Buddha Papers resources

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katterfelt0
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Buddha Papers resources

Postby katterfelt0 » March 22nd, 2023, 12:19 pm

Hello All,

I'm doing research on the Buddha Papers for a project I'm working on. I have The Magic of the Mystery papers by David Tower, and I also have some threads from The Magic Cafe and some routines from old Linking Ring magazines. In addition, I have access to the Bill Abbott "Boyd Mystery" trick.

Any additional resources will be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Jim
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Joe Lyons
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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby Joe Lyons » March 22nd, 2023, 12:39 pm

It's in The Discoverie of Witchcraft. Page 187.

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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby Edward Pungot » March 22nd, 2023, 12:45 pm

“Ad Alive” on pages 42-56 in The Book of Secrets by Dynamo is worth your attention.

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katterfelt0
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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby katterfelt0 » March 22nd, 2023, 1:20 pm

Thank you Joe. I know it's also in Houdini's Paper Magic. Houdini is generally credited with the use of multiple papers. The version in Discoverie only uses one.

And thank you Edward. I wasn't familiar with that.
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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby Tarotist » March 22nd, 2023, 2:35 pm

It actually used to be a pitch item. Mickey McDougall used to pitch them. He also did it in his stand up act!

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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby Richard Kaufman » March 22nd, 2023, 2:41 pm

AC Gilbert's entry level magic sets starting in 1930 (I think) sporadically contained the Buddha Papers. The papers were contained in an envelope, which made the turning over extremely simple.
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Steve Bryant
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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby Steve Bryant » March 22nd, 2023, 3:34 pm

Magic Inc. used to sell (maybe still does) Senator Crandall's Texas Millionaire trick. You borrow a dime to "invest" and fold
it inside printed cash bills of increasing then decreasing size until all that is left is "an aspirin for your headache."

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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby Tarotist » March 22nd, 2023, 4:31 pm

There is some information in the Joe Berg book on page 49 explaining how Mickey McDougall used the Buddha Papers in his night club act. I actually have a supply of Buddha Papers somewhere from about 45 years ago! I had run out of merchandise to pitch during the Christmas season but I was put in touch with an old magician named Frank Vickers who had a supply of svengali decks and other magic pitch items which he had put together. I think he worked in the government and he had a lifelong dream of becoming a pitchman. When he retired he was ready to go but of course by then he was too old and had all this stuff on his hands. He lived in the middle of nowhere so I sent one of my staff on a long bus journey to pick up the stuff which I paid for. Among the stuff was a ton of Buddha Papers which were very well made and I remember selling them to the local magic shop. I still have a few of them somewhere and very nice instructions. Different colour papers as I remember.

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katterfelt0
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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby katterfelt0 » March 22nd, 2023, 5:04 pm

Thank you everyone. There has been some valuable information in this thread.
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kkelly
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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby kkelly » March 22nd, 2023, 6:45 pm

Fulves Self-Working Paper Magic has a couple of items beginning on page 88.

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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby Philippe Billot » March 23rd, 2023, 3:35 am

You can find the trick under the name L'enveloppe merveilleuse (The Marvelous Envelope), page 199 from Le Magicien amateur (1897) by Magus (who was simply a compiler).

It uses SEVEN sheets of paper... and a subtlety

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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby Edwin Corrie » March 23rd, 2023, 4:40 am

The version with multiple sheets goes back at least to "Manuel complet des sorciers" (1836) by M. Comte.

I did some research on this which covers some of the really old sources and a few variations - see my blog post at https://www.corrieorigami.com/post/the-buddha-papers.

There's also the so-called "Hindu Magic Book" (https://www.ebay.com/itm/134485949310) based on a similar principle, which you don't see much these days. Someone actually patented it in 1976 (https://patents.google.com/patent/US4021950A/en?oq=US4021950, or see https://www.corrieorigami.com/post/paperfolding-patents on my blog). But I had one as a child so it must have been around before that. About the only place I've ever seen it mentioned is Jon Racherbaumer's book "Arcade Dreams".

I'd be interested to know if the Coin Fold was a development of the Buddha Papers. The first reference I've been able to find for the Coin Fold is Hoffmann's "More Magic" (1890) (page 143). There are quite a few different ways to do the Coin Fold, including one attributed to T. Nelson Downs in "Greater Magic" with two sheets of paper back to back but not glued together - so it's like an ungimmicked version of the Buddha Papers.

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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby Philippe Billot » March 23rd, 2023, 5:16 am

Hi Edwin, How are you?

You have a good method with photographs in The Modern Conjurer (1902), page 168 for The Coin Fold by C. Lang Neil.

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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby katterfelt0 » March 23rd, 2023, 7:58 am

Great information here. I'm eternally grateful to all who provided these wonderful resources.
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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby David Kaplan » March 23rd, 2023, 9:17 am


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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby Brad Henderson » March 23rd, 2023, 4:59 pm

Speaking of coin folds - feteque sanders has a lovely handling

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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby Richard Kaufman » March 23rd, 2023, 5:09 pm

Where?
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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby Brad Henderson » March 23rd, 2023, 5:30 pm

I have a copy of it. Sold as a set of instructions with printed papers for the fold.

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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby Philippe Billot » March 23rd, 2023, 6:48 pm

It's a marketed trick entitled "Magic Hand Coin Fold" published in 1981 by FetAque Sanders

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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby EdwinCorrie » March 23rd, 2023, 8:04 pm

Philippe Billot wrote:Hi Edwin, How are you?

You have a good method with photographs in The Modern Conjurer (1902), page 168 for The Coin Fold by C. Lang Neil.


Hi Philippe, fine thanks. It's always good to see you here.
The method in The Modern Conjurer is already different from the one in Hoffmann. I collect Coin Folds, and it's surprising how many versions there are.

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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby Richard Kaufman » March 23rd, 2023, 8:28 pm

Brad Henderson wrote:I have a copy of it. Sold as a set of instructions with printed papers for the fold.


Could you please email me a copy?
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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby Richard Kaufman » March 23rd, 2023, 8:28 pm

Corrie, what is the best coin fold?
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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby Joe Mckay » March 24th, 2023, 2:19 am

Gregg Webb used the Buddah Papers to grow a seed!

Issue 1 of Feen-X magazine:

https://www.magicref.net/magicbooks/boo ... feenx1.htm

5 Issue 1
5 Sweet Little Sixteen - Instant Card to Pocket
7 The Odd Coin: Paddle Move with Two Copper/Silver Coins
9 Mental Thoughts: Causing a Seed to Germinate by Willing it
10 The Womb: special thoughts

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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby Philippe Billot » March 24th, 2023, 4:01 am

Richard Kaufman wrote:Corrie, what is the best coin fold?



You can use Docc Hilford's idea. See Switchblade - 2014

OR...

Marlo's Method in Coining Magic - 1956

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katterfelt0
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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby katterfelt0 » March 24th, 2023, 7:05 am

David Kaplan wrote:Brother Shadow (Carl Herron): The Papers of Gautama Siddhartha

Does anyone know of a source for this? I haven't been able to find it anywhere.
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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby katterfelt0 » March 24th, 2023, 7:06 am

Joe Mckay wrote:Gregg Webb used the Buddah Papers to grow a seed!
Issue 1 of Feen-X magazine

I like that idea. Thank you for the reference, Joe.
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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby EdwinCorrie » March 24th, 2023, 7:48 pm

Philippe Billot wrote:
Richard Kaufman wrote:Corrie, what is the best coin fold?


You can use Docc Hilford's idea. See Switchblade - 2014
OR...
Marlo's Method in Coining Magic - 1956


The original pure folding methods (there seem to be two, both are in Tarbell Vol 1) are good, but I think Marlo's from "Coining Magic" is the most efficient and elegant. Apparently it was also in an earlier Marlo manuscript called Paper and Coin, ca. 1954, and some of the ideas are reprinted in "Arcade Dreams".

There are a few distinct method principles, and also versions where the coin changes into a different one instead of vanishing. A few have published ideas and handlings similar to Marlo's, but in several cases they say they've been doing them for many years and don't remember where they learned them. Notable names include Gus Davenport, Victor Farelli, Charles Jordan, Al Baker, Frank Ducrot, Ross Bertram, David Ossip and Vanni Bossi. (Special note for Philippe: see also Alber Graves and Jules Dhotel.) Bob Ostin has a nice presentation called Paper Prison, described by David Britland in "New Talon" and in the big Bob Ostin book, where the coin escapes visibly from the paper.

Some methods seem to have been either invented independently or else passed down without proper credit, so it's hard to know exactly who came up with what, and when. A lot of the older descriptions are also a bit difficult to follow and would have been much better with proper origami-style diagrams.

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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby Philippe Billot » March 25th, 2023, 5:22 am

Thanks Edwin for these references.

Ostin's idea is a very good one!

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Re: Buddha Papers resources

Postby Q. Kumber » March 31st, 2023, 7:02 am

katterfelt0 wrote:
David Kaplan wrote:Brother Shadow (Carl Herron): The Papers of Gautama Siddhartha

Does anyone know of a source for this? I haven't been able to find it anywhere.


Unfortunately Brother Shadow passed away a few years ago.

The manuscript is largely stories that use the Buddha Papers, as opposed to any technical details or handlings. As the stories refer to events long past, he includes artwork you might like to use as well as instructions on how to age the papers.


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