Favourite Card Wallet.

[Guest]

Which wallet do you use for producing cards from. With all the choices, Kaps, Mullica etc. Which one do you use and why?

At the moment I am using a customised wallet which works quite well as you dont need to palm for it.

But after all the effort learning to palm effectively over the years it seems I may need a rethink!

As a student I have finally decided to take out the second loan and I am going to need a wallet to put my lack of money (and cards) into ;)

[Guest]

I've heard great things about Steve Draun's "Real Man's Wallet", and have seen one -- may get it myself, as the one I wanted that is very similar is apparently no longer made (I just wasn't entirely keen on the leather of the RMW, it's nice, but I prefer a more textured leather).

For a while, I used my good friend Polaris's wallet, which is a credit card wallet that can be loaded (via a B/K style loader) either left-handed or right-handed. I only stopped because it was a credit card wallet and I was trying to avoid using credit cards much more (they get me into trouble, lol!) so I moved back to a billfold.

I like either of these because they're clean (I was never comfortable with the contact you need to make to load a Mullica), and they are normal sized wallets you'd expect to see in everyday casual use, but that also fit in a dressier atmosphere, unlike standard sized Balducci/Kaps or Mullica wallets.

--Andy

(For full disclosure, I do sell Polaris's wallet on my website -- I don't feel biased because of that though, as the only reason I sell it is because I used it and love it and wanted to get it out to a wider audience. I was a user first, seller second.)

[Robert Kane]

I am particulary fond of my Randy Wakeman Expert Card-to-Wallet and my Mullica Wallet. Both are very practical and relatively easy to use. Both reset automatically which is nice for restaurant work. Also, I love Terry La Gerould's Celebrity Autographs which is really clever and powerful no-palm card to wallet.

I recently purchased Steve Draun's "Real Man's" hip pocket-style Card-to-Wallet and I have found the wallet itself and the routine to be difficult to manage. It requires a gamblers cop to the front trouser pocket and then a second to the wallet located in the rear trouser pocket. That's a bit much for me right now. Also, the suggested "guide" to ease the selected card in to the wallet is a business card. It works as a guide, but requires a delicate touch that I just don't have yet. Maybe some day. I am sure in Draun's hands it is a thing of rare beauty.

[Guest]

My preference is the wallet made by Jerry O'Connell of the U.K. Card to Envelope, Card to Wallet, and a no palm option all included in the same unit. The construction is rather unique, but it's a good looking wallet, when you get it all dressed up! The selection ends up in an envelope or not based on the wallet's orientation in your jacket pocket. I've never used the no-palm feature, but it's nice to know it's there, should the need arise.

DV :cool:

[Bill Duncan]

Andy Leviss wrote:
... I was never comfortable with the contact you need to make to load a Mullica...

Just for the record... I've used a "no touch" handling of the Mullica Wallet on and off for years. Simply steal the card in left hand gamblers cop, show your right hand empty, remove the wallet from your jacket pocket and proceed.
The Mullica Wallet allows you to palm when you can but doesn't require it when conditions are less than optimal.

[ August 19, 2001: Message edited by: Bill Duncan ]

[walkinoats]

I use J. C. Hiatt's triple zipper Card in Billfold.
It is the one I use when I am not wearing a jacket.

[Guest]

I just saw the Real Man's Wallet yesterday. I think it's an exact copy of the Bob Downey Wallet which Magic, Inc sells, or used to sell. Can anyone confirm?

[Guest]

I really like my "Mirage Wallet" by Mark Mason. Simple and the need for palming is limited. Price is half of a Kaps or Mullica wallet. I felt it was WELL worth the price.
Just my two cents worth !

Cheers'

[Guest]

Dennis Loomis:

Good catch on the Downey resemblance. I quote from the copywrite page from the Real Man's Wallet instructions:

The Real Man's wallet is based on a wallet by Bob Downey. That wallet was originally markets in the '60s by Magic Inc. based in Chicago. We would like to thank Jay Marshall at this point, for extending his kind permission in the production of this wallet.

--Randy Campbell

[Guest]

Thanks, Randy. I'm glad to know that permission was granted.

By the way, Downey generally worked close up while seated. He would have the wallet in his lap. A card was selected and signed and returned to the deck. He controlled it to the bottom and had a lapping move of the bottom card under cover of a gesture. He then passed out the deck to someone for shuffling. In his lap, he quickly loaded the wallet. His left hand came up out of his lap and grabbed the edge of the left side of his coat. His right hand came up under the coat, bringing the wallet and apparently removing it from his inside coat pocket. It was quite deceptive, and a clever way to get the wallet loaded.

[Guest]

I just this week got Joe Zabel's "The Greatest Card-in-Wallet Ever Sold", made by Barry Taylor of Barry's Magic shop in Maryland, and I'm quite fond of it (I'd seen it years ago when another performer showed it to me and loved it, but never got around to getting my own). Barry doesn't regularly make them anymore, but he said he had a few of the necessary wallets that he could add the finishing touches to he had found. If you're interested, you might want to see if he still has any left.

It's a billfold, similar to the "Real Man's", but the card loads into a zippered compartment behind the bill section, not under a clear window (I hate the clear window for various reasons, including that I at times use it for loading predictions, and that would seem hokey with a window). It also has the strongest, beefiest (yet slim) guide I've ever seen on a wallet. Quality stuff all around, and a very reasonable price.

--Andy

P.S.-This is the one I referred to in my earlier post that I said was apparently no longer being made. I don't think Barry has many (in July, IIRC, he said he had three or four, and I just bought one of those), so get 'em while they last :o)

[Guest]

Check some of the "middle of the mall" cart/stores. I bought what amounted to a Mullica Wallet there for $15, real leather. All I had to do was cut the slot and, voila!
I've also used the Himber wallet for some time. I'm working on a routine that was influenced by Just Alan's "Love, Aunt Doris", which happened to have been published by our illustrious leader some time back.

Rick

[Bob Farmer]

In discussions of wallets, the one invented by Ross Bertram is usually overlooked. It is a brilliant idea and is described in one of his books. You can easily make one yourself. The card can be produced face up or face down from the wallet with no change in procedure. There is no slide and nothing to reset.

I have one made by Bertram. when I first got it, I asked my wife to examine it to see if she discover anything odd about it. She couldn't -- that's because the method is 99% psychological and 1% mechanical.

[Guest]

Bob, do you mean Doc Daley's wallet described in one of Ross Bertram's books?

[Bob Farmer]

No, that's in his first book -- I'm referring to "Bertram's Card In Wallet" at pages 191-192 of BERTRAM ON SLEIGHT OF HAND. This book is still widely available.

[Doug Brewer]

I currently use the Draun "real man's wallet" for my strolling work. However, like Mr. Kane mentioned, the guide is a little "touchy" and will sometimes slide back into the wallet just by my walking movements prior to approaching a table. This means I have to "set" or at least check the wallet before I use it (not something I want to do). So I substituted a Joker card for the flimsy plastic guide that comes with the wallet. This allows a little more friction at the top of the wallet and is fine for a guide.

I like the Draun wallet primarily because of the window. If I have them sign an an odd back card (for example, a red back card with the words "happy birthday" written across it, in conjunction with a blue backed deck) when the wallet is opened the odd-backed birthday card is seen plain-as-day prior to its removal from the wallet. This gives a little premonition of what's about to occur, adds suspense, and is a real stunner when shown to be their signed card. (Obviously they don't know they've signed an odd backed card through a double lift and some subtle handling). The Camirand Academy Kaps/Mullica/LePaul wallet is also a really good all-around wallet and not too badly priced. I'm anticipating getting one of these in the near future for the card-to-envelope feature.

[JR Russell]

I love my BKM but 99% of the time I'm not wearing a jacket, so I would also like to know which hip wallet folks think is the best. I have not seen the Real Man wallet but I did see a Ton Onasaka wallet when I was in Tokyo...I did't buy then because I wanted to shop around...any advice would be nice.

[Herman Koster]

Ton's wallet is great, but the way it's sold, you have to wear a jacket to load the card. I havent played with the idea yet to use it as a hip wallet.
The best feature is that the window in the wallet can be shown empty, even though the card is already loaded. So after a while the card just appears behind the window.

The real man's wallet is perfect, because it looks like a regular wallet that you carry with you all the time.
I use the Mullica wallet in performances, because I like the idea of the wallet being out in the open, even before a card has been selected. I normally have someone sit on it and if they're magicians NO BOTTOMDEALING ;)

[Bob Farmer]

I had a trick in Genii some years ago ("Brain To Wallet") that used any wallet -- I think it was in the Stewart James issue (but I can't find my copy). The effect was that a card is merely thought of and it appears in the wallet. This was entirely impromptu and no palming was required.