Cone-Tact
by Aldo Colombini

Dai Vernon's “Ball, Cone and Handkerchief” is a classic of magic. I've always been fascinated with this routine and many (many!) years ago in Italy, I developed the routine that you are finding here in this manuscript.

The basic routine remains Vernon's but I have added several other moves and expanded the presentation by adding a few different effects. The main feature of the routine as I have developed it, is that it is entirely performed in the magician's hands, with no need for the table.

A special thanks goes to the late Mike Rogers because he allowed me to use a ball vanish of his published in his wonderful book The Complete Mike Rogers.

I prefer to finish the routine by vanishing the ball at the end rather than to have the ball appear underneath the cone as in the original Vernon routine. Of course you can add other moves or eliminate some moves and shorten it. I suggest you to learn it as it is gradually, studying each stage until you have mastered it and then moving up to the following phase repeating the previous one and the next so that you will fully learn the whole routine until it 'flows' in your hands. Then you may decide to make your own variations.