The Invisible Mirror.pdf

The Invisible Mirror

( and other things I found in Freddie’s Wallet)

An e-Book by Bob Cassidy

PART ONE – THE TEXT

reserved.

This is “Freddie’s Wallet.” I call

it that because I bought it at Fred Myers ,

a popular department store chain in the

western United States - referred to by

the locals as “Freddie’s.” (It would be

more accurate to call it “Freddie’s

Credit Card Case,” because there is no

money compartment - it is strictly for

credit cards, identification, and business

cards.)

On the outside of the case is a

clear ID window. In the photograph, it

is located on the back of the side with

the credit cards. If you were to slide a

card into the left vertical compartment

near the centerfold, it would be visible

in the outside window. In essence, it

does the same job as the original two-

fold Jaks peek wallet.

The Invisible Mirror

But “Freddie’s Wallet” isn’t just another peek device. While it serves admirably

in that capacity, its main use is as a switching gimmick that also provides cover for an

umbrella move, a peek, and finally the return of a spectator’s folded billet. All of this

happens while the billet seemingly remains folded and in full view. This is made

possible by the interesting gimmick seen lying before the wallet in the previous

photograph.

If you like the concept, and I am sure you will, you’ll be happy to know that

“Freddie’s Wallet” is not a device you are apt to see being used by many other

magicians or mentalists. It is not available in magic shops – in fact, it is not available

ANYWHERE. The only way you can have one is to make it yourself. Fortunately, this

is an easy task and shouldn’t take you more than half an hour or so after you have

obtained the proper credit card case and the necessary materials.

[For those of you who were wondering, the quote above the Doctor Bob photo on the first page

is a reference to those unfortunate beings who, having seen “street magic” and the various exposure

shows on television, have concluded that magic and/or mentalism is a talent you can buy in a magic

shop. Doctor Bob has banned these individuals from his neighborhood, or, as he puts it, his “hood.”]

The wallet, as I said, is really a credit card case. Since there is no money

compartment, it is an easy matter to gimmick the case without having to cut through

the extra layers of leather and cloth that you would otherwise encounter. Additionally,

the case is smaller than a regular wallet and will fit neatly into your outside jacket or

shirt pocket.

You will notice that there are two different credit card/ID cases shown in the

photographs that follow. The larger of the two is the one I used in the video clips. In

addition to the billet “switch and peek” feature, it also has a magnetic window on the

outside, which can be used to peek at what has been written on a business card inserted

- writing side down - into the second horizontal pocket on the left side of the case. For

those of you who want the case to double as a rather nonstandard peek wallet, I will

show you how the magnetic window is constructed and the means by which the peek is

obtained.

The second case, the smaller of the two, does not have an outside window. In

fact, the one in the photos is a modified “Stockbroker” – a commercial gimmick

designed to facilitate the “Out to Lunch” principle. If you own a “Stockbroker” case

and don’t mind cutting it up like I did with mine, you can – in addition to the billet

feature - use the case for your favorite OTL effects. Otherwise, any available credit card

case will do – as long as it has three or four horizontal credit card pockets on the inside

left and/or right sides.

The media clips will give you an excellent idea of how the billet switch and read

works. It will take some practice to do perfectly, but it is not nearly as difficult as you

might imagine. If you just make up the wallet and play with it a while, you will soon

discover how it facilitates what would otherwise be a difficult series of moves. You will

also have a lot of fun making the dummy billet appear and disappear as you push the

gimmick up and down.

WARNING: If you are among the minority who will be tempted to use this

device as a means of performing the infamous “Rising Billet” trick – DON’T DO IT!

There is one other thing that the case will do for you. In the video clip “The

Methods”, you will see that I have concealed a silver dollar size convex mirror under

the front flap of the case. It has a magnet attached to the back. Since the billet gimmick

is made of tin, the mirror, when removed from it’s hiding place, will cling to the outside

of the case where it can be used to obtain a reflection of a drawing made by a spectator

on a business card. In practice, the handling is pretty standard:

Remove a business card from the case and hand it, along with a black Sharpie

Marker, to a spectator. Ask her to draw a simple picture on the blank side of the card

and, when she is done, to hold it at arm’s length before her. Turn your back while she

draws, and take the opportunity to slip the mirror out of the case and affix it to its back.

Later, when you turn around to face the spectator, tell her to hold her card higher so

that it is at her eye level. Use the hand holding the case to raise her arm upward to eye

level, thus giving yourself an opportunity to see a reflection of her drawing in the

mirror. I can be seen pantomiming this move on the “Methods” video.

[While the foregoing might appear to be the “Invisible Mirror” of the title, the real “invisible

mirror” is the reflection you will obtain of the spectator’s thoughts when you use the wallet for its

primary purpose – the switch, invisible read, and return of a folded billet. Why this is called “The

Invisible Mirror” is beyond the ken of rational minds and cannot be discussed here.]

Before I go any further, one point regarding the media clips should be made

absolutely clear. The videos are designed to show you how the switch works and what

it basically looks like from the audience’s point of view. They do NOT show how you

should actually perform it.

The “graceful” hand gestures, etc., are for illustrative purposes only. In practice,

it should look like you just placed the folded billet into the case while pointing out that

you will put it in a “safe place” until later. After the peek is obtained and the billet

refolded, the case should be tossed to the table, and or pocketed while you proceed with

your revelation. (AND IN ABSOLUTELY NO EVENT, SHOULD YOU PERFORM

THESE MOVES TO THE MOZART ACCOMPANIMENT USED IN THE VIDEO. The

only purpose of the music was so that you realized the videos are supposed to be

silent.)

The Invisible Mirror

Later, by using the gimmick “in reverse” you will be able to return the

spectator’s billet to her. DO NOT hold the case in your hands throughout the

demonstration, as this would draw unnecessary attention to the device – attention that

SHOULD be directed to your apparent “thought reading.” (Personally, I prefer to toss

the case onto a table in order to take an advantage of a subtlety we will discuss shortly.)

A NOTE ON THE MEDIA FILES:

To properly view the media files you should download the latest version of Real

Player. In the “options” dialogue of the player, you should select the option that allows

Real Player to play media directly from your hard drive without first downloading it.

(Otherwise, it will operate according to its default settings and attempt to download the

file from the Internet. If you were to leave the default setting and then click on the link

in the html file named “contents.html” (the page that links to all of the media) it is quite

possible that you will see a window that says “Real Player has attempted to perform an

illegal operation and will be shut down.” This will not occur if you change the default

settings as indicated OR if you just click directly on the media files in the folder where

you unzipped them. It is a lot more convenient, though, to access the files through the

“contents.html” page. In this manner, you can view both the text and the media at the

same time in separate windows.

[Sorry if the foregoing seems a bit confusing, but this was the only way I could

make this eBook compatible with most computer systems.]

THE BILLETS AND THE UMBRELLA MOVE

In many of my previous writings, I have stated that the actual size of a billet is

irrelevant, as long as it fits your hand. I have always been quite comfortable with either

standard size business cards folded into quarters or 3 X 5 index cards cut in half to form

3 X 2.5 inch billets, which, when folded into quarters serve equally well for most

switches.

With “Freddie’s Wallet,” however, another consideration comes into play – not

only must the billet be properly palmable when folded, but when it is opened out as

well, since the entire unfolded billet must be easily concealable in a finger palm position

as shown in the following sequence of illustrations. In my case, and perhaps in yours,

the perfect size is obtained by cutting a 4 X 6 index card into quarters – resulting in four

billets per card, each measuring 3” by 2” – or, for our European friends, approximately

75mm X 50mm.

There are two handlings I use for the insertion of the

folded billet into the wallet, but the mechanics of the finger

palm are the same in both. Only the timing is different, as we

will see momentarily. At the beginning of the switch/read

sequence, the spectator’s folded billet is palmed in the right

hand while apparently placed into the second horizontal

credit card slot. At the same time, the left fingers push the

gimmick into view from the bottom or back of the wallet

(depending on the style of case), creating the perfect illusion

of the folded billet being inserted halfway into the slot.

The billet is palmed laterally between the middle and

ring fingers of the right hand.

This exposed view of the umbrella move, shows how

the billet is finger palmed and will also illustrate to you why

the size of the billet is important. In the first photo to the left,

the billet is allowed to spring open along its centerfold. Note

that the folded sides of the billet are along the bottom and to

the right (facing the wrist).

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