Your Card, Sir?

This trick was contributed by me to the Sphinx for July, 1936, and is reproduced by permission. It is an elaboration of a somewhat old experiment. The requirements are: a small table, a pack of cards and a plain sheet of glass about six by four inches in size. Begin by inviting a spectator to help you and ask him to bring his hat with him. Seat the gentleman on your left, take his hat and put it crown downwards on the table, taking the opportunity to press the sweat band open a little on one side. Hand the cards to the gentleman, let him shuffle it to his own satisfaction, retain one card and return the rest to you.

The next step is to have the card returned to the deck, brought to the top, and, if desired, palmed off and the deck again shuffled. The method I leave to the individual performer, suggesting, however, that the use of the Hindu shuffle is as good as any. Take the pack replacing the palmed card on top, and have the assistant cut it into two parts, as nearly equal as possible. Let him touch one packet. If he touches that with the chosen card on the top say, "I am to use this one? Very well," and take it. On the other hand if he touches the other packet say, "You wish to have that one? Take it, please." Continue, "Now I want you to do exactly as I do." With that take your packet and rip it in half. Put one half down and tear the remainder in half again. Place these two quarter packets face down on the table and pick up the other half packet. Tear this in half and place the resulting quarter packets beside the other two. While you are doing this the assistant will probably be still struggling with his half. However, take no notice. Go right on.

Pick up the quarter packet that looks the smallest. With the back of your hand to the audience, dribble out the pieces in a stream into the hat. At the same time pull back the top piece into the finger palm position with your thumb. Take up the next largest packet and repeat the operation. Continue with the remaining packets, keeping the largest to the last, since this will aid you in holding the other three pieces easily and cleanly. Dip your hand into the hat and stir the pieces around, taking the opportunity to slip the four pieces of the chosen card under the sweat band at the point where you had previously pulled it open, so making the operation an easy one.

Now grasp the hat with the fingers inside covering the position of the four pieces and holding them securely, and turn your attention to your volunteer assistant. Probably he has not succeeded in tearing his cards in half even, but in any case let him finish quartering his cards over the hat so that the audience see the pieces drop in with the others. At this point it is advisable to recapitulate what has been done- a card has been chosen, the deck shuffled and the pack torn to fragments. Introduce the sheet of glass, on one side of which you have previously placed four tiny pellets of wax, so that they form the comers of a square in the center of the glass about one and a half inches apart. Hand it to your assistant and have him hold it in full view, waxed side uppermost. Touch his hand with your finger tips under the excuse of getting the vibrations of the chosen card. Show your hand empty, dip it into the hat, stir the pieces around and draw out one piece from under the band. Hold it With its back to the audience and press it face down on one of the pellets of wax on the glass. This operation you repeat three times, but for the last piece let the assistant stir the pieces in the hat himself, then touch his hand again and bring out the last piece.

The fragments of course, have been placed in their proper positions on the pellets of wax so that when you have the gentleman call the name of his card it is only necessary for him to hold up the glass towards the audience and everyone sees at once that you have restored the chosen card, its face showing plainly through the glass.

This method of revealing the card at the finish is new and may be used to good advantage in other tricks. For a whole card one pellet of wax only will suffice.