THE CARD IN THE RINGBIOX HE “Card in the Ringbox” was the brilliant creation and a favorite trick of Fred Kaps. While Mr. Kaps's original method was quite convincing and its effect astonishing, I believe I have added a few touches that bring the illusion closer to the ideal. I know with utter certainty that the trick is strong—so strong that I close ninety percent of my close-up sets with it. For those who may not be familiar with the Kaps trick, the effect is concisely told by its title, A card is frecly chosen, signed by the person who selected it and lost back in the deck. Then a small ringbox, which has been sitting in full view the entire time, is opened. Inside is a folded card. When this card is removed and unfolded, it is seen to be the spectator's signed selection! The performer's handling of the cards and box is so open and straightfor- ward, no explanation for the magical appearance of the card in the box seems possible. Brest A major part of the secret resides in the little wooden ringbox used. While the box itself is not gimmicked in the usual sense of that word, it is nevertheless very carefully designed for its intended job. Because of the precise requirements for the construction of this box, it is extremely unlikely that one will be found ready-made that fits the prerequisites. Please don't make the error of thinking you can adapt a box that is “close”. The details of construction make a big difference in how the box works in performance. Therefore, you will have to construct the box to order, as ] did, or have it constructed for you. Because of this, I will provide exact measurements, (My American readers must forgive me here for using the metric system. The box was constructed using precise metric measurements, and the equivalents in inches are too awkward to be useful. Example: 30 mm. = 1.18") T have made the box as small as possible, as the smaller it is, the less room there seems to be for trickery; thus the better the effect will be. To keep the size of the box to a mini- mum, it is constructed from veneer. This allows the walls to be quite thin while it maximizes the available space inside the box. Although one might think walls of thin veneer would result in a very fragile box, such is not the case. The box I made in 1979 has been in con- stant use for more than sixteen years, and it still works perfectly and looks as goad as new. The box is forty-five mm. in both length and width, and thirty mm, high. The base of the box represents sixteen mum, of this height, the lid fourteen mm. The lid is beveled to”per in, starting six mm. above the lip and narrowing to a top that measures thirty mm. square (Figure 1). ‘The base of the box has an inner lip, three mm. high. This lip assures that when the lid is closed it fits squarely and surely on the base (Figure 2). This fit is close, but not snug, Iris imperative that the lid be able to swing open and closed without the least binding. The lid of the box also has a small round knob, which is glued to its front and projects abit beyond the edge of the lid. This can be fashioned from an earring ornament. The knob is not simply decorative, but performs an important function, which I will explain shortly. The lid is attached to the base with a silk hinge at the back. The strip of silk is not merely glued insicle the box; it is glued between the layers of veneer from which the box is constructed. I have used fairly heavy silk for this, as it stands up well to a lot of use, yer is very pliant. A silk hinge also assures that, once again, the lid can swing freely open and shut without the slightest impedance. The inside surfaces of both lid and base are lined with 3 brown, self-adhesive felt, A pad of this brown felt is then fit- ted inside the base. This pad is made from two squares of felt with their sticky surfaces put together. Before you join the wo felt squares, slip a small loop of thin, transparent, nylon thread around one of the squares, then trap it in place between the two sticky surfaces (Figure 3). Place this completed pad, thread-side up, inco the base of the box. The pad must fit snugly; so that it will not drop ous; yer, by gripping the thread, the pad can be pulled from the base if necessary. The final bit of preparation is to fold a playing card—one with a back design match- ing the deck you will use in performance—into ecighths (twice widthwise and once lengthwise) with the back outward. Slip one end of the folded card under the thread loop,taper in, starting six mm. above the lip and narrowing to a top that measures thirty mm. square (Figure 1). ‘The base of the box hasan inner lip, three mm. high. This lip assures that when the lid is closed it fits squarely and surely on the base (Figure 2), This fit is close, but not smug. Iris imperative that the lid be able to swing open and closed without the least binding. 1 The lid of the box also has a smal! round knob, which is glued to its front and projects abit beyond the edge of the lid. This can be fashioned from an earring ornament. The knob is not simply decorative, but performs an important function, which I will explain shortly. The lic is attached vo the base with a silk hinge at the back, ‘The strip of silk is not merely glued inside the box; it is glued between the layers of veneer from which the box is constructed. I have used fairly heavy silk for this, as it stands up well ro a lot of use, yet is very pliant. A silk hinge also assures that, once again, the lid can swing freely open and shut without the slightest impedance. The inside surfaces of both lid and base are lined with 3 brown, self-adhesive felt, A pad of this brown feltis then fit ted inside the base. This pad is made from two squares of felt with their sticky surfaces pur together. Before you join the wo feltsquares, slip asmall loop of thin, transparent, nylon thread around one of the squares, then trap it in place between the two sticky surfaces (Figure 3). Place this completed pad, thread-side up, into the base of the box. The pad must fit snugly, so that it will not drop our, yer, by gripping the thread, the pad can be pulled from the base if necessary. The final bit of preparation is to fold a playing card—one with a back design match- ing the deck you will use in performance—into cighths (twice widthwise and once lengthwise) wich the back outward. Slip one end of the folded card under the thread loop,table (Figure 5). While your right hand tables the deck, extend your left forefinger and use its tip to catch the left edge of the box lid. Then pull the lid open and back, exposing the folded card inside (Figure 6). Shake the box a bit, displaying the seemingly loose card inside. This action assures that everyone focuses theit attention on the box and ignores your right hand as it tables the deck. Now move your right hand forward and toward your left hand (Figure 7, palmed card exposed for clarity). As the hands converge, simultaneously turn the left hand palm down, tipping the box over, justas you would if you were spilling its contents into the cupped right fingers (Figure 8). Thanks to the free movement of the silk hinge, the lid of the box will automatically swing down. Ac the same time, turn your right hand palm up to meet the box, while opening your fingers. The result is that, as the lid swings shut, it closes over the finger-palmed card, catching it like a little mouth (Figure 9). Immediately raise the left hand with the box and card as you lower the right hand. ‘When done correctly, there is no impression of your bringing your hands together. Rather, the left hand moves upward to tip the card from the box, and the right hand swings for- ward and under the box to catch the card. As the hands move smoothly into position, theycome together for an instant, as if by accident; but this fleeting contact goes unnoticed, obscured by the flow of the larger motions. The folded selection now hangs caught between the partially closed lid and the base of the box (Figure 10). This is the crucial job that the box has been constructed to perform. The little knob and the tapered shape of the lid are carefully designed to assure that the card is caught and held. (A flat-topped lid cannot be depended on to trap the card.) Asyou hold the box roughly six inches above your open righthand, give ita litde shake, causing the folded selection to fall out (Figure 11). The illusion created is absolutely con- vincing, First the spectators clearly see a folded card inside the box; then they see it fall cleanly”come together for an instant, as if by accident; but this fleeting contact goes unnoticed, obscured by the flow of the larger motions. The folded selection now hangs caught between the partially closed lid and the base of the box (Figure 10). This is the crucial job that the box has been constructed to perform. The little knob and the tapered shape of the lid are carefully designed to assure that the card is caught and held. (A flat-topped lid cannot be depended on to trap the card.) Asyou hold the box roughly six inches above your open righthand, give ita litde shake, causing the folded selection to fall out (Figure 11). The illusion created is absolutely con- vincing, First the spectators clearly see a folded card inside the box; then they see it fall cleanly”out of the box and into your open hand. Everything is so direct and natural in appearance, there can be no suspicion of loading the box or of switching cards. Just as the card falls from the box, the lid swings completely shut, so that no glimpse of the dummy card inside can be had. This is another litcle improvement over the original method, which used a box with a lift-off lid. After you had apparently tipped the card out of the box you had to replace the lid somehow without exposing the dummy card inside in box, and to make this maneuver look natural was a bit of a challenge. With the box design used in my method, the problem is eliminated. All that remains is the concluding revelation of the card and the clean-up. The folded. selection lies in your right hand, The closed box is in your left. Smoothly maneuver the box behind your cupped left fingers and hold ir there as you open the card and display it. In essence, you are finger palming the box, but with no intention of secrecy (Figure 12, an audience view). The operative idea here is “out of sight, out of mind”, You direct everyone’s attention to the card as you unfold it, back outward, then dramatically turn it to exhibit the signed face. The box, at this point, is no longer in the limelight. It is behind the con- cealing curtain of your fingers, a piece of incidental history. Your motive for turning all attention to the card and away from the box is simple: If the box remains in sight, after the initial surprise of the effect, people may think to examine it, which is of course undesirable. So the box is obscured behind your left fingers as you unfold the card and display it. Then your right hand sails the face-up card out onto the table as your left hand quietly retreats to your jacket pocket to put the box safely away. Doing these two actions simultaneously aids in obscuring the disposal of the box. If someone asks to see the box, I shrug off the request in a pleasane manner. In the many times I've performed this trick, only three or four instances have arisen in which the person became tov insistent to ignore. In thase cases, I put my hand in my pocket, opened the box and, with my fingers, pried the felt pad and dummy card out of the base. I then brought out the empty box and let it be examined. There was, of course, no longer any- thing damaging to be found. Although I do everything I can to avoid such situations, if they occur they can be dealt with in this fashion.