Hiya,

I'm trying to write this week's Magic Friday column but, for the life of me, I can't seem to find out who invented this trick. I can't really write it until I do- any help?

Thanx!

Jamie D. Grant

Jamie

This may be a toughie! Of the "modern versions" Joe Stevens imported what is probably the best from Spain a number of years ago.

Long before that, Abbott's sold a "steel penetration" where a matchbox contained a metal plate and a needle with thread/ribbon was poked through the center of the box. (Different Method)

Like most every other effect, the basic idea is probably buried in an old book or books somewhere...

Julie

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought Viking were the first. But I can be WAY off.

It was created by a non magician in Spain a few years ago.
Steve V

Mine is the first time model, made in Spain...maybe Steve is right.
many yrs ago, I bought from H Lee.

I believe it has more than a century

Yes, I have the original instructions. it was Eddie Joseph's thinking. its called "The New Dilka Steel Penetration"

Yes, TOTALY diffrent method.

I don't think the improved version has been around for a century

More like 30-35 years or so. I've gone through LOADS of catalogues but havent seen advertised that goes beyond 1960's.

Where can you purchase this effect these days?

Be careful--like most everything else lately--there's a rip-off or two out there that is just not quite right. It's best to actually handle the piece or establish a right-to-return agreement with any seller before wasting your time and money...

Julie

I realize that. After doing a lot of research on this forum, it seems the consensus is that it is virtually impossible to find a consistently well made one at this time. Pretty sad actually.

I have an old one that a fellow magician gave to me years ago. The brass piece is very thick; it practically fills up the entire box, plus the mechanism is well camouflaged and precision-machined. The ones I see online now are much thinner. I guess that saves the manufacturer money.

It is sad! Once something becomes popular, "entrepreneuers" mass produce chincy ones in China that flood the market and squeeze out the ones that are actually crafted with care (magic shops are forced to order the crap models or lose customers).

I have never seen a matchbox penetration block like mine, but I know they must be out there..

Douglas M.

I got a great thick well machined one from "The Vanishing Rabbit" Magic shop....

Thank you SeaDawg,

I went to the Vanishing Rabbit and the model they sell is called "Miraculous Penetration by Vincenzo Di Fatta". This version is also on some sites familiar to me (Dennis Loomis, Frank Starsini, etc.).

Jamie, If this is the thicker, better built version, (like SeaDawg's and mine), then maybe Vincenzo Di Fatta is the inventor (or maybe he obtained the rights to manufacture the original version).

Douglas M.

Jamie,

I have a version (created by Dick Zimmerman) I purchased back in the early nineties. The trick is called Clearly Impossible.

In this version a matchbox, needle and a thin ribbon (which is attached to the needle) are used. The matchbox is penetrated by the needle and ribbon. The box is shown on all sides. When the box is opened, a block of clear lucite plastic is found inside totally filling the drawer.

Nothing is gimmicked and all may be examined.

I reviewed Matchbox Penetration (Cerillas Bloque in Spanish) for Genii Magazine in 1996, I believe. The prop was released first by Selecciones Magicas, a dealer in Barcelona Spain. The brass block was significantly thicker than the knock-offs seen today, and the gimmick moved lengthwise rather than widthwise within the block. For those of you not sure what you have, the original block is purposely "scratched" on all surfaces to hide the gimmickry. It measures 1.75" x 1.25" and is 1/2" thick.

Using the needle/ribbon device to penetrate is a bad idea because when spectators try it themselves during the post-trick examination period, they will damage the metal right at the point where the gimmick is located. It is a MUCH better idea to use one of the following items instead of the needle: a bar straw, a toothpick, a "sword-shaped" toothpick used to hold large deli sandwiches together (available free at Treasure Island in Las Vegas) or a (duh!) matchstick.

Currently, the only dealer that I know that has them in stock is Magic, Inc. in Chicago. Sandy Marshall (Jay's son) made a trip to Spain last summer and bought a bunch of them.

I have been performing this trick as part of my professional repertoire for 15 years. In my routine the block magically appears in the matchbox which is shown empty and examined by spectators. I have published the instructions for the routine and offer them as part of my lecture "Corporate Magic" which I've done in NJ, Philly, Orlando, Minneapolis and Chicago. You may purchase the Matchbox Penetration with my instructions for $90 from me. I think the price is the same from Magic Inc.

Congratulations to Jamie Grant on creating a version compatible with a card box. I hope to have the opportunity to review it for Genii Magazine.

Danny, that sounds like a great routine!

Paul Diamond put out a version years ago.

Wasn't the original creator Robb Stiff? Right on the box for his "Matchbox Penetration" it says "Robb Stiff, Magic Creator". It certainly leaves the impression that he invented it!

LOL,
Sammy

Only problem, is that whoever purchases this from him is going to get "stiffed."

And just in case you're wondering why this thread is alive after 5 years, lol...