Effect: A playing card changes into a matchbox.
Secret: Trim a playing card and glue it to the top of a matchbox. Carefully fold the card over the box as shown. Glue a matchbox label on the back of the card so when the card is folded it looks like an ordinary matchbox. Show your audience the playing card. The matchbox is hidden behind it. Bring your hand over the card and secretly fold it up over the box. Remove your hand and it seems that you have made a playing card change magically into a matchbox.
Effect: A knot mysteriously appears in the corner of a handkerchief.
Secret: Before your performance, secretly tie a knot in one corner of a handkerchief. Show the handkerchief but hold it with the knot hidden in your right hand. The left hand now lifts the bottom end of the handkerchief and places it in the right hand along with the top corner. Give the handkerchief a shake and drop the unknotted end. Repeat this two or three times. On the second or third attempt allow the knotted corner to drop, retaining your grip on the other corner. All you have done is change the corner you are holding but it appears that the knot has formed by magic.
Effect: A pencil disappears.
Secret: Show a pencil or pen and drape a large handkerchief over it. As soon as the pencil is out of sight, secretly extend your forefinger under the handkerchief as you allow the pencil to drop down your sleeve. Take the handkerchief with the other hand as if holding the pencil through the material. Throw the handkerchief into the air and the pencil has vanished!
Effect: You escape from a rope.
Secret: Ask someone to tie your wrists together with a large scarf. A long length of soft rope is now placed between your wrists and someone holds the ends. Another scarf is thrown over your bound wrists. As soon as your hands are out of sight move your hands back and forth to cause the rope to form a loop between your wrists. Keep working the rope until you can get one hand into the loop. When you have done this ask the person who is holding the rope to pull – the rope will come free and yet your wrists are still securely tied!
Effect: Ten cards are counted in a magical manner.
Secret: The cards you use have been secretly arranged in the order shown. The actual suits do not matter. Run the cards, one at a time, from hand to hand. This reverses the order so the Nine is now on the top. Place the 10 cards on the pack. To show the trick count off 10 cards (this gets the arrangement back to normal, with the Three on top). Take the cards one at a time from the top of the packet and place them on the bottom as you spell A C E (one card to each letter). Turn over the card on the E and it is an Ace. Drop this card on the table. Now spell T W O – again moving one card from the top to the bottom of the packet for each letter. Turn over the "O" card, a Two, and drop it on the table. Continue spelling in this way until you get to 10. For the 10th card you have only one card left but pretend to spell the letters as before to amuse your audience.
