I just have a small collection but my favorites are Pharao's Curse and the chinese red puzzle.
I love both!
I heard a lot about Voodoo, and I hope I'll get one someday on my shelves...
Mechanical and/or wooden magic tricks are my favorites...

I still love mini mental the best

I'm fortunate to own many of Alan's original pieces--especially the Egyptian line--and while all are beautiful, honestly not all are great magic. Having said that, the one I actually perform the most is Enigmatic.

There are two in my possession. Like many of our favorite props, one is for using and one is for display/back-up. We are a strange lot, aren't we?

Julie

My AW collection has grown to 25 pieces So I thought I'd try to resurrect this thread.
I'm looking for your favorites to perform.
My absolute favorite so far is Thru & Thru. It's easy to do,very deceptive & examinable.
How about your top few to perform.
Thanks,
Ed

That's one heck of a collection Ed! It's hard for me to choose a favorite since all the effects were suggested by Simon Corneille and/or from what I have read in the reviews on different websites. All are winners. But these are certainly among the most appealing to me AND to spectators:
- Enigmatic as a clairvoyance effect
- Pentra as a 'solid through solid' effect WITH a locking mechanism (woohoo!)
- Karate Card - micro magic at it's finest, and it's something special - CUTE is GREAT!
- Maverick, as another mentalism effect. Several 'gimmicks' are used, which makes this one heck of a cool and impossible looking prediction. Some subtleties in the handling make this very 'clean' and therefore unbelievable - my wife didn't have a CLUE! Absolutely non examinable however, but that's not necessary at all with this trick.

Thru & Thru is great too, and for people who don't know other variations of this trick it's a winner, especially since the specs can choose the plate 'which will do the magic'!

Voodoo is also worth mentioning. While I don't really like the effect per se (it looks a bit obvious, but that could be me), this is just micro magic gimmickery at its finest. How in hecks name Alan can put such small mechanisms in such a small and normal looking box is beyond me. Just for the joy of handling and playing with it this is fantastic for a collector like myself.

I ordered another Alan Warner last week, the Rainbox Puzzle. Very vibrant colors, nice and small (here's that 'cute' thing again! ) and this will works great with kids

Thanks for the thoughts Killer. I saw that Rainbow Puzzle last week too
As you know Thru & Thru is also done by Tenyo (rope of calcutta) Magic Wagon (Absconding Lycan) but I really like the simple wooden elegance of Alans piece.
The only one I don't have you mentioned is Maverick & I'm not sure if I've ever seen it for sale.
Maybe I'll check with Alan to see if he is still making that one.

Anyone else have some new favorites?

I've gradually acquired Warner pieces from various sources including Ebay, Hocus-Pocus and from the Man himself.

I just got Perverse Card from him and I was so impressed I sent him the following thank-you note.

The workmanship is first class. Every detail about the props is gorgeous, down to the fit and finish of the velvet base of the drawer.
The wood has a great feel and even smells like quality.
The instructions are superb. Clear, complete, concise and not a single grammatical error or misspelled word that I could find. Also, the emphasis on various key points is outstanding.
Finally, the routine is genius. This is not just a brilliant puzzler, it is a truly entertaining "worker" for any close-up venue from kids to adults.
In short, I can hardly express how thrilled I am with the materials I received, from concept to composition to craftsmanship.
Bloody well done!

I encourage you all to contact him and get these while you can. One of the great things he does is to declare a "ship by" date and STICK TO IT!

Not all magic is created "equal". Alan's tricks are easy to do but make no mistake, they are among the best of the best.

Can you advise me on one or two of Alan's items (hopefully ones that he still makes) that you would describe both as real audience foolers and as practical to perform in normal closeup conditions? For example, just above I see positive reviews of Perverse Card and Rainbow Puzzle. But it is not clear to me from the reviews if they are practical and real foolers or just beautiful pieces. I am not a person who wants to buy magic just because it is beautifully made. Anything I don't perform successfully and fool everyone with goes into a box in my magic room for later "review" [smile]. I don't put things on display. And I don't want to fill those boxes in my magic room. Thanks for your thoughts and advice!

Duane

Depends on what you mean by normal closeup. People on the sides, just in front etc. I like Die N Dice. It is a nice routine with a surprise ending but you would want to have your audience more in front of you and not the sides. Perverse Card is also a fun routine with surprises. Both props are very well made and can still be ordered on Alan's site.

Thanks, Daveazz!

Duane

Thank you for your comments martonikus. I agree 100% with what you said and couldn't have done a better job explaining why Alan Warner's magic is among the very best collecitible magic there is in my opinion.
After reading how impressed you were with Perverse Card I just e-mailed him placing my order for this effect Now all that is needed is to find some excuse to 'explain' this to the misses because budget was actually not really available at this moment But as you say, we need to order our Warner effects while he is still making them because that won't last forever and when he decides to stop the prices of these pieces will eventually go up as a rocket ... .

CaMagic51, I don't have dozens of Warner effects, but there's not one that I own that wouldn't fool at least some people. It all comes down to personal taste too ... For example I really like Karate Card and have even fooled the (tough to fool )wife with it, but I know some don't like it.
I read the reviews on the Café of his effects and on his website. I think I only bought the 5-star reviews and tricks in people's favorite lists on themagiccafe, perhaps with an exeption here and there ... .

Thanks, Killertweety!

Duane

The beauty of both Perverse Card and Die n' Dice is that, while seriously baffling, they are not just puzzles. They are practical routines with, really, unlimited scope for entertainment.

Of course, this means that you have to PERFORM them - not just "operate" them. So if you have, or are developing that skill, then these are for you.

Agreed martonikus - as most collectors (and magicians in general I suppose) know, all comes down to STORY/ROUTINE/PERFORMANCE. But that's where Alan Warner comes into play just the way us collectors want it to: his effects are easy to do, they always work, they look so !@#$%^& special when someone visits and sees these wooden little "thingy wingies" ... and they ALWAYS have a nice story/routine surrounding the basic affect.

Yep, I'm an addict. I wish I had more money to buy all of his creations. Because truth be told, he won't make his superb magic forever ... .

My very favorite due to the ingenuity of the method and the magical appeal of cutting and restoring a ribbon is Siamese Ribbon (either the painted or limited edition teak version, which I heard may still be available but it will be costly). It still remains the "cheaper" version of the most dramatic version - Gerlitz's Family Ties.

I also love Talisman and had Alan make me all the extra pieces so all three color options can be performed, allowing me to repeat the trick at any later date to those who have seen it before.

Ok George, Talisman is now on top of my list Just bought the painted Siamese Ribbon and indeed, absolutely great and a lot smaller than I thought it would be - micro magic at its finest for sure!

I have 2 very collectible (no longer made) Warner items “Eye Of Isis” & “Fools Gold”. If interested send me email at rtysl@wideopenwest.com.

An old post but felt it needed bumping. I have been an avid collector of Alan Warner Mini Magic for many years. At one time I owned most of his mini range (mid 80s, when he lived in Wembley, middx). Sadly this was before the days of internet and let them go cheaply to a local magician. I remember selling my Siamese Ribbon to him for £35 (could kick myself now!).
My all time favs, and very practical for real life performing... Enigmatic and Mini Mental.

Enigmatic was the only Warner effect performed on TV by Paul Daniels. Along with Minimental both excellent. I use Minimental as a "kicker" to the random ending of the "Wellington lights" which correspond exactly to the color of the lightbulbs. Talisman and Cairo Con as well as the Mummy in the Egyptian range are also fantastic. Voodoo was my all time favorite but unfortunately my wife misplaced a box which contained Voodoo along with other collector items a few years ago and this is unavailable now. Yikes!

My 2 cents, hbenod

Hbenod, although the Enigmatic was a perfect performance by Paul, he did also perform Pentra from Alan too.