Card Matrix

[cataquet]

A long standing thread has involved the coin matrix. However, there is something to be said for the Card Matrix. An old time favorite of mine is Goshman's Cards Thru Newspaper.

Does anyone out there perform a card matrix? Any favorite versions?

Bye for now

Harold

[Richard Kaufman]

Two very good versions are Derek Dingle's "Through and Through" from Dingle's Deceptions and Dai Vernon's "Electromagnetic Aces" which appears in Arcane.

[Jonathan Levey]

Michael Ammar has one in his book. I am not to sure if it is actually his routine though? I have only read it briefly, and unfortunatly have not seen it performed. =(
Jonathan

[Bill Duncan]

There's a nice business cards and envelopes routine in The Books Of Wonder that uses a spectators signature. It ends with the signed card inside one of the sealed envelopes that were used as covers.

[John Pezzullo]

Jose Carroll [Spain] published a version of this effect in his book "52 Lovers - Volume I".

[Guest]

I'll humbly mention: "Evening the Odds."
Said effect can be found in "Tricks of My Trade -The Magic of Doug Conn." (FASDIU press, Paul Cummins)

FYI: It uses small/mini 'playtime' cards & substitutes a Ross Bertram strategem in place of the tabled palms.

FYI #2: I use the effect as a segue between a normal Card / Coin matrix and a bare handed (Roth type) sequence.

Regards,
Doug Conn

[Guest]

Two more:
Vernon's Queen's Soiree.
Simon Aronson's Under Cover Four-Play from Bound to Please and originally in The Card Ideas of Simon Aronson.
Dennis Loomis
www.loomismagic.com

[Guest]

I believe Lennart Green has one called Xirtram ( matrix spelled backwards )

DJM

[luigimar]

Written by Dan Millstein:

I believe Lennart Green has one called Xirtram ( matrix spelled backwards )

Then it would be Xirtam (no 'r' after 't').

luigimar

[El Mystico]

Does anyone have a copy of Vernon's Electromagnetic Aces? I'd like to understand how it differs from Queen's Soiree. Arcane is hard to find....

Thanks!

[Philippe Billot]

See Card Matrix by Mike Ammar in Encore II published in 1981. His matrix is made with no covers (except his hands)

[Smurf]

There was a nice version of Cards Through Newspaper in Kaplan's The Fine Art of Magic.

[Jonathan Townsend]

There was Dingle's Restoration Assembly on page 187 in The Complete Works.

[Richard Kaufman]

"Electromagnetic Aces" is the standard Two Covers Four Items plot.

[Jonathan Townsend]

is there an earlier reference than Yang Ho for the routine? If so, where, who, and what?

[Philippe Billot]

See here: https://www.conjuringcredits.com/doku.p ... assembly&s[]=hoe

if you are speaking of YANK HOE, Jon.

[Philippe Billot]

According to Denis Behr's Conjuring Archive, first explanation in Die Zauberwelt, Vol. 10, no. 10, October 1904 as Ein Spaziergang der vier Asse

See here: https://www.conjuringarchive.com/list/category/989

Also see The Sequacious Spades by Dr. Jacob Daley in M-U-M, september 1953 which is a Card Assembly with only ONE cover

[Jonathan Townsend]

Thank you Philippe. I was expecting the anglicized name of a Chinese magician. Not surprised that using four cards and two covers was published shortly thereafter. <joke> But were they all from the same pack? Was Ed Marlo on vacation that month? </joke> You can almost sense the evolution of the trick as it's tempting to drop the clipped item onto the hank as you pull back the cover; essentially loading the item under the cover as with the cups and balls. Doing that would lead to secretly picking up the item with the cover - and the sleight we use today.

Puzzled by the title "The Mysterious Coin” as "The" and "Coin" indicate a singular item while the routine we know uses several, with the second cover item facilitating the one-ahead methodology.

[Philippe Billot]

Before Yank Hoe who did the trick with coins and cover, the assembly was made with corks and pocket-handkerchiefs.

The trick was explained in 1873 in What Shall We Do Tonight, page 53 and was named The Invisble Transfer.

But Stephen Minch told me that an older text described the trick.

I think he reproduced (or he is going to) it in Gibeciere.

[Marco Pusterla]

The "earlier trick" is described in the latest (Winter 2022) issue of Gibecière, and it is from an Italian book from 1666. The trick used corks and hats, quite a way away from the coins, cards and handkerchief (this is the great innovation) of Yank Hoe. The assembly of four objects moving on a horizontal plan to assemble under a cover is probably earlier than 1666; the great innovation of Hoe is methodological, turning the effect into a penetration of a coin through a handkerchief. Indeed, the reporter who witnessed the performance mentioned above uses the word "penetration", not "assembly".

[Philippe Billot]

Thank you, Marco.

[Jonathan Townsend]

Thanks Marco and Philippe,

At some point back when the coin loading deck was marketed - folks were doing routines involving four selections and four aces - with a coin routine in the middle. Something along the lines of four selections - not found - but the wrong cards turned to aces - coins found under the aces - after the assembly the cards turned face up to reveal the selections. In "Our Magic" terms this was Normal Art for the early 1980s.

The assembly plot using just card(s) has also been explored using four regular cards and two jumbo cards, and... taking a turn for the surreal, just one card! There are assembly routines which use the pips on a four, and also market items using four punched holes in a card which assemble into one corner.

[Philippe Billot]

Regarding the four punched holes in a card, Tom Gagnon seems to be the firt to describe a Hole Matrix in New Tops, December 1982. See page 38.