The perfect marriage of a puzzle and a magic trick, with
the best aspects of both and the weaknesses of neither. This is far more
entertaining that flicking or shaking a bunch of pieces of paper and having them
turn into money. And best of all, you end clean and everything can be examined.

Hidden Gem #20: ‘One Face South’ by Bob Farmer, Genii magazine (May 2006,
p22) Farmer’s deviousness knows no bounds, as evidenced by this wonderful
trick. What is it? Well, on one level a freely selected card matches an open
prediction. On another level, it is a fabulous deception using a real deck of cards
and a photo of a deck of cards. And on a final level, the one you are most likely
interested in, it is the best trick using a marked deck that you have never seen
anyone perform.

Hidden Gem #21: ‘Greetings’ by Chris Westfall, MAGIC magazine, July 2010
(p67) Occasionally I read an effect and think “I really wish I had devised this!” I
thought exactly that about Chris’ trick. It got completely overlooked because it
was published in a magazine, but trust me, this is possibly the best thing that
Josh Jay ever published in his column. It is a wonderfully commercial card trick
that brings the ‘nest-of-boxes’ completely up to date, it is a total laymen fooler
and it allows you to give out your business card. What more could you want? If a
big name had released this we’d all be drooling over it.

Hidden Gem #22: ‘Mindcast’ by Stephen Minch, Mind Melds (p9) Mentalists still
looking for a version of Mental Epic that doesn’t use a weird-looking prop (all of
them!) can now rest easy: Stephen Minch solved the problem back in 1984! It is
amazing that his method isn’t the industry standard for this routine. The props
are six pieces of card and a marker, ALL the choices are 100% free including the
final one, and there is no carbon or other impressions involved. Hidden-in-print
indeed!

Hidden Gem #23: ‘The Five Gifts of Life’ by Bob Neale, This Is Not A Book (p8)
When Jeff McBride first showed me this ‘effect’ (although that isn’t really the
right word) about 25 years ago I was stunned, not just by the trick, but by the
whole presentation and concept. Bob finally published it in this book many years
later. It won’t be for everyone, but if it’s for you, you’ll perform it for the rest of
your life…

Hidden Gem #24: ‘The Dirty Secrets Club’ by Luke Jermay, Distractions (p15)
Brilliant, modern mentalism. This is how it should be done. ’Nuff said.

Hidden Gem #25: ‘Body Trick 112’ by John Fisher, Body Magic (p143) Whilst
Fisher was most definitely not the person to devise this stunt, this is the first
place I read about it. In effect, four volunteers, using only two fingertips each,
somehow lift a seated adult from his chair high up into the air as though he is
weightless. And no one is more astonished than the lifters themselves! If you’ve
never seen this stunt performed, please give it a try. It’s fabulous. Just be
prepared for a major shock the first time you try it. It seems so counter-
intuitively impossible that it’s no wonder that in the past, less sophisticated
audiences assumed there were forces at play other than just physics!

Hidden Gem #26: ‘Eleven Bill Routine’ by Trevor Lewis, Routines Matter (p66)
Caveney, Pitt, Bargatze and others all have handlings of this routine, but
Trevor’s stands head and shoulders above them all. Immaculate handling,
superior spectator management and some truly great lines all add up to make
this one of the best packs-small-plays-big routines ever to see print. A MUST for
any cabaret act.

Hidden Gem #27: ‘Pocket Passport’ by Ken Krenzel, Ingenuities (p75) A copper-
silver transposition, but with the participant holding both coins. I kid you not!
Specifically, one coin is in his hand and one in his pocket! This is a great little
trick to do on its own, but far, far better as the mind-blowing finale to a copper-
silver transpo routine. I have used great handlings by both David Roth and Curtis
Kam, but my real favourite is Paul Wilson’s ‘Inslow Copper Silver’ from his
Omerta booklet. (Consider this a ‘hidden’ Hidden Gem!)

Hidden Gem #28: ‘Radical Hold’em’ by Meir Yedid, Genii magazine January 2008
(p22) THE perfect trick to do when someone says “I wouldn’t play cards with
you!” A super-visual transformation and production that is the best Hold ‘Em-
themed card trick I’ve seen. It’s as impressive to audiences who know nothing
about Poker as it would be to Martin Jacobson.

Hidden Gem #29: ‘The World Famous Coin Swallowing Act’ by Sid Fleischman,
The Charlatan’s Handbook (p17) You just know that a trick which opens with the
lines, “Does anyone still remember the great coin swallowers of the past? And I
don’t mean the penny swallowers – that was carnival stuff!” is going to be
fabulous. And it is. Funny, entertaining and magical with absolutely no
regurgitation skills required. Your performance as The Human Piggy Bank will be
long remembered.

Hidden Gem #30: ‘Sleeve Aces’ by Earl Nelson, Variations (p52) A beautiful piece
of card magic that looks like the magic just happens without any manipulation
whatsoever on the part of the performer. One of the best four ace productions
you’ll ever learn.

Hidden Gem #31: ‘Materialistic’ by Francis Menotti, (Commercial release, FJM,

2007) Possibly the cleanest penetration effect you’ll ever learn. You simply
borrow a coin, put it up under your t-shirt and hold it through the material with
the other hand. You gently massage the coin through the cloth and it slowly
melts right through. It looks fabulous. You hand the coin straight back to the
owner; your hands are empty and there is nothing to ditch. How this isn’t in the
repertoire of every magician in the world is beyond me! I’m set to perform this
at all times and you should be too.

Hidden Gem #32: ‘One Little Letter’ by Jonathan Freidman, The 80s Called…
They Want Their Magic Book Back (Sp98) On one hand, it’s just a two-card
transposition. On the other hand, it is THE two-card transposition. It adds a layer
that of conviction and deception that elevates a ‘trick’ to a piece of magic.
Absolutely brilliant.

Hidden Gem #33: ‘Crystal Ball Vanishing Deck’ by Colin H Linn, ‘Stand-Up’ Card
Magic (p26) I’m of the firm belief that you can never know enough killer deck
vanishes (this is the second I’ve featured as a Hidden Gem), and this fantastic
effect from Colin Linn is as good as it gets: a funny, commercial and powerful
presentation and effect, climaxing with a totally fooling vanish.

Hidden Gem #34: ‘Hitched’ by Andy Hurst (Commercial release, FooCan

Publications, 2008) This is the linking card effect we’ve all been waiting for. And
it’s been in print for almost a decade! Of course, Sixten Beme’s ‘One Card Link’ is
the bomb, but it needs 20+ minutes of prep every time. Enter ‘Hitched’. The
audience clearly see you make the frames (from a card you remove from the
deck), link them, show them clearly linked, visually unlink them and then prove
the frames are solid with no tears or rips. The handling is very clean and there
are no hokey switches at the wrong moment. What I love most is that it avoids
having to tear the frames to unlink them, which is a major flaw in most other
methods. Oh, and best of all, the prep only takes about a minute.

Hidden Gem #35: ‘Passing Notes’ by Chastain Crisswell, Ultramodern II (p87)

Brilliant impromptu tricks using borrowed banks notes (or bills, for US readers)
don’t appear very often, so when they do I immediately pay attention. This is
one of the very best. Two borrowed notes are wrapped around each other so
that they lock together and then visually penetrate and are immediately handed
out for inspection. It looks like the kind of thing one of the clever Japanese
magicians would come up with, but with zero prep and considerably easier.

Hidden Gem #36: ‘Elbow, Knee & Neck’ by Daryl, Spectacle (p85) One of my all-
time favourite pieces of impromptu magic. Borrow three coins and you can
immediately perform this wonderful, whimsical piece of magic. Three coins are
clearly placed in the left hand, but somehow one appears at your elbow, one
behind your knee and the final one from the back of your neck (with a genuinely
empty hand!) Of course the left hand is empty. No gimmicks, virtually angle-
proof and beautifully surreal.

Hidden Gem #37: ‘A Brave New World’ by Michael Murray, A Piece of My Mind
(p34) Pure genius. “Take out your deck. Shuffle it. Turn half the deck face-up and
shuffle them together. Faro them if you want! Turn half the deck over and
shuffle them some more…” This is how Michael starts his version of OOTW! The
first time I saw this I was completely and utterly fooled before the effect had
even begun. Another sublime creation from Michael.

Hidden Gem #38: ‘Appearing Aces’ by Ben Harris, SUPERFLIP & S.F.U.C. (p11)
Don’t underestimate this because Benny describes it in just a single paragraph. It
is an incredibly visual four Ace production. Palm off the aces (set for SuperFlip),
have someone shuffle the deck, add the palmed cards and then do the move. It
looks like trick photography, as if the Aces just burst face-up out of the deck.
And don’t be put off by me mentioning palming; it looks fabulous even without a
palm and add on. The whole SuperFlip concept is still very underrated and
awaits a creative magician to develop miracles with it.

Hidden Gem #39: ‘Pure Imagination’ by Derek DelGaudio, Only Notes –

Eastbourne 2008 (Self-published) Very smart handling combined with a
captivating presentation: the participant imagines removing random cards,
which appear, and then she imagines her selection and that appears face-up. All
whilst the deck is in the participant’s hands! Clever, fooling card magic.

Hidden Gem #40: ‘Bottled Quicksilver’ by Toyohisa Sanada, The Looking Glass –
Winter 1998 (p139). Quite simply a fabulous stand-up coin routine that is both
fooling and entertaining. A combination of Roth’s ‘Hanging Coins’ and ‘Coin In
Bottle’, it is both visually and aurally perfect. It’s technically and theatrically
quite demanding, and that is what makes it such a powerhouse routine. The
other great thing is that it doesn’t use gimmicked coins, so can be done with
whatever currency you prefer.

Hidden Gem #41: ‘The Color Out of Space’ by Kazuyuki Hase, Japan Ingenious
(p225). I was sorry to see this excellent trick re-published in this book as
previously it was hidden-in-print in an issue of Genii from February 1989 and no
one was using it except me! The effect is fine (the revelation of a freely selected
symbol and colour, chosen whilst your back is turned), but it is the unique,
superior mentalism method that is the thing of note here. I have several
unpublished effects using the principle and I’m sure once you read the JI book
you will develop your own too.

Hidden Gem #42: ‘The Human Slot Machine’ by Joel Givens, Session (p164) I am
a sucker for this great plot and having researched all the versions, this is the one
I use (with a little kicker from Michael Vincent’s handling). There is a ton of great
material in Joel’s book (I use his ‘Sponge Aces’ and ‘Ninja Coin’ too), but this is
the standout for me. The audience simply cannot fathom where the jackpot
coins come from.

Hidden Gem #43: ‘Alice’s Revenge’ by Bob Farmer (Commercial release, Every
Trick In The Book, 2010) This is the small packet brainwave trick I was doing all
the time before I developed B’Voque. And I still use it often for people who have
previously seen B’Voque. If you add Gary Jones’ fabulous subtlety of taking a
queen from your deck and with fine sandpaper rub off most of the face (leaving
just a little so you can tell it's a queen but not which one) and rub most of the
back design off also, you're left with a very strange memento! This elevates an
already great trick into true Twilight Zone territory.

Hidden Gem #44: ‘Bottle Cap Matrix’ by Angelo Carbone, The Angelo Carbone
Lecture Notes (p7) You genuinely have to see this to believe it! So, so clean. Four
plastic screw bottle tops and four jumbo playing cards (or postcards) – no
gimmicks. The caps are cleanly shown one beneath each card and then instantly
they are all under one card. And a participant can turn all the cards over! Your
new favourite magician-fooler session trick.

Hidden Gem #45: ‘Tri-Mental’ by Leslie May, The Compleat Magick Vol. 1 (p
264) This Zenner card routine demonstrates the difference between telepathy,
ESP and precognition and is a perfect example of getting the maximum from the
minimum. My friend Paul Hallas showed it to me years ago and I started using it
immediately.

Hidden Gem #46: ‘Oddservation’ by Jack Parker, 52 Memories (p149) Yes, I

know J.C. Wagner loved it, and I know that when it was published in Genii
everyone said they loved it, but I still never see anyone performing this
blockbuster trick. This is exactly the kind of card trick laymen love: simple plot,
funny, magical and with a kick-ass ending. It’s kind of a card transposition that
goes crazy with an in-the-participants-hands four Ace ending, all wrapped up in
an observation test presentation, but that bald description belies how strong
this trick is. A must-learn.

Hidden gem #47: ‘Colour Changing Pack’ by Gordon Bruce, A Gordon Bruce
Compendium (p7) When I first saw Gordon perform this effect I thought that it
had to be gaffed to the hilt, and so my jaw hit the floor when he said, “No of
course you can examine the deck… there’s nothing to find.” Typical El Bruso
construction, handling and psychology make this simply the best colour
changing deck effect I’ve ever seen. Of course, it’s easy to have similar
sentiments about almost all of Gordon’s material: Best. Version. Ever.

Hidden Gem #48: ‘On The Numerical Prediction’ by Noel Coughlin, Labyrinth
Number Seven (p28) A number trick that actually looks like mind-reading rather
than a maths puzzle? You betcha! It’s super-easy and will fool anyone you show
it to.

Hidden Gem # 49: ‘242 2.0’ by Joshua Jay, MAGIC magazine, November 2008
(p74) Josh may think that I have forgotten about this routine, but I haven’t  It
is a stunning three-phase blackjack and poker deal rolled into one, and will
convince anyone that you can win any card game ever. Its central phase is
Vollmer’s clever 2-4-2 but Josh has bookended that with two new phases that
ramp up the impossibility level to 10.

Hidden Gem #50: ‘Gummi-Bear Penetration’ by Jörg Willich, The Book or Don’t
Forget To Point (p26). A perfect party trick: you take a gummi-bear sweet
(candy, dear US peeps) and push it visibly through your glass of wine, but (get
this!) pause whilst it’s halfway through so that half is inside and half outside.
Everyone can clearly see the sweet penetrating the glass. You pull it out and eat
it, leaving the glass to be examined. Impromptu visual magic at its best.

Hidden Gem #51: ‘I Need a Hero’ by Jeff Stone, 793.8 Where Is The Magic (p158)
A smart, modern cabaret routine that allows you to really connect with your on-
stage participants, all under the guise of some superhero battles! Most times
there are helpers on stage they are just there to hold things or pick things. Not
with Jeff’s lovely routine – every person has a role to play.

Hidden Gem #52: ‘Tehis re erom’, George Parker, Gift Magic (p105) I love the
whole concept of gift magic but am always worried that it will seem twee and
cheesy. This trick side-steps all of that by leaving the participant with a
philosophical gift/puzzle. Magical and magickal, this is one of half-a-dozen tricks
I carry in my wallet at all times. I don’t use it often, but at the right time it can be
perfect.

Hidden Gem #53: ‘The Red & Black Computation’ by Ken De Courcy, Cards In
Cabaret (p21) That unusual thing – a card trick that can be done in cabaret. This
is a serious fooler, and with just a little thought you can clean up the trick’s one
weakness, making for a hands-off, mind-reading miracle.

Hidden Gem #54: ‘Book Of Clues’ by John Guastaferro, Discoveries & Deceptions
(p15) A perfect example of how a trick can be re-framed to become so much
more than just the basic effect. It’s basically a production of a four-of-a-kind, but
that is not how the participants will remember it! And be sure to check out the
alternative ending by the Machiavellian Andrew Brown.

Hidden Gem #55: ‘HASTERIX’ by Lewis Jones, Person To Person (p16) Possibly
the best telephone trick ever created. You phone someone and get them to
write down a prediction and then they choose a card from your deck. The
prediction is confirmed as 100% correct. This trick is utterly baffling.

Hidden Gem #56: ‘Imagination Is A Lemon’ by Florian Severin, What Lies Inside
(p15) This is a perfect cabaret opener for mentalists and (with a tiny tweak)
magicians that is both funny and plays with the audience’s perceptions. It also
lets the audience know that this show is going to be fooling, fun and interactive.
What more could you want?

Hidden Gems #57: ‘Selected Time Travel’ by Benjamin Earl, This Is Not A Box
(p7) Several people have re-worked Sankey’s ‘Back In Time’ effect but none
more powerfully than the version presented here. Ben’s understanding of the
psychology of the piece allows him to wring every last moment of astonishment
out of it. Superior card magic that you will use for the rest of your life.

Hidden Gems #58: ‘Impossible Floating Handkerchief’ by Bohleno, Bohleno’s

Mysteries (p7) This trick is the essence of these Hidden Gems! I know that no
one reading this will have ever seen this trick performed, which is a tragedy; it is
a bona fide classic. You tie a not in one end of a handkerchief, hold it in front of
you and remove your hands… where the handkerchief remains suspended
without any visible means of support. You then pass a hoop over the upright
hanky to prove the absence of threads. The hanky stands suspended as if by
some magnetized force. The handling is sensational. Someone will learn this and
take it on AGT or BGT and fool everyone.

Hidden Gem #59: ‘A Fine Mesh’ by Phil Goldstein, Focus (p26) An absolutely
killer little piece of card magic which is as beautifully economical in method as it
is powerful in effect. I have presented this as a hallucinogenic experience, as the
world’s hardest sleight-of-hand and dozens of points in between. It never fails to
elicit anything other than an incredible reaction. And if you want a truly ‘hidden’
gem, I can tell you that (and this is unbelievable if you know the Goldstein trick)
Britland has a version of ‘A Fine Mesh’ in print which uses no gaff! Good luck
finding that!

Hidden Gem #60: ‘PhoPsyPro’ by Stephen E. Young (Commercial release,

Thought Illusions, 2013) Basically this is like Tarot for scientists. Photo-cards of
images like you see on Instagram or Flickr allow you to do readings, read minds
and genuinely connect with people. A brilliant update of a classic reading
system, this deserves to be far more well-known. If you do any kind of
mentalism, you need this.

Hidden Gem #61: ‘PK Photograph’ by Iain Dunford, Profeign. This is one of my
go-to effects. Iain’s brilliant take on Banachek’s classic effect is the only version
I’ve seen that focuses on changing the effect and presentation, rather than
simply tweaking the method. Simply brilliant.

Hidden Gem #62: ‘Cyclic Aces’ by David Britland, Genii Magazine (April 2011)
Well, I’ve had this trick to myself (it seems) since David first published it on his
blog (Cardopolis) back in 2005. I’ve only ever mentioned it to a handful of
people and none of them had ever seen it before. And all of them wanted to
learn it immediately! Amusingly, I was actually very late to the party myself,
since David originally published it in the Sorcerer magazine in 1988! Talk about
hidden in print… Oh yes, what is the effect? Probably the most impressive
‘impossible-looking-but-actually-self-working’ Ace Cutting effect that you’ll ever
learn. And the principle it introduces has a ton of possible applications.

Hidden Gem #63: ‘Probability Zero’ by Paul Curry, World’s Beyond (p139)
Perhaps the ultimate ‘impromptu’ coincidence trick. You number some blank
business cards 1 through 9 and place them number-side down on the table. A
participant points to any card and you write the number 1 on it. This is repeated
for the other eight cards. ALL choices are freely made. You turn over the card
marked 1. It has a 1 on the reverse! And the 2 has a 2, the 3 a 3 and so on. All 9
match and the participant can examine everything.

Hidden Gem #64: ‘My Spectator, The Clairvoyant’ by Jack Birnman, The Looking
Glass Winter 1998 (p133) This is a fantastic from-a-shuffled-deck-in-use miracle
that will fool any magician in any session anywhere. You’ll even fool yourself the
first time you try it! It just doesn’t seem possible.

Hidden Gem #65: ‘Big Black Arrow’ by Rich Aviles, Above The Fold (p54) A very
funny and unusual card trick where a graphic on your phone finds two selections
in a ‘magical’ way. This is Chicago Opener for the iPhone generation and the
kind of card trick laymen have never seen but instantly love.

Hidden Gem #66: ‘The Five Senses’ by Jim Steinmeyer, Strange Power and Other
Problems For Magicians. This elegant and powerful trick is along the lines of
Corinda’s ‘Powers of Darkness’ and Slydini’s ‘Paper Balls Over The Head’, but
fools all five senses of the participant. I like it so much I even sneaked it into a TV
show I wrote a few years ago.

Hidden Gem #67: ‘Photocopy’ by Paul Gertner, Steel & Silver (p149) I still
remember the gasps this trick got the first time I performed it, probably 25 years
ago. It is the impossible revelation of a selected card, themed entirely around
palming and a b&w photocopy of your empty hand. Don’t make the mistake of
trying to update it using your phone. There is something delightfully analogue
about the photocopy and that gives the trick its power.

Hidden Gem #68: ‘Chroma Keys’ by Weber, The Session Twenty Fifteen (p5) The
participant reads your mind using nothing more than some hotel room keys! A
typical example of Weber ingenuity, this update of a classic principle is another
fantastic trick using what appear to be regular everyday items.
Hidden Gem #69: ‘Psycho Ball’ by Peter Rosengren, The Trickster. This is an
impossibly tactile version of the Chop Cup which takes place entirely on the
participant’s hand! I would have loved to have seen and felt this trick before I
read it. It is perfect little routine for walkaround, close-up and cabaret and
deserves a far wider audience.

Hidden Gem #70: ‘A Mental Case’ by Tom Frame, Framework (p25) A simple,
direct two-card coincidence trick that is absolutely mind-blowing for the
participant. An uncluttered presentation, devious method and powerful effect.
Job done.

Hidden Gem #71: ‘The Golden Chain’ by Eric Dockery, Labyrinth Number Ten
(p4) I wanted to perform the ‘Endless Chain’ routine for years but never seemed
to get around to learning and practicing it. I think the required table space was
one thing that put me off. Then I read Eric’s lovely routine which has the added
dimension of being performed entirely in the hands, with the chain looped
around your thumbs. It’s easy to learn, remember and perform and I’ve used it
ever since.

Hidden Gem #72: ‘Elevator Action’ by So Sato, The Secrets of So Sato (p155) A
trick that is both kind of an Ace Assembly and a version of the Elevator plot, but
is still somehow utterly wonderful! This is practical, fooling card magic that
should go straight into your repertoire; it went straight into mine.

Hidden Gem #73: ‘The Two Tenners’ by Alexander Marsh, Head Wired (p11) This
was the best thing I saw at the MINDS convention last year. It features Alex’s
‘Subconscious Switch’ which is a beautiful, deceptive concept/method that
completely fooled me. It’s a brilliant idea and one that I’m surprised isn’t in far
wider use. Someone will devise a miracle with it (if Alex hasn’t already done so).

Hidden Gem #74: ‘Subliminal Suggestions’ by Jack Birnman, MAGIC magazine

(Nov 1993, p53) If you are addicted to four card productions (as I am) then it’s
about time that you learnt one of the best! I often use my own (‘Pre-pre-
figuration’) and stellar handlings by Justin Higham, Kevin Baker, Ben Earl and
Yves Domergue. But occasionally, when the situation warrants, I’ll pull out the
big gun – Birnman’s handling. His method is as practical as it is deceptive, and
his presentation is the best of any in print.

Hidden gem #75: ‘Tell’ by Lewis Jones, The Magic Gourmet (p16) Man, I love this
trick! If Ben Earl (or one of his clones) had released this, every card magician in
the world would be raving about it. As it is, it’s hidden away in one of the many
great books by this under-the-radar creator. It is THE best way to prove to
anyone that you can detect poker ‘tells’. Rick Lax even used an earlier version of
this trick to fool Penn & Teller. Anyway, forget all that; just learn this great trick.

Hidden Gem #76: ‘The Impossible Envelope’ by David Regal, Approaching Magic
(p288). Ideal for either close-up or stand-up performance this is a very disarming
way to prove to someone that you predicted three things about them that you
couldn’t possibly have known. Practical, low-tech and fooling, this is a
memorable piece.

Hidden Gem #77: ‘The Probability Pack’ by Robert Neale, Life, Death and Other
Cards Tricks (p213) As well as giving us possibly the greatest magic book title
ever, Bob also gives us possibly the greatest self-working card trick ever. Finally,
a presentation worthy of the “…thing of terrifying beauty” that is the Gilbreath
Principle.

Hidden Gem #78: ‘Epic – Marked Down’ by Dan Garrett (Commercial release,
2005) A powerful and practical mentalism effect. It uses three participants,
three coloured permanent markers, and three amazing predictions. Nothing else
whatsoever, especially: no force! The clever method uses just ordinary materials
you can buy in an office supply store. It is a brilliant piece of close-up or cabaret
mentalism.

Hidden Gem #79: ‘Between The Lines’ by Michael Murray, A Piece of My Mind
(p77) This is it! One of the best tricks ever devised and I guarantee no one you
know (except me or Mike) is doing it! Another one that I really wish I had
devised, but not to worry because at least Michael did. You hand the participant
a folded page torn from a novel and he describes details of what he thinks the
story involves. The page is opened (no switch!) and read aloud and he is
astonished to see that the text accurately reflects the scene that moments
earlier existed only in his mind. This is another one of the six things that I always
carry in my wallet.

Hidden Gem #80: ‘Fat City Revisited’ by John Bannon, Bullet Party (p86) The
only sandwich trick worth doing. The first time the selection appears, the second
time the whole deck appears! Properly framed it makes laymen’s eyes pop out.

Hidden Gem #81: ‘The Stamp Collector’ by Murray Cooper, Apocalypse June
1982 (p637). This is very clever: a progressive stamp assembly. Lorayne explains
it with playing cards, but it is easily adapted to mini-postcards which makes a lot
more sense. Wrap an off-the-wall Jerx-style presentation around this and you
have an amazing, startling effect.

Hidden Gem #82: ‘Devil’s 3-Card Monte’ by Tonny van Rhee, Apocalypse July
1982 (p652) THE best ‘three card monte’ routine ever created. Not sure what
else to tell you. In Tonny’s hands it looks absolutely impossible. And although it
in no way detracts from the brilliance of the routine, Tonny’s preferred ending is
not in the write-up. Ask me about it next time you see me in person. It’ll cost
you a pint but it’s worth it.

Hidden Gem #83: ‘Tearable’ by Paul Sorrentino and Mark Lefler, Apocalypse
April 1983 (p757) A brand new concept: a card is signed and folded into
quarters. You (really) tear along a crease from one of the long sides to the
center. You then move the tear from the long side to the short end, them back
to the long side! Finally, you give the card away as a souvenir. I saw this in
person on one of my first trips to New York and couldn’t believe my eyes. It
looks totally impossible, and it’s pretty easy to perform too.

Hidden Gem #84: ‘The Catalyst’ by Rick Silberman, Apocalypse July 1988 (p1513)
Another one that I was fortunate to see in person. Three selections change
places with three picture cards, whilst inside the cardcase. More killer session
material that you’d be begging to learn if you saw it performed.

Hidden Gem #85: ‘Drunken Black Jack’ by Bob King, Apocalypse July 1988
(p1534) A phenomenal trick using just two cards. You start with two 9s. Four
instant changes later, you end with Black Jack and the Ace and Jack can be
instantly handed out for examination! Bob marketed this shortly after and it
sold out at every single convention. I’ve still never seen anyone perform it
though.

Hidden Gem #86: ‘Osmosis’ by Karel Vaverka and Howard Schwarzman,

Apocalypse June 1990 (p1789) A playing card penetrates repeatedly and visually
through a file card. If you take the time to make and learn this (neither are
difficult) you won’t believe how good it looks. Released today this would be £20
for the pennies-worth of props and a download.

Hidden Gem #87: ‘Spectator Guesses Better’ by Terry LaGerould, Apocalypse

September 1993 (p2257) An impromptu gem! You and a participant each select
a card. You almost guess his and he guesses yours exactly. This has been varied
by lots of the usual suspects claiming to improve or streamline it. It doesn’t need
it; this trick is just about perfect as it is.
Hidden Gem #88: ‘Three Before’ by Jed B. Smith, Apocalypse June 1994 (p2365)
More great impromptu card magic, this time to smoke you friends in a session. A
really innovative ‘collectors’ effect that will make you think the same as Lorayne:
“I wish I’d thought of this!”

Hidden Gem #89: ‘Psychic Pickpocketing’ by Anthony Lindan, Apocalypse

September 1994 (2442) It’s hard to describe the effect any other way than the
title. Perfect for close-up and walkaround, this mentalism trick uses just a small
packet of business cards. You pick the pocket and mind of the participant and
leave proof.

Hidden Gem #90: ‘Houdini’s Hand by Lewis Jones, Apocalypse February 1997
(p2754) Lewis offers another killer here: imagine doing Bob Farmer’s Tsunami
but without any of the fishing expeditions or other worries. A very free and fair
handling allows you to name a thought of card and then produce/reveal the
other four cards to make it part of a royal flush – all from a shuffled deck.

Hidden Gem #91: ‘The Shoe-lace Key’ by El Duco, Out Of My Hands (p58) The
directness of this penetration combined with the immaculate handling means
that this trick will fool anyone. A shoe-lace and a key are examined, and your
hands are empty. A participant ties the lace around your hand and the key is
pushed through your fingers. Immediately the hand opens and the key is
threaded on the lace! All can be examined straight away. El Duco fooled a group
of us very badly with this. Twice!

Hidden Gem #92: ‘Propless Mentalism’ by Peter Turner, Master Class Vol. 12.
The poster boy for modern, prop-less mentalism proves once and for all in this
eBook that he is the real deal. I too was once a doubter, but witnessing this
material performed in person (much of it on me!) convinced me that Peter has
finally fulfilled his potential and developed practical, real-world material that
belongs in your arsenal.

Hidden Gem #93: ‘Duplex’ by Bill Goodwin, Evolution (p44) A simple, direct and
powerful piece of card magic from one of our most original thinkers and
talented technicians. Show this to your friends at your next session and watch
them crumble.

Hidden Gem #94: ‘Harry In Your Pocket’ by Darwin Ortiz, Card Shark (p113) A
classic piece of card magic that absolutely fries laymen. If this isn’t in your
working repertoire, remedy that situation immediately! You find a chosen card
after the deck is sealed in the card case with a signed stick and the case dropped
into the participant’s pocket. In less than two seconds! (If you end up loving this
plot as much as I do, I have a handling using a signed card in my unpublished
Giants Shoulders booklet.)

Hidden Gem #95: ‘Absence Travels’ by Gary Kurtz, Continuations And

Departures (p13) Another piece of Kurtz genius. Two pieces of paper are folded
into quarters by a participant and four holes are punched into each. You hold
one piece, the participant the other. The four holes vanish from your paper and
the participant opens his and finds all eight holes. Everything is immediately
examinable. No one is creating material at this level now, and it’s almost thirty
years later!

Hidden Gem #96: ‘Progressive Mating Season (VII)’ by Steve Beam, Teatime
With The Pasteboards (p2) A progressive transformation of the cards in one half
of the deck matching the cards in the other half. It starts off as a coincidence
and ends up as a stunning, full-deck climax. It’s a bit like Tamariz’s ‘Total
Coincidence’, but streamlined and more direct. I saw Steve perform this in a
lecture and it floored me. There is one particular moment in it that seems (to
magicians) absolutely impossible. Basically, a killer trick whoever you perform it
for.

Hidden Gem #97: ‘Wishing Shells’ by Allen Okawa, Richard’s Almanac Summer
1985 (p275) This is a beautiful, poetic effect using seashells to perform a kind of
‘Copper/Silver’ effect. It is engaging, elegant and totally fooling.

Hidden Gem #98: ‘Red Hot Poker – Royal Flush Guaranteed’ by Stephen Tucker
and Brian Glover, Red Hot Poker (p7) There are dozens of versions of Elmsley’s
‘Power Poker’ in print but the best one I have ever seen (and subsequently used)
is Brian Glover’s handling. No messing about, no hokey moves, just a very fair
and direct sequence. No one will ever play cards with you after seeing this.

Hidden Gem #99: ‘View To A ‘Skill’ by John Bannon, High Caliber (p69) This old-
school card trick (previously published in an ebook in 2009) is seriously good,
and one that has a permanent place in my ‘impromptu’ repertoire. It is John’s
take on Miraskill (first published by Stewart James in 1936!) and suffice it to say
that if you haven’t seen it, it would fool you. Laymen, of course, don’t stand a
chance. It’s not as popular a trick as it should be, because it requires dealing the
cards – something we erroneously think we should avoid in this era of flash and
flourish. Perform it once and you’ll use it forever.
Hidden Gem #100: ‘The Tommy Pad’ by Tom Bleasdale, The Tommy Pad. A very,
very clever imp pad that you can make yourself for pennies. You get an instant
impression of the full page, can use any pen and it resets in a heartbeat. Thom’s
eBook explaining how to make and use this was released in 2007, which sadly
feels like many lifetimes ago in terms of volume of mentalism releases…

Bonus! Hidden Gem #101: ‘Photo Finish’ by Dennis Laub and Gary Inglese, Con-
Quests (p39). So you want to have someone hide an object (traditionally your
pay cheque, but unlikely in 2017!) somewhere in the theatre and you find it
using ESP? What’s that, you don’t want to risk using contact mind-reading or
spend a thousand pounds on risky electronics? No worries! Laub & Inglese have
you covered with a 100% bullet-proof method. Works with any object (doesn’t
need to be magnetic or have something loaded onto/into it) and you are out of
the room accompanied by a member of the ‘committee’ the whole time the
object is hidden. This method is so good that Gordon Bruce could have invented
it!

Copyright © 2017 by Mark Elsdon.

All Rights Reserved.
Do not copy it, do not scan it, do not upload it. Thank you.
More Elsdon goodies are available at: http://elsdon.blogspot.co.uk/