Mark Leveridge Magic

A Wrinkle On - The Professional Magician's Signed Card To Wallet

LEWIS JONES

Lewis sent me a streamlined handling for the card load which others may find of interest. Instead of having money in the gimmicked side of the wallet, Lewis bought a pack of white stickers which come on sheets. This he puts into the ungimmicked side of the wallet, but sticking out so that they can be clearly seen when the wallet is opened.

In the effect a card is selected by a spectator. A second spectator is handed the wallet with the instruction to open it and remove the stickers. When the spectator opens the wallet, he will see the stickers protruding and slip them out. This allows a spectator to actually handle the wallet, which is a subtle way of implying that the wallet is not a special one.

The spectator returns the wallet to you and hands the first spectator the sheets of stickers so that he can initial one and stick it to the face of the chosen card. Have the card returned to the deck, and then control it to the top during a shuffle. Pick up the wallet and flip it open over the deck as per the original instructions, placing the deck down and leaving the selected card under the wallet.

Take back the stickers and place them temporarily on top of the gimmicked side of the wallet under your left thumb in order to free up your right hand to also retake the pen which you put away. Slide the stickers off taking the selected card with it and put the stickers away in the gimmicked side of the wallet thus loading the card. Shut the wallet and you are all set.

IAN THOMSON

Ian offers an embellishment which may find favour with many who enjoy the idea of extending the signed card to wallet. He suggests using the Mercury Fold to fold the signed card secretly into 6ths prior to secretly loading it as per usual into the wallet. I asked Ian whether the fact that the card was folded in any way hindered the loading and he said it didn't. 

PAUL TROTT

Now, here's an interesting idea. Paul wanted his wallet to look more natural and less like a prop, so he has gone to the trouble of cutting the edges off one or two things you might find in a wallet (credit cards, that type of thing) and sticking these thin pieces to the strip of leather which is apparently the exposed right hand edge of the second pocket down (the one between the top one where the money used in the trick is kept and the bottom zippered pocket). If done correctly, this makes it look as if there are some things inserted in the second pocket down, thus aiding the illusion that anything placed in the top pocket would have its path down to the bottom zippered pocket blocked by the 'contents' of the second pocket. It's a subtle addition and you may think it is unnecessary, but sometimes it can be the little extra things like this which help to fool an above average observant spectator!