From 1894 to 1965, all U.S. Federal playing cards tax stamps were printed and issued by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP). On July 1, 1940 the BEP issued both small and large “1 Pack” tax stamps for all playing card manufacturers. The “1 Pack” referred to a deck of 54 or less cards.…

Just as the price of a deck of playing cards or the history of the manufacturer gives us clues as to when a deck was made, the mandatory tax stamp can narrow the date even more. This applies to all countries, but this article will only discuss the U.S. federal taxes on playing cards which…

Find Mentors Get up right now, find magicians you admire and start asking them questions. Nothing can ever replace the experience of sitting across from someone you respect in your field. Seriously… Go. Don’t Be Lazy Despite what most magicians proclaim on their products, magic is incredibly difficult to do well. Practice, study, rehearse and…

In The Expert at the Card Table, under the heading “Importance of Details”, Erdnase writes, “The finished card expert considers nothing too trivial that in any way contributes to his success, whether in avoiding or allaying suspicion, or in the particular manner of carrying out each detail; or in leading up to, or executing, each…

I heard an interesting story about Trevor Nunn. For those that may not know, Trevor Nunn is head of the Royal Shakespeare Company in London, a theater director, and probably knows more about Shakespeare than anyone alive. So Trevor Nunn is at a party with a bunch of theater people, and there is a young…

Because of the nature of the magician’s work, secrecy is important. The magician depends upon mystery which in turn depends upon secrecy. Magic is interesting just as long as an audience can be puzzled. The ability to make something happen that others know cannot happen is necessary to the successful magician. The old time magician…

Theoretically any trick that is deceptive should be a good magical effect, but unfortunately this is not the case in actual practice. This is particularly true of a great many card tricks. More often than not they give the impression of being puzzles rather than magical effects. Since this is definitely not the impression a…

Specialization This is an age of specialists. The specialization in magic runs the gamut from a full evening performer to the one who has only thirty seconds to dress up a quick television commercial. The magical specialty we are concerned with in this work is that of cards. Sleight of hand is, perhaps, the most…