I liked the Bob Sheets vid as well, but I was a bit disappointed that it was only 15-20 minutes long. His "move" is great, but when I thought he'd start going into detail of his routine, all he did was tell us to rewind the tape. I guess that's all that's really needed, but I still felt a tape of this cost should have included at least some filler.

I know what you mean, Dave. I could have watched Bob for longer - he has style.
But I guess the inspiration is his, the perspiration is ours . . now where are those shells and pea?

I just got a set of copper shells from the school of S and they are fantastic. The best thing about them is that I like the weight. They move well and I find it easy to do my shellgame routine with them.

In fact these are the best shells that I own and have owned for the shellgame effect.

Interesting posts on the various shells available. Has anyone considered using bottle caps as the con artists do on the streets? I have a set that I confiscated as evidence once. It uses three bottle caps and a foam pea. The "mat" was nothing more than a piece of newspaper on top of a box. Appearance wise, the caps would not be as attracted, but down here, this seems to be the choice of the street hustlers who scam people.
Glenn

Glenn,

I made up a couple of sets last year from bottle caps from Coca Cola products; they were running a contest, and the top of each cap reads "1 in 4 wins!".

That about sums it up.

(The inside of each reads "Try Again").

Sal Picante's DVD is worth a look.
I'm not sure how you spell it but it was popped in at the magic store when I was there. I liked watching it.

I guess another way to put it was that it made me want to do 'The Shells'.

The other 3 videos I watched so far didn't leave me with that "gotta do the shells" feeling. Kohlers, Sheets, Page.

This has nothing to do with the routines or the content really, just a gut feel.

Frank

Poindexter, I love the message on the outside and inside of the bottle caps. That should get them to try and try again. Did you find it easier to use than the shells? Glenn

Glenn--

Easier than the shells? _Absolutely Not_ (At least for me). As I get older, my fingers fight with me more and more, and the Scoundrels' Coppers are my favorites for ease of use.

The small caps are topheavy and like to go mouth up unless handled carefully.

In my hands, Perfect Peas are out of the question with bottle caps, though...Too large, and I can't seem to compensate with the handling to my satisfaction.(at least the smaller caps, I've done alright with the larger caps if the surface is right).

I have used Black Fox's peas under caps with some success, as they're a little smaller, but sponge seems to work best for me with the caps.

And I hate working with sponge after having worked with peas, but there are some things you can do with caps that you can't accomplish with shells....such as making that "tsssssssssss" bottle-opening sound effect as you rotate the cap counter-clockwise before lifting it---great fun, and great misdirection.

There was a guy on the allmagic.com site a year or more ago that had put up a shell game article that was accompanied by a short video clip of a 'snap' load with bottle caps, that consisted, basically, of a finger snap that turned a cap mouth down and loaded the pea simultaneously. Alas, it seems to have vanished without a trace. I do not remember his name. I was hoping to see it published somewhere eventually, but I haven't as yet.

Appeciate your reply. I don't care for using the caps either, but I do use them when demonstrating the street scam. I have collected several shell and pea props over the years just to experiment with them. I have found that the old classic shells with the foam pea works well for me. Not only is it easier to handle, but I feel comfortable using it. I remember hearing about that article you mentioned, but cannot remember the name of the person either. If I come across it, I will notify you. Thanks for the input.
Glenn

The SFS street shells are really good. They do work on any surface but for a really smooth routine you'd be wise to put down a bit of cloth anyway. This can be used to wrap them up in so it need not take up any room. The perfect peas are good in that they grip and steal nicely on smooth surfaces but using a cloth gets around that anyway. They do take a bit of practice to do a back pinch holdout out as they are quite hard. The best thing about them is the matching solid plastic pea that comes with them. Throw that out at the end and no-one will come close to the secret, in fact they will take a bit step backwards. Foam peas are easier to steal and hold out IMO but you can't allow the spec to try or they'll immediately guess - not always relevant.

If you're working out a routine, I'd suggest you try the usual format: First do a few slides but steal and load the same one so they guess right. 2nd time do a straight secret S/L so they get it wrong, 3rd time throw them a bone with a sucker S/L, 4th time introduce a different move like a side steal or whatever, for your last time around do something big like using a glass or whatever. That way you can keep the routine as a challenge but by staying one ahead you pretty much remove the change of a lucky guess entirely. It's a good idea to throw in a few back-pinches turnovers that implicitly remove the possibility of you holding out.

I think you DO need to keep the challenge element to this routine. That is what it is all about. It's a con game. You are supposed to be conning them and they like it. With a simple pre-planned move to deal with a correct guess. You can always win. The street pros do, so why not a magician?


That's my take on it.

Does anyone else bother to do what I did with the hard pea? As it has a slightly glossy finish compared to the "working" pea, I rubbed the hard pea with some very fine 0000 grade steel wool. Takes off the shine and makes all the difference!


Riley

I too noticed that the hard pea was more glossy than the soft one. But I hardly think the audience will ever notice the difference! They never see them side by side anyway.
But if it gives you peace of mind...
Bjørn

It was recently noticed and commented on (after my performance) by a spectator who was a professional painter and decorator - he said he spotted the difference because he worked with matt and gloss paints etc.
I think maybe spectators sometimes notice more than we think but don't always say anything!
It seems only a small point - but the "work" takes just a few seconds. Easier than: ".. before I begin, are any of you painters and decorators? . . "

You may be right!
I'll find some steelwool and be right back!
Bjørn

Make sure it's the 000 or 0000 grade, unless you want a pea for the bottle caps, of course!
Guess I should get back on topic before someone accuses me of wandering . .
LM shells or SFS shells . . If you have only the one set (whichever) and then buy the other, you'll probably wish you'd got the last set sooner. (work that one out!!). Both these shells sets are superb -why have only half the fun?

Riley

I think the real differences are these:

The SFS shells are easier to use on a hard surface for a beginner.

The LM shells are larger.
The SFS shells are smaller.
The LM shells look more realistic in color and texture.

Of course if you like the golden or copper ones, then looking realistic is not much of a concern.

I've used both. They're both perfect. They both
use the perfect peas. And the price is right
for both. Don't be mistaken and get the
Magic Makers set thinking that they're close enough.
They're not.

Personally I chose the LM shells because I just love the look of them.

I suggest getting a tiny pill box from the drug store to store the peas in.

Frank

What a cool idea.