Effect: The human being with supernatural abilities asks the folks, "Wanna see something strange?" They say they would like that very much. "Well, it's gonna cost ya five...no, TEN bucks. Plus tax. That would normally work out to over 11 dollars, but let's just keep it simple. To show you something you're going to remember for the rest of your lives I'm going to need 10 bucks and 10 cents. Whose got a 10 dollar bill and a dime?"

The spectators cough up the cash and -without ever touching the coin- Mr. Magic asks someone to place the dime on the ten dollar bill and crunch the bill into a tight ball. The magician hands someone a pen and asks them to get ready to write something down on whatever is handy (paper napkin, business card, etc.) With his eyes closed and head turned away, the magician holds the balled up bill in his hand and focuses his considerable psychic energy on the coin nestled in the bill. "I'm getting a sense that the coin is...silver, right?" The audience is nonastonished.

This is powerful little piece of mental magic. You will need 3 small slips of paper, a pen and 3 markers (a green, red and yellow.) With the pen, draw a simple traffic light on each of the three pieces of paper. Each of the drawings should feature three circles in a single column, inside a rectangle.
In one of the drawings, color in one of the lights at one end of the rectangle GREEN. In another drawing, color in one of the lights at the other end of the rectangle RED. And in the third drawing, color in the light in the middle of the rectangle YELLOW.

Many mentalists and magicians use a book test in their act. Here's one that you can easily do:

 

Effect:

Give someone a paperback book. As them to hold the book behind their back and open to a page. (Even they can't see their page selection.) Hand them a thin marker and tell them to draw an "X" on one of the pages.

I've searched everywhere! I can't find a tutorial or figuer out how it's done! Could someone please tell me how the magician "swallows" the blades and string and pulls the string out with the blades attached? I'm willing to trade if needed...

Once more we bring this old-timer forth but after you read this see if you can beat it for simpleness and effect.

A spectator opens a new pack of cigarettes and after examining them a cigarette is removed, marked and placed in the performer's mouth. A bill is borrowed and the spectator writes down a number and initials the bill before the performer even touches it. The bill is destroyed in a most open manner, the cigarette being lighted just before this event. The cigarette is now identified by its mark and, while still burning, is broken open and the bill is removed. When handed back, the owner is asked to identify the bill by marks and number.

I have here a really new principle for effects of this nature. It occurred to me in the latter part of 1927 while conversing with Max Holden on a principle of which he is the originator.

The first thought was to use the trick as herein described, with two blank cards of a calling card size, and as a possible publicity stunt to be used impromptu and at random when the opportunity was forthcoming. For a while I used it as a sort of "self introducer" where my own name would appear upon the blank and numbered cards. Then I discovered it much more effective to use the observer's name when possible, as it takes but a second to get it ready. I first introduced the effect to magicians at the 1928 Lima convention where I was continually "loaded" for as many as 16 names at one time. So upon meeting a performer I could work the effect apparently impromptu. So much for presentation possibilities.

In short, it is the only effect of its kind where with a pencil and two cards, four blank sides are shown and numbered, the spectator actually seeing four blank sides with a different number on each. Yet a name appears, filling one side of a card and everything may be kept and examined. There is neither anything else to add nor get away with.

Less of a magic trick and more of a theatrical production, Snow in the theatre is an "Inside" trick.

The lights go down and the performer stands in the center of the stage. It becomes windy on stage, while the lights have been turned off and replaced with a spotlight on the performer's hands. As the performer rubs their hands together, a snow like substance appears from the performer's hands. Then, magically, the theatre begins to be bombarded with snow blowing out from the stage and onto the audience, which begins to reach out and touch or catch the snow-like substance.

 

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TuQlvAY0YQ]

The following is a super little effect that you can do anytime, but it's particularly effective when done casually at the dinner table or restaurant or anywhere that tea or coffee is being served and teaspoons are available.

THE EFFECT:

You casually lift a teaspoon or while it's still in your hands after stirring your tea, - you glance at it with a quizzical look and waggle it a little, as if it's kind of flimsy and flexible.

You then casually bend the bowl of the spoon back and forth and look a little bemused. Now you do the impossible and twist the bowl of the spoon round and round, several times.

Effect:

A pencil and bill are borrowed. Nothing is added or taken away. The bill is folded in half. The pencil is put inside the bill. The bill is casually shown on both sides showing the pencil inside. He takes the bill in his left hand, and with his right hand, he grabs the pencil. He spread the bill into a V shape and uses the pencil as a magic saw. It slowly melts through the center of the bill. The bill is snapped open, to show no tears or slits. Everything is examined and given back to the spectator.


Method:

The Effect:

The magician approaches a passer-by and asks that they hold a pack of cards and to merely think of any card that is in the pack.

"Are you thinking of one ?" - "Not the Ace of Spades ! " - "Think of another ."

"OK - got one ? - Yes ? - OK, I want you to visualise your card turning around, can you do that ?"

"What's the name of your card ?"

The spectators announces his 'Thought card' - "The 5 of Diamonds".