Obscurities
by Peter Duffie

This new ebook is a collection of tricks that Peter published in various magazines and in books published by others. Now collected for the first time. These are not in any of his books or ebooks.

From the pages of: Linking Ring, Abracadabra, Griffin, Arcane, Magic magazine and other sources.

• Blind Faith Mindful Mentalism, Vol.1. compiled & published by Paul Hallas.
  This is a double prediction effect with the second prediction coming as a surprise, despite the fact that you state you have two predictions at the outset! In effect; from a set of cards that spell the word 'prediction' a spectator freely selects any four in an attempt to form a new word. The four cards can form the word 'dice'. Your prediction is revealed as two dice. The cards also have numbers on their backs. So now a second spectator selects one of the remaining cards. It might bear the number 7. What is the total of your 2 dice? Seven!
• Everywhere but Wrong! Linking Ring, August 1995.
  A rather perverse rendition of Hofzinser's classic trick, 'Everywhere and Nowhere.'
• Fantastic Voyage Magic magazine, December 1994.
  An Ace, Two and Three are signed by a spectator. The Ace and two instantly travel from the deck and appear in two different pockets. The Three is found in your wallet.
• King for a Day Wonderful Routines of Magic – 2nd Addendum, compiled & published by Ellison Poland.
  Three subordinate Kings bow, face down, to the designated "King for a day."
• Lie Witness Magic magazine, July 1992.
  You remove the four Kings from the deck and separate them into red and black pairs. A spectator freely chooses a card from the deck, remembers it, and then places it face down on the table. The two black Kings are placed on top of the deck, face up, and cut into the deck to lose them. Then, you clearly place the selec­tion on the bottom of the deck. With a magical gesture, the deck is spread to reveal that the selection has jumped to between the two black Kings in the center of the deck. The spread is closed and the two red Kings are dropped on top, face up. They are flipped face down and you make a magical gesture. Upon spreading them, the selection is seen to have jumped to the top of the deck and is now between them. You flip the red Kings face up and the selection is seen to have vanished from between them. They are dealt to the table. You now spread the deck to display the two face-up black Kings in the center of the deck—the selection is not be­tween them, either. Finally you reach into your pocket and pull out the chosen card.
• Lucky Ladies Abracadabra, 1996.
  Two cards are selected and then cut back into the deck. You give the deck a cut in an attempt to find the first selection. The card you cut to is not a selection, so you deal it on to the table, then place the deck on the table. You call upon the `Lucky Ladies' to make an appearance, by waving the odd card over the deck. When you spread the deck the two red Queens are seen face-up in the middle, but there is a face-down card sandwiched between them. This proves to be one of the selections. Finally, you turn over the odd card revealing that it has changed into the other selection.
• The Outcast The James File, compiled & published by Alan Slaight.
  This is Peter's solution that appeared in the James File to one of the most captivating problems ever posed in the history of card magic, Stewart James' "51 Faces North", which is his method for Paul Curry's "Open Prediction." To date Peter has not seen a solution which complies with every one of the conditions laid down by Mr. James. That he already has the method on which the stringent conditions are founded, it therefore seems meaningless to feel happy with a solution that fails to meet all the requirements. All Peter is prepared to say about the following solution is that it does meet every one of the conditions laid down by Mr. James, and the method could be construed as a “new angle on a known principle".
• Second Site Linking Ring, August 1995.
  The spectator writes a mes­sage on the face of a randomly selected card, which is then lost in the deck. The spectator freely cuts to a card and remembers it. The card is buried in the deck. The magician deals the entire deck into two piles. One is turned face up and shuffled. The other is shuffled but remains face down. Cards are simultane­ously dealt from each half as per the Smyth Myth effect until the message-card is reached. The message reads: "Stop Now!" The face-down card coincidentally dealt at the same time the message-card appeared proves to be the selection.
• Shaken, but not stirred Griffin, 1996.
  The following is an automatic version of the classic 'Do As I Do' coincidence effect. Here, after both the performer and a spectator carry out a series of identical shuffles and cuts in order to arrive at a random card, both cards turn out to be perfect matching partners. The method uses the original Henry Christ 203rd Force, combined with a locator. While it may appear simplistic, it is effective.
• Stebbins in my Ear Abracadabra, 1996.
  A spectator cuts the deck several times. Then lifts off a portion, notes the face card and shuffles the section. A second person freely cuts the deck, then gives you one card and notes the face card cut to. The card given to you whispers the name of both selections in your ear and you instantly name both cards.
• The Shy Card Abracadabra, 1996.
  Two cards are selected from the deck and these remain on the table. You now cut the deck and turn over the top card to display it. You state that this is the shy card in the deck and as so, prefers to hide in the card case. So said, you pop this card into the card case and leave the case on the table. You now pick up the two selections, saying, 'Actually, I'm not so sure about that. I think these two cards you picked are even shyer than the shy card. When you turn over the two cards they instantly become a single card - the shy card! Finally you open the card case and tip out the two.selections - or the spectator can do it.
• Thighned, Thunked & Delivered Linking Ring, Card Corner, May 1995.
  A card is freely selected and signed and put into the deck. The magi­cian then brings out some cards that are blank on both sides and proceeds to print, first the back, and then the front of the signed selection.
• Toddling Arcane magazine.
  You lay a prediction on the table. You show eight cards, each with a different letter of the alphabet printed on it. These are given to a spectator who mixes them, so that, randomly, some are face up and some face down. Taking the face up cards, a word is created. This might be “MOUSE.” You now turn over your prediction revealing the picture of a mouse!
• Twice Around the Block Linking Ring, August 1995.
  A move from Gene Maze and a trick from Duffie incorporating the move.
• Writing a Wrong Magic magazine, September 1993.
  A spectator writes his first name on both sides of a plain business card which has no other printing on either side. This card is, in turn, placed between two specially marked cards. A second plain business card is similarly signed by a second spectator on both sides. Without any further ado, the names on one side of each card transpose so that both their cards now bear both their names. Everything can be examined and the cards retained by the spectators as souvenirs.