Magic Advent Calendar

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A “Brick” of Bicycle Cards.

Many magicians start their careers performing card tricks, so some good quality playing cards are always a great gift for the aspiring magician.

Bicycle Cards are great for most magicians, as the back design is easily recognised by the public, they are relatively cheap, and many effects that require “something extra” are designed with Bicycle Cards in mind!

You can purchase Bicycle Cards from your favourite magic shop, and often Costco have “bricks” of cards in stock at their stores and online.

(A “brick” is a box of 12 packs of cards, usually consisting of 6 red back designs and 6 blue back designs)

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The Royal Road to Card Magic

Possibly the most iconic and popular guide to card tricks – The Royal Road to Card Magic by by Jean Hugard and Frederick Braue was first published in 1949 – and is still as relevant today as it was 70 years ago.

Originally simply a printed book, you can now find updated, revised, and annotated editions, as well as one or two DVD sets of the same name teaching some of the moves, sleights, and tricks, for sale.

Most magic shops (and Amazon) will have the original book in stock, and that is likely to be the same edition many professional magicians started learning card tricks. But one of the latest volumes to be released is Mark Lewis’ Annotated Royal Road to Card Magic – the complete volume, along with Mark’s excellent supporting notes, ideas and variations. It is a little more pricey than the standard copy, but it will definitely take your card magic to a new level!

If you want to buy a gift for an aspiring magician, The Royal Road to Card Magic is an essential read!

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A Close Up Mat

A good quality “Close Up Mat” is something many magicians will appreciate. To the layperson (a non-magician) it might seem like a reasonable investment for something that “doesn’t do much” but it really can be an advantage to a conjuror. They come in many shapes, sizes and colours… and vary in price dramatically depending on the construction. Some are mounted on elegant wooden frames, some have drawers built in underneath, whilst the more affordable ones are simply foam backed, and will roll up when not being used.

The soft spongey surface can help the magician perform certain effects such as coin and card tricks, but also helps define the performance area on a table top, and provide a professional “backdrop” and contrasting colour.

There are many conflicting views about close up mats – many working magicians who are “Table Hopping” (performing short, close up sets at restaurant tables) say that a mat isn’t needed, and can create space issues at a table crowded with plates, glasses, cutlery etc – and this is a valid point – but we suggest that it is one of the essential tools in a new magician’s arsenal.

So which close up mat should you buy for a magician?

We suggest a simple, budget, foam backed, neoprene mat, that is approximately A4 (30com x 24 cm) or slightly larger. Green is a good colour for card magicians, as it will provide a great contrast to red or blue back playing cards. For those wanting to concentrate on coin magic, a black mat would provide a great performance space, and a deep red is often the choice of those who perform Cups & Balls effects.

It is the personal opinion of the author that close up mats should be a plain surface without pattern or printed logos / embellishments, as this can create an unwanted distraction.

Your local magic shop should have a selection of mats in stock and will be able to advise you.

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Magicians’ Rope

So far we have concentrated on the smaller, close up, card tricks and accessories, so let’s talk about items for those who want to perform larger tricks on stage, or in a cabaret setting.

There are plenty of great, visual effects that can be performed using a “hank” of Magicians’ Rope. The classic trick of the Cut and Restored Rope is probably the most well known trick, but there are whole books written about rope magic, and some very famous magicians love to perform rope magic – for good reason. It is relatively cheap, very visual and it packs down into a small space.

Magicians’ rope is specially manufactured to be soft, pliable, bright and comes in a range of colours (although you probably want to start with a length of bright white rope).

If you are considering buying rope for a magician, don’t just buy any rope – it really is important that you buy proper magicians’ rope from a magic dealer. It does make a difference.

You might want to also buy a good pair of scissors for cutting the rope, and a book or DVD on rope magic. Abbotts’ Encyclopaedia of Rope Tricks and Richard Sanders’ Fiber Optics DVD are both classic volumes. Again, your local friendly magic dealer will be able to give you more advice on rope, scissors, books, DVDs and anything “extra” you might need.

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Performance DVDs

What better way to be inspired than to watch some of the masters of the art of magic perform?

Over the years there have been numerous shows and performances released on DVD by magical legends such as Paul Daniels, Tommy Cooper, Derren Brown, Dynamo & David Blaine. Each have their own unique performance style, favourite routines and even preferred performance spaces from theatres and TV Studios to the bustling city streets. On sale to the general public, a magician won’t learn the methods of how to perform tricks, but they will learn a lot about how to perform magic.

With some prior knowledge of magical methods, studying recordings of the heroes of conjuring can reveal tips on timing, misdirection, audience management and much more.

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Storage

Many magicians will, over the years, accumulate a lot of books, DVDs, props etc. and we need somewhere it store it!

Whilst it might not seem very magical, a bookcase, or chest of drawers, is a great gift for a magician. Somewhere to store tricks, display items and books, etc.

And on the subject of storage, a good quality case to carry props to shows is always a great gift for a magician (and can even double up as storage for props when at home). There are various specialist cases available through magic dealers, however a metal “flight case” style toolbox / large briefcase with dividers or foam inserts will often be perfect.

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Sharpies & Stationary

If you have little or no knowledge of magic, you might be asking why we are suggesting Sharpie Markers! They are something many close up magicians and mentalists will carry about with them – great for having playing cards signed (yes, we really do deface playing cards!) and for writing down predictions.

It isn’t the most exciting of gifts to a lay person, but it is the magical equivalent of socks and underwear!

On the subject of stationary, some magicians will be able to make use of blank business cards, a good craft knife and cutting mat, envelopes, A3 card, rubber cement, etc. so a gift card for your local stationary supply store is always appreciated.

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Clothing

Every magician needs to “look the part” – and what better way to do that, than with some “magical” clothes!

There is a huge range of T-Shirts with magical slogans and old posters etc available – even some with built in magic tricks.

Or for something very unusual, how about a pair of magical socks with playing cards printed on them?

One of our own members has even created face masks and other items especially for magicians!

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Sponge Balls

A good sponge ball routine is one of the “classics” of magic – the little red balls appear, disappear, multiply, jump from one hand to another, and much more. Great for the close-up magician, but as Wayne Dobson proved on The Royal Variety Performance, it can also be performed on stage!

The industry standard is manufactured by “Goshman” and whilst the usual colour is red, they now come in a large variety of colours. We would suggest 1 1/2″ balls to start off with… and don’t forget to ask the magic dealer about books and DVDs to explain the moves!

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Tarbell Course in Magic

The Tarbell Course in Magic is a set of eight books with hundreds of tricks, techniques etc within. The books can be purchased separately or as a full set, and although they may appear to be expensive (about £30 per book) the information within is invaluable.

These books are a classic reference set, and a worthwhile investment for anyone that is serious about the art of magic.

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Membership to a Magic Society

We might be biased here, but one of the greatest gifts a new magician could receive is a year’s membership to their local magic society or club!

We should point out that this probably isn’t suitable for someone who has only spent a day learning a couple of card tricks – magic societies tend to take membership seriously – after all they are for magicians to discuss the secrets of their profession! However, foor the serious student of magic, there is a lot to be gained from attending meetings – a chance to meet other magicians, learn new ideas and techniques, buy new tricks, borrow books from the magic library, and get support and encouragement.

The Order of The Magi meets twice a month in Manchester, with a varied program of events including lectures from visiting magicians, social evenings, competitions and more. If you would like to join, please contact us for more details.

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A Magic Wand

Every great magician has a magic wand – so why should your magician be without?

Magic wands are, believe it or not, a useful piece of equipment in the magician’s toolkit – and whilst they don’t (usually) save lives like Harry Potter’s Holly & Phoenix wand, they do help with the magic!

As with a lot of magical equipment and props, there is a wide range of wands available.

A traditional magician’s wand is uniform in width, with a black centre and white ends. Those of you who are crafty could make one by painting a 12″ piece of wooden dowel. At the other end of the price range are hand turned wooden wands with weighted and balanced metal (often brass) ends, and there are even some made using wood that once belonged to famous magicians such as Paul Daniels and Harry Houdini.

We think that a magic wand is the perfect Christmas or Birthday present for a magician!

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A Mirror

Window 13 might be unlucky for some – and this one is, if it gets broken! In fact, a mirror isn’t really a very good window, is it?

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Time & Patience

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A Magic Set

There are countless magic sets for sale to the public – it might have been such a set that first got your magician into magic in the first place… But that doesn’t mean that they should be passed over as a present!

A good magic set can be a relatively affordable way of purchasing several tricks to discover exactly what type of tricks they want to concentrate on. Nowadays they often come with a DVD or online instructions, and can include card tricks, effects with coins, and the more luxurious ones might even have a metal set of cups and balls.

At The Order of The Magi, we spent an evening looking at various magic sets. It was great fun, and our members all agreed that it was fantastic to see what was included.

Probably the largest producers of magic sets in the World is Marvin’s Magic (run by Marvin Berglas, son of David Berglas). They have pink sets designed especially for girls (and we believe there should be far more female magicians in the world), wooden sets to reduce plastic manufacturing, sets just with playing card tricks, and even a set dedicated to the Rubik Cube.

Magic dealers will often have some of the more special sets in stock, and most large toys stores will also carry a range.

Don’t dismiss them because they are available to the public and marketed towards children. There are some amazing sets available, and a professional magician can fool someone who owns the same set with some of the magic props within the box!