I am 33 and have a massive library of books and magazines.
However - no matter how well read you are - there is a large chunk of magic that passes you by.
Marketed tricks.
I find this a really difficult area to study. And since I love great magic - nothing saddens me more than the idea I would overlook a trick I might fall in love with.
As such - I want to start a thread where we can point out interested marketed effects that others may have overlooked. Happily - we can leave out Tenyo tricks since Richard Kaufman has documented this area so well in his new book.
Here are some marketed tricks from the past that have caught my eye.
First is the Eddie Joseph trick (called 'Shattering Coins') I started a thread on recently:
http://forums.geniimagazine.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=47810
Also - I am a fan of 'Bewildering Rings' and 'The Straw Through The Card' by Petrick and Mia.
Here is what Dai Vernon said about 'Bewildering Rings':
"Petrick's bracelets and string effect is truly amazing, most entertaining and delightfully visual. Hard to believe everything can be examined before and after. Nothing added or taken away. One of the very finest routines I have come across in years."
As for the 'Straw Through The Card' trick - I find it interesting that it is a reinvention of an ingenious Karl German idea. But applied to a close-up effect.
'Ring of Fire' by Bob Swadling is another trick that interests me. You can see it (briefly) at the beginning of this trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe85Z7i8J7I
Another is 'Impossible Penetration'. Although I am not sure who to credit for this trick?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW1S6ouJY70
Hopefully others will find this topic of interest? A lot of the best ideas in magic were released as standalone effects and not put into print.
As such - you are often left to word of mouth when it comes to working out which tricks from the past are worth saving from obscurity. The input from more experienced magicians is invaluable in this area.