All Magicians
Do It
by Mike Rogers
Will
magic stand for another signed card to impossible
location? If so, read on. About forty years
ago the late Ace Gorham introduced me to
the Lippincott Coin Box. Ace was among the
pioneers of magic on TV and he used the
box frequently in different ways. For those
unfamiliar, it is a small wooden chest about
half the size of a pack of cigarettes, and
locked with a small padlock. It is a nifty
looking little prop, and when in the locked
condition there is no way an item can be
placed in , or removed from, the box. The
construction is such that when locked it
will withstand intense examination and handling.
Yet through it all it is gaffed in such
a way that a marked coin, bill, or ring
can be found inside the locked box.
So
much for the commercial message. The fact
is, it is simply another device allowing
for a marked object to be discovered in
an impossible location. Yet being made in
wood, if it has been well constructed, it
lends itself to exotic old world patter
lines. It is small enough to fit comfortably
in a jacket pocket and it can be loaded
instantly without fumbling. Once loaded
the thing is foolproof.
It
is a dealer item and can be obtained from
Stevens Magic Emporium. It's one of those
things that comes and goes in cycles, so
if you are interested I'd suggest you act
without much delay.
Back
in the 60s I published a handling for the
Lippincott Coin Box in my MUM column. Later
I published an improved version in The Complete
Mike Rogers, page 148. The original Bobo
coin book makes no mention of the prop,
yet the revised Magic Inc. version of the
same book has three routines on pages 349,
429, and 430. What follows is an unpublished
routine from my notebook dated 1974. There
is nothing really new or different here
as it is just my handling of a signed card
to the Lippincott Coin Box. I have been
told that the late Rick Johnsson had a similar
thing using a bill tube.
Effect:
A miniature card is signed and torn in half.
One half is made to vanish and reappear
in the locked box. (The cards used are either
the Miniature Bicycle Cards or the brand
called Playtime Cards. These cards are about
half the size of a normal deck and commonly
used in magic for a shrinking card routine.)
The
business: If seated have a Lippincott
Coin Box in your lap, locked and set to
receive the item. If standing have the box
in your right jacket pocket. Also tear any
miniature "x" card in half. Throw away one
half and retain the other. Fold this torn
piece in half and crimp the corner allowing
you to immediately identify it later. Place
this "x" half any place where you can secretly
retrieve it in your left hand.
Introduce
the small deck of cards. Have a card selected
and allow spectator to sign it clear across
the card. In other words you want the name
to run across the center of the card so
the signature will appear on each half when
the card is later torn.
Take
card and fold it in half long ways, then
tear it in half from side to side. In other
words, each folded half card will contain
part of the signature.
Secretly
obtain the "x" half card in left hand. Openly
display the two torn halves in right hand
and toss them to left hand, actually retaining
one section hidden in right hand. Toss the
two torn halves to the table. Everything
looks copasetic; however, because of the
crimp in the "x" piece you know which is
which.
Remove
box from lap/pocket loading torn card as
you do. Hand box to a spectator allowing
him to do with as he wishes. Don't instruct
him to examine it too much because so far
no trick has been done. Just make sure he
knows he's holding a locked wooden box.
(Incidentally, if he chooses he can go over
the thing with a magnifying glass and he'll
find nothing wrong.)
Using
Magician's Choice force the actual signed
half on the spectator. You retain the dummy
half. Using magician's skills vanish your
section.
It's
a done deal. Hand the padlock key to the
guy with the box and allow him to open it,
removing card, and matching it with the
other half.
Obviously
this doesn't need to be done using a miniature
(half size) deck of cards. However, because
of the size and construction of the box
it lends itself to the small deck. The late
Walt Rollins had many ideas for the miniature
cards and he would have enjoyed this routine.
