Mirage Wallet
USA: no source
UK: https://vault2.secured-url.com/jbtv/home.asp - 25£

The effect:
A card is selected, signed by a spectator, and lost in the deck. The performers removes a wallet from his pocket, opens it, and points out that there is a card clipped with a paperclip inside the wallet. He removes the clip and shows the card – it is the selected one.

What you get:
A thin hip-pocket wallet made of English leather (all corners are metall-plated) and instructions with two routines and additional ideas.
The wallet is gimmicked on the left side (unfortunately, as I will explain later, the gimmick is not easy to handle). On the right side you have three compartments for credit cards, and there is also a compartment for banknotes. Altogether this wallet looks like an everyday wallet.
For the effect the performer should be able to control a card.

Value for money:
First I have to say that the wallet looks good – really good. The leather is of high quality, and its appearance is very convincing.
The problem is the gimmick. Simply said, while I tried this effect, it got stuck too often. As a result of this problem the performer suddenly sees two cards – not really what should happen. After doing some research on the internet, I found solutions for this problem (yes, a lot of other people also have this problem, so it is NOT only my bad handling). I have tried to use most of them but unfortunately without much improvement. But I also read that there is a certain “knack” with this effect, and if you can overcome this, the wallet will work without problems (I'm sorry, I can't be more specific without revealing the method; if you want to know more, please contact me via PM).

So, it is hard for me to give a rating, because in my wallet the gimmick was not working properly. But there are more think you should consider: when you produce the signed card, the move to produce the card must be accomplished very quickly, which looks a bit strange. Very often I have heard: “So and you have really taken the card out of this wallet???” And this wallet is not examinable.

So, I think I shouldn’t give a rating for this wallet, because the gimmick was not properly, so it was not possible for me to get acceptable results. If you want to buy this wallet, you should consider these facts: the quality of the wallet is very good, and so is the look. The gimmick is very clever, but you might have problems with it, and the move to produce the card doesn't look natural. The wallet cannot be examined, and the card cannot be pulled of the wallet by the spectator. Try to find a promotion video on websites of magic dealers, and then you will see what I mean. And also read this review, which gives you some advice on the handling of the gimmick: http://www.magictalk.com/cgi-bin/reviews.cgi?read=537

Magixx

All my reviews of no-palming card-to-wallet effects can be found here:

Switchback Wallet
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......09&2

Mirage Wallet
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......09&0

The Phantom of the Wallet
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......09&2

Professional Card to Wallet
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......09&3

Members Only
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......09&0

Enjoy!
Magixx

While this is listed as a no palm card to wallet, it is far better to palm the card and take the walllet out. Because the gaff is papercliped, the audience is amazed and palming doesn't come into question.

You could also have the wallet out on the table before the trick even starts. Palm the card and in the action of picking up the wallet, add it on and turn over the wallet and open it.

Chris

Exactly. This is how it should be done. Although I'd cop the card off the bottom long before moving to the wallet. This is one of the very best items I've ever owned. I use it with ambitious card for the final reveal. I put the wallet on the table in plain view before I begin. I say if this doesn't work out you can have everything in my wallet. A simple gambler's cop gets me in perfect position. But the great thing is you can open the wallet with a truly empty hand and show that there's a card clipped inside. This to me is the perfect effect. The move happens at a time when they think the magic is over. As far as they're concerned, the card that's paperclipped in the wallet, must somehow, impossibly be theirs. And sure enough it is. There are a few things that need to be done to the wallet. For starter you should buy superglue and permanently shut the thing. When the time comes to switch out the beat up gimmick (maybe a couple of years later), you will be able to get it apart. Secondly, when 'removing' the card in performance, you must open the section up a bit with your thumb. It looks perfectly natural and it will guarantee that nothing gets stuck. This is up there with Black Envelope and the Kennedy Box as far as card to impossible location. The difference is that here you don't need a strange black envelope or wooden box. Just your wallet.

Brian, great thoughts on this killer prop.

Because it took some practice to get it to look smooth, many folks slammed it. That's why I love when killer magic is released that takes some work. Many give up and it leaves it with far less folks performing it.

Chris

I use my wallet as one would use the black envelope . this is better than carring around envelopes
vinny

The "Mirage Wallet" by Mark Mason ...
I had this wallet many years ago.

Liked the retension of vision idea - like David Regal's "Special Delivery" and the "Switchback Wallet" which followed. However, the "Mirage Wallet" is not 100%.

Other recommended no palm wallets ... the J.O.L. wallet and the Hip Pocket Mullica.

regards,
Wulfie

The Mirage Wallet is 100% or I wouldn't use it.

Read Platt's suggestion above. Once you get it down, it's absolutely reliable.

Wow! Any other 5 year old threads we gonna be dusting off here?

If the given informations are good, why not?

Carsten

I've had some problems with the leather pocket detaching from the rest of the wallet. I have tried some superglue, but it doesn't seem to be a permanent fix. Any ideas? thanks.

Hi everybody!

I also used Mirage for quite a while and really loved it, but I had the same problems that it wasn't as reliable as I wanted it to be. So it found its way into my closet of magic. But I still like the idea. Many years before I used the version which was published by LeClair in one of his books/lecture notes. It was a version where you could use your own wallet.

As Platt wrote, this makes it surefire. I just did it 10 times and it works perfectly.

The paper clip comes away with the actual signed card. The illusion is amazing. So they don't get ahead of me, I use a red deck with a blue Mirage. I force a blue back card ( do a double and it shows a red back ). Have them sign it and....miracle time. The prediction card, from another deck, with a different color back...is their signed card.

Chris

Brian, I'm not certain that I understand this comment. What are you saying should be superglued? My Mirage came with one side of the gimmick's slot/compartment completely unglued. Looks like it had a bit of glue at the top and bottom of that side (the right side) but it was definitely apart when I received it last week. Do most come with part of the gimmick's compartment unglued?



This is specifically mentioned in the DVD that comes with the Mirage Wallet; perhaps it wasn’t in the past, or maybe there wasn’t even a DVD back when this first came out.



I'm having similar problems with the gimmick. Most of the time it hangs up on the left side (looking at the open wallet). If I hold open the unglued side of the compartment I can see - and feel - that the gimmick is much tighter on the right side than the left. I figured that couldn't be correct but it sounds like a lot of Mirages come like that.

I realize that I need to work with the wallet more before I can expect to use it effectively, but the unglued section has me a bit worried! The tension on the gimmick? Well, maybe that can be overcome with practice.

I appreciate any comments on the superglue note mentioned by Brian Platt above and also the gimmick hanging up on one side or the other.

Thanks!

Jim