DeLand's Wonder Change

This is probably the smallest print I have ever seen on something that was designed to convey instructions! If you want half a chance at deciphering the secret behind the trick, feel free to click and enlarge the scan!

The scan on the left is how I found the card tucked into the package. After reading the instructions, I had to imagine seeing this performed, and I have to admit that I think it would have been obvious that the little center panel could slide back and forth. While the scan doesn't really convey it well, the flap that the panel slides through really protrudes from the card.

Yet, one of the interesting things about these tricks is that while I am seeing them sometimes in their most primitive states when they were first introduced to the public, they have evolved and are still used today.

I learned via the Genii Magazine message boards that this trick was designed and sold by DeLand around the turn of the century, and over the years it was engineered with heavier material and became "Giant Monte". You can watch a version of it here. Although it is not in English, you will still get the idea!

Here is a better look at the sliding insert:

Here is the back of the card- I always take note of different DeLand's card designs.

Another random card.

Here is a scan of both sides of the same card. Not only is it interesting as to what trick this accomplishes, I loved the DeLand ace artwork! Here and here are some other examples of antique DeLand's cards via Old West Antiques.

Three random cards.

These were just tossed into the box- I am not even sure if they are related, but each has something interesting about it, so I figured I would scan it to show you. I am going to file these three under "mystery items" and I will revisit them if I can find their instructions.

The first card only caught my eye because it has the little pinhole punched into it. The second has that exact pattern on both sides. The red & blue reminds me of retro 3-D printing, so maybe I will try to find some old glasses and see if anything jumps out at me. The 6 of diamonds has that interesting hole on the side, but does not have the same back-cover graphic as the 5 of clubs, so I do not think they are related.

Presto Rising Cards

Today I learned that a houlette is the name of that frame magicians will place their cards in to do rising card tricks. There are hundreds of them still on the market, but I was after the Thayer one mentioned in this ad. After some looking, I think I found an example of both this and the card box from yesterday!

Live Auctioneers has a Thayer lot, and in it contains, "Locking Card Box. Card Houlette. Thayer, Thayer Magic, ca. 1930. Locking Card Box: card appears or vanishes in box. Card Houlette: card rise."

Here is a photo from the site- I think we found our items!...and wow....those are expensive.

Card Secrets No. 9 Mental Telepathy

Another from the series I posted last month. This isn't as much illusion as it is "attempt to screw with someone's head for fun & profit." Of course you would have to get really great at flipping the cards swiftly or else they would probably catch on when you paused at the one they were supposed to remember!I love the part about making the target disgusted with themselves by flipping through the cards too quickly and then acting like they are the ones who are not normal because they didn't pick a card yet.

50-Cent Colection of DeLand's Famous Card Tricks

As much as I love the awesome artwork of some of the ads, I always enjoy it when I pull out an advertisement that just makes me laugh. I admire their thriftiness- instead or reprinting the flier or renaming the collection, they simply purchased a few red stamps and went to work!

Here is a close up, in case you don't want to click on the picture to enlarge it:
Anyhow, this revised ad is for the collection from DeLand- and I wasn't able to find an online source of this complete set, but I found this deck & guide, which looks to be similar (if only adjusted for inflation).

No. 58 The Mysto Spotter Card Trick

I am excited to show you this today- the complete trick packet was there and intact!

So, what we have are 6 cards. They all look like this on the back, with the strange little dog staring you down:If you hold the cards correctly when showing the deck to the audience, they look like this:
You would then shuffle the deck and place them down, and have someone roll a dice- you would promise them that no mater where the ace was, the dice would correctly predict it's position. You could lay the cards out flat, or hold them in your hand.

The trick is that all of the cards, with the exception of the ace, all really look like this:
If you hold the card correctly when you reveal, it will look like the dice found the ace every time!

Here are the full instructions:

A Race With Cards

I thought this was a fun little newspaper clipping. One of the hundreds of magic tricks someone took the time to cut and save- a lot of these are paper clipped together and tucked into envelopes. There are dozens of clippings of brain teasers and magic tricks from the newspaper in the cigar boxes.

I know my Grandfather loved to clip articles to share; he would often send me articles of interest in his letters to me. I wonder if he taught himself any of these tricks.

Stripper Tricks

Sorry, not those kind of strippers. I had never heard of a stripper deck, but I guess if you know card tricks, it is a pretty basic term. I found this video on youtube and in it, the guy explains a 'stripper deck' for us novices and shows a great stripper deck tutorial:

Card Tricks for the Ameteur Magician

Another booklet- this one was dated from 1921! This booklet was put out by the U.S. Playing Card Company. You might recognize them, because they are the same company that makes Bicycle and Bee playing cards! In fact the back page of the book has an advertisement for both Bicycle and Congress playing cards.


The other 14 pages in the book (that I scanned a sample of below) is a chronicle of dozens of instructions on card tricks. I already recognize "The Forced Choice" instructions from yesterday's post, and this booklet was 20 years old than Card Secrets No. 5!

A Complete Set!

More DeLand's goodness- this time I found an envelope I have pictured below.



Next to it is the actual "card locator", which reminds me a lot of star finders with it's rotating wheel.

Also with the envelope, but it would not actually fit in the envelope, was this post card with more description of the product:

The reverse side of the information card- I love the method for remembering the suits of cards!

Finally, there was another set of folded instructions:
A seller at Worthopedia says, "REMARKS : A Rare Warehouse Find!!! This Effect is Very Hard to Find in any condition, Let alone in this Mint Condition......." I don't think mine is "mint" but I do have all of the pieces, so that is a pretty good thing. It also says the card is from 1914. I have found more items dated in this range, but also from the 1930's and 1940's.

Trick No. 13 The Changing Card

I found a blank small white envelope that contained this awesome card, that was really a stair-step folded conjoined series of cards. The instructions give directions for a card reversal trick. The cool looking single card with many faces on it (which I have pictured next to the instructions) was also tucked in the envelope, but I don't think it has anything to do with this particular trick. I have it here because they were kept together, and I hope to find it's correct home.