In the Definitive Sankey, many top magicians share their "Top Ten" favorite Sankey routines from the books.

I'd like to know what other readers think!

If you are ready to share your top ten Sankey effects (only from these books), do so here!

For fun, try to follow the same format as in the books.
For example, you can see Joshua Jay's Top Ten in Volume 3, page 1482.

It begins with a short sentence or two bio of the magician, and then lists:

The effect, Volume # and Page #
Plus a few sentences about why they chose that effect.

I'm not yet ready to choose my Top Ten, but maybe you are!

Great idea Tim. I will list mine when I have the time to do so. All of my top ten are in the set but at this moment I don't have the time to dig through and provide the cites. It's a huge set and I don't want to merely list my top ten without cites.

To be honest though, I am finding some very off the beaten path stuff in the set that COULD become favorites but I need to master them and then perform them. So I hope that our list is not required to be carved in stone

Again, great idea! Anything that postively calls attention to books is my kind of discussion.

Namaste,
Vlad

I'll let you know in about 3 years when I finish the books. Im overwhelmed...

This sounds like a great idead, but yea I'll also need some time to go through & try some effects out.

Here is my Top Ten. In no particular order. Also - I should mention I don't do coin magic. So - I won't be listing any coin tricks. Although - I know that Sankey's work in this area is very strong...

Also - I am going to concentrate on Sankey's lesser know effects. As such I won't list the Sankey classics that most magicians are already familiar with. For example - AIRTIGHT, PAPERCLIPPED, BACK IN TIME, IN A FLASH, LEAVING HOME and FRAGILE HARBOUR. And I want to quickly point out MADELINE'S MYSTERY and EYE POPPER as well. Two strange and offbeat effects - well worth checking out...

1) THE PHOENIX EFFECT - VOLUME 1 - PAGE 229 - "The spectator's signature visually jumps to another card in a flash of flame..."

This chapter details an ingenious and powerful principle which has being overlooked by everyone. And this is my favourite use for it. This is a TV style visual magic - which is still clever enough to fool other magicians. A rare combination.

2) GENUINE COUNTERFEIT - VOLUME 1 - PAGE 265 - "A blank piece of a paper has a corner torn off. The pape with the corner missing now turns into a dollar bill. And the blank corner now matches the torn dollar bill'

This is the best use for the Bill Switch I have come across. It leaves the spectator with a lovely impossible object which is my favourite way of ending a magic trick. It also avoids some of the awkward questions that get asked when performing the traditional $1 to $100 bill trick.

3) TWICE AS NICE - VOLUME 1 - PAGE 441 - "A selected card reverses twice in the deck..."

I really like this effect. The method is so elegant. The trick is an updating of one of the oldest beginner card tricks that most of us have forgotten we ever learned. I really like the approach here since it makes use of a simple sleight to really ramp up the effect. The original trick is surprisingly strong. And this takes it to the next level. The ancient principle used here is powerful, and makes for a very clean effect. This is probably the best 'self-working' card trick I have come across. And this trick is the first one I would teach a beginner in card magic looking for a strong and easy to do effect.

The trick after this one in the book offers an interesting extension which makes full use of a duplicate card. Strong stuff.

4) GHOST - VOLUME 2 - PAGE 696 - "A selected page from a book disappears and reappears inside a sealed envelope..."

Strong effect which I have liked for a number of years now. The method is direct and simple. The trick also has an excellent presentational hook. Definitely one of the most commercial effects in the book. I also like using books during a magic trick - since the book you choose to use opens up patter and presentation ideas.

5) GRAFFITI - VOLUME 2 - PAGE 752 - "A spectator's name appears on a card which was written on before the start of the effect..."

Simple sleights used here - but Sankey's strength in routining and construction really shines through here. It is a commercial effect since you can predict a spectator's name - without having to use pre-show work or having to secretly find out what her name is. Practical stuff here.

6) CARBON PAPER - VOLUME 2 - PAGE 859 - "Scorch marks on the back of a card transpose to another card..."

This can be looked at as a simple addition to the classic two card transposition. But - this addition changes the effect and makes it much more vivid. It also incorporates an unusual subtlety involving the spectator's sense of touch. An approach I have not seen in a trick before.

7) GLOBAL WARMING - VOLUME 3 - PAGE 1107 - "A freely thought of bill disappears..."

This makes use of my favourite principle for making a freely thought of card disappear. But it changes the use of props which helps makes the effect stronger. It also allows for an interesting subtlety at the end of the effect which makes the ending stronger.

8) PYRAMID - VOLUME 3 - PAGE 1185 - "A rubber band is wrapped round a deck of cards - which then pops up to form a pyramid..."

This is probably my favourite Sankey idea. It is simple - but it took a genius to discover it. One of the easiest (and most fun) things you can do with a deck of cards and a rubber band. A magical looking flourish.

9) FINAL COUNTDOWN - VOLUME 3 - PAGE 1367 - "An impossibly strong version of 'The Trick That Cannot Be Explained'..."

This is a great magician fooler which I kept quiet since first coming across it a few years ago. A great trick to fool your magic buddies with.

10) GOLDEN TREASURE - VOLUME 3 - PAGE 1375 - "A marked penny appears inside an egg under test conditions..."

Nice to be reminded of this great trick. When I first saw this effect on video it seemed a bit of a 'pipe dream'. But it is pretty practical - and it is a killer effect. This is the sort of trick that people will remember long after the rest.

It was great fun studying these books.

All the best,

Joe

At the top of my head, I can only think of one effect right now and its "Airtight" from volume one. I have to digest all three volumes sometime. Not ab easy task.

I gave Twice as Nice (p. 441) a try - all due respect to Bob_Hummer but this effect is not a "self-worker" in the sense of a Fulves effect as there IS a sleight involved. Yes the sleight is dead easy but, I would NOT teach this effect to a beginner. I would stick to the ancient method Bob_Hummer alludes to. No disrespect intended Bob! It's a nice effect but for the life of me I cannot figure out how to clean it up at the end - any tips would be appreciated via PM so as not to expose the M.O. of the effect. I would like to do it as it is highly visual, but it seems that the work to clean up after the effect is a bit too intensive - not out of laziness but rather from the sense that there is very little time to correct the situation before heat is back on the deck.

Thanks all!

Namaste,
Vlad

Yeah - I know what you mean about it not being exactly self-working. But I couldn't think of a better description. Also - for most magicians - it will come close to feeling like a self-working trick.

Now - I am not sure exactly how to clean up the trick. Since - whilst I like the trick - it is not in my current repertoire (I only do the tearing/folding/topological/weird gaffed type card tricks).

But - if you are left with a card reversed somewhere in the deck, my approach would be to find another trick which you can use to clean up the effect. So - just find a nice trick which requires a reversed card as part of the set up. And then use that trick after the Sankey one to 'clean up'.

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Okay - I just looked up the trick again. And you are right. It is a difficult one to 'clean up'. Also - because of the position of the reversed cards - no other trick jumps straight to find which could be used as a follow up...

So - instead I would used a brilliant Johnny Thmpson idea. Turn half the deck face up and shuffle it into the face down half. You then ask a a spectator to run through the deck and straighten out all the face up cards.

You then explain to her that it took her about 40 seconds to do it. And how it is quite a cumbersome procedure.

You then then (with the deck - which has cards all facing the same way) go into your favourite TRIUMPH routine and show her how quickly you can bring order from chaos with the use of magic.

This strategm can be used to clean up most other tricks as well. It is a useful tip to remember.

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However - if I were to do this trick on a regular basis. I would enjoy the challenge of tracking down another great trick which can make use of the 'leftover reversed cards' from the end of TWICE AS NICE.

Indeed - I always thought it would be good to have an archive which would list card tricks under certain headings.

For instance:

CARD TRICK STARTING WITH A CARD SECRETLY REVERSED ON THE BOTTOM OF THE DECK

CARD TRICK STARTING WITH A CARD SECRETLY REVERSED SECOND FROM THE TOP OF THE DECK

CARD TRICK STARTING WITH A CARD REVERSED SECOND FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE DECK

And so on...

You could then use the archive to find tricks which can be used to 'clean up' tricks which leave you with a reversed card in the deck. Max Maven calls this 'Ecological Magic'.


Also - an archive like this might be a fun thing for magicians around the world to help build up. Perhaps something for the SECRET SESSIONS forum?

I would organise it myself but my tastes in card magic have changed. I now focus on T&R cards, Card Warp, Linking Cards, Weird gaffs and so on...

Joe

Thanks for the reply Bob_Hummer. The problem with twice as nice is that there seems to be TWO reversed cards at the end. One is easily dealt with, but two that are widely separated in the pack is a little more dodgy. I have done the effect four times and it IS beautiful, but each time I have ended up with two reversed cards. Perhaps I misread the instructions but the effect works so I doubt it.

Namaste,
Vlad

PS: I JUST saw your revisit of the effect and your elegant solution - and it is an effect I already DO! Duh, I feel like a moron. Thanks Bob!!!!

Bob_Hummer thanks for listing your top ten.... I'm sure we will all enjoy digging into the books a little further.

Or ...

1) Ask them to take another card but not let you see it.

2) Turn away for a second as they show it round.

3) Flip the reversed cards back. It takes less than a second, as the cards are in an easy position to flip over without looking at the deck.

4) Turn back to face the audience and carry on with the trick.

Yeah - turning your back on the audience is a great way of switching decks - or straightening out reversed cards. Bill Goldman was the first person I saw mention this.

Also - I forget exactly what set-up is needed for the GOODWIN/JENNINGS display (as used in a TRIUMPH effect). But I am sure the ending for TWICE AS NICE could be maneuvered into the relevent starting position.

Joe

I just ordered my Definitive Sankey Collector's Edition and I'm eagerly awaiting its arrival. Since "Genuine Counterfeit" was mentioned in this thread by Bob Hummer, I thought you guys might appreciate that I did a video of it earlier this year, working from the original write up in Sankey Unleashed:

http://youtu.be/Ai9CjtccA3Q

Phoenix Effect & a double OTL routine involving spectators signatures swapping places on a business card. Can't remember the name but its in one of the Sankey/Sanders DVD set.

I use both (have done for the past several years) and they never fail to amaze.

My top ten:
1. Paper clipped
2.travelling expenses
3. Carbon paper
4. airtight
5. Onion
6. Leaving home
7.Bladerunner
8. Air of mystery
9. Back in time
10. Blockbuster

Smooth moves mr miller. I'm just learning state of the union after I think a cameron francis recommendation..if its good enough for cf!! Clever routine...I'm very proud of my set of books..enjoyed this thread too.

Here's my Top 10:

1) Paperclipped
2) Leaving Home
3) Dough
4) The Blackpool Effect
5 ) Forgery
6) Traveling Expenses
7) Global Warming
8) Special Delivery
9) Royal Rivet
10) Fan Mail

FYI: A new thread was started in the secret session to further discussion of TDS. Hope to see you there!

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......forum=37

Other than my post, this site has been inactive for months. So I thought I would stir things up a bit and say what my least favorite trick is, or at least what seems like the dumbest trick; Eye Popper (V1 p187). You pull your eye out of its socket, let someone autograph it, and then put your eye back in its socket, and people can see the autograph.

This is just plain weird, and potentially quite dangerous (as the book authors warn). I'm surprised that R Klan and M. Skutt listed this as one of their top ten.

In fact the whole section of "Body Magic" seemed incredibly lame (at best). But along the lines as David Acer commented, these do show that Sankey's mind goes in all kinds of directions, and I think that was about the only reason the authors would have included this section.

Ok, back to your favorite tricks

John

Sorry, but I found an amazing piece of magic, click your heals three times, and pages 1585-1600 will totally disappear! Try it before you look.

Seriously, mine are missing, does anyone else have this problem? I guess I need to contact Vanishing Inc. Maybe that's why they had the books on sale for $100.