McCarron, B.W. (Mercurio): The Propshop Tricks With Magical Accessories ©1975, published by D. Robbins & Company, Inc. Softcover, saddle-stitched, 5.5x8.5", 52 pages

Image from Magicref

Comments [Stewart Tame]: Illustrated by Tony "Doc" Shiels. Edited by Roy Fromer. Most of these effects revolve around either unusual props (round playing cards for instance) or commercially available effects that are reworked in unusual ways. "Mercurio" is the professional name of Brett W. McCarron.

Contents:

4 A Brief Biography of Mercurio
5 Introduction by Roy Fromer
6 Snake Nut Can: Use for revelation of selected card, as running gag, or in following routine.
6 Nuts!: Snake nut can on plate becomes running gag between tricks, plate moves, can sticks to plate, etc, eventually magician opens can and snake flies out bearing silk banner that reads "The End."
7 Wand Trix
7 Disappearing Wand: Reworked for close-up with wands made from lollipop sticks
7 Big to Small: Wand covered briefly seems to shrink
7 Color-Changing Wand
7 Card Catcher: Wand touched to deck, selected card attaches itself to end of wand.
8 A Few More Wand Trix:
8 Silks!: Variation of traditional vanishing wand with paper torn open to reveal silks instead of wand
8 Magic Wand Ideas: Themed wands for holiday shows (candy cane at Christmas for instance), attach electrical cord to wand which has to be plugged in for magic to work
8 Magic Matches: tear one out and light it for each trick
8 A Chewy Magic Wand: Use large Tootsie Roll for wand, bite off section for each trick, show over when wand gone.
9 Edible Rope: Use giant licorice rope for cut and restored rope effects, bite out sections instead of using scissors
9 A Seance Secret: Use a fluorescent tube to produce spirit lights.
9 An Original Idea: Use a carpenter's apron (should fit unobtrusively under a suit) to hold props for close-up act.
10 McCarron's Growing Hair On a Billiard Ball: 1" wooden ball displayed, magician closes hand around it, adds a few drops of "Hairy Harry's Hot Headed Hair Oil" from bottle, opens hand to show ball has grown hair.
10 An Advertising Idea: Advertise on the back flap of your mailing envelopes, some humorous slogans suggested.
12 The Escaping Convict: Three cardboard plaques shown, one is decorated like a jail cell with two windows cut into it, second has written record of prisoner, third is blank, when stacked, prisoner's name and ID number show through windows in cell, prisoner vanishes from between the other two even though the stack is secured with rubber bands.
14 Cane Swallowing Act: Requires a certain Fantasio product with which all magicians should be familiar.
14 Poker Player's Nightmare: Magician hands spectator slot machine-style electrical poker machine, spectator selects five cards, magician names them.
14 Milk Pitcher Idea: Using the insert from a milk pitcher a serviceable "Milk" vodka bottle can be created.
15 Pseudo-Hypnosis: How to fake a hypnosis act.
15 Anti-Gravity Routine: Different presentation for the Milk Pitcher.
15 Tele-Transposer: Goes with the above as a mad scientist act, magic attributed to machine instead of magician.
16 Improved "Message From the Ashes": Names of famous magicians given by audience members, written down on slips of paper, papers in bowl, one drawn, the rest burned, ashes rubbed on arm, name appears & is selection.
16 Torn & Restored Fortune Cookie: Fortune cookie opened, fortune torn and restored.
17 The Hypno Thermometer: Mercury in thermometer seen to rise, audience members feel warmer, audience hypnosis?
17 Nickels to Dimes Insurance Routine: Nickels borrowed from spectator, NTD gimmick used to vanish them, nickels in sealed envelope in magician's pocket.
18 Football Interlude: Magician shows small (3") football and tells audience member to get ready to catch it, throws ball which disappears, silk floats down with word "Vanished" written on it.
19 Miracle Glue-A Coin and Card Mystery: Coin sticks to packet of cards, cards removed one by one, coin continues to stick, removed, cards and coin may be examined.
20 Magic Fisherman: Card selected, returned to deck, magician uses fishing line on bamboo pole to reel in card from deck.
22 1973 Coin & Card Trick: Plateful of coins of various denominations shown, spectator selects one, magician places it in glass, magician fans deck of cards, has spectator divide them into four piles, cards redistributed between piles, top card of each flipped over, value of cards (A-9-7-3, for instance) equals date on coin (1973.)
24 Over and Over Again: Magician borrows deck of cards, ribbon spreads them, takes top card and turns it face up, places it on next card, turns two-card packet over and places it on next card, turns three-card packet over, etc. through the deck, magician does one-handed cut and fans deck to show that all cards face the same way again.
25 Brand X Card Force: Prescription bottle full of slips of paper, each one has different page number and number of word on page, card selected, slip selected, word compared to chart which tells value and suit of selected card.
25 Aces of Spades & Seven of Hearts Passe Passe: Magician places 7H face down under glass tumbler on table, places AS on top of tumbler, spectator taps cards, turns them over to show Ace and Seven have switched places.
26 Mind Over Matter-A Card Demonstration: Magician names card that spectator will choose, spectator selects a card, magician says it's correct, this is repeated three more times, magician turns all four cards over to show that they really are the ones selected.
26 "Heads or Tails" Miracle Thought Transference: Magician demonstrates ability to make spectator flip coin either heads or tails on command.
27 New! Improved! Coins Thru the Cards Trick: Magician places deck of cards over mouth of glass, holds up two coins, taps them on deck, coins vanish, visibly fall from deck into glass.
28 On Round Cards: Using round playing cards to add a unique touch to any card routine.
28 Round Card Comedy: Some suggested patter.
28 In the Round: Card revelation, picture of hot air balloon on dark background, balloon rises, changes to duplicate of selected card in mid-air.
30 Svensational Svengali Routines
30 Behind Label: For advertising magic, card appears behind label on package of product.
30 Variation: Card painted onto back of label.
30 E.S.P. 3 Card Prediction: Mail prediction to manager of venue well before performance, force three cards, envelope contains prediction of three cards.
30 A Comedy Stunt: Novelty radio gives shock when button pressed, spectator told pushing button will cause radio to name card, card on inside of case of radio.
30 Dead Men Tell No Tales: Halloween magic, assistant in mummy mask shambles onto stage and names card in raspy voice.
31 Card In Shrunken Head: Card appears inside head.
31 Deluxe Version: Same method as "Card in Orange" with torn off corner matching card.
31 3 Card No-Way: Deck riffled as 3 spectators each choose card, all asked to name card on count of three, all name same card.
31 Vanishing Cane Interlude: Cane vanishes to leave magician holding silk with picture of selected card.
31 Vanishing Cane Eye-Popper: Same as above but silk in cane is prediction, revealed before card is selected.
32 More Svengali Ideas
32 Appear in Firecracker: Selection vanishes from deck to appear in firecracker.
32 Iron into Right Card: Magician uses steam iron to change wrong card into right one.
32 Reappear in Pen: Self-explanatory.
32 Comedy Vision Tester: Spectator reads eye chart which names card.
32 An Idea: Alternate presentation of "Think-a-Card" from D. Robbins' 102 Magic Secrets.
32 Money Maker Routine: Use money maker to change blank slip of paper into duplicate of chosen card.
32 Fortune Surprise: Spectator opens fortune cookie to find that fortune predicts their chosen card.
32 Black Eye Gag: Spectator looks through black eye telescope to see selected card, magician names selected card after gag pays off.
33 'Coin Slide' Magic: The following effects utilize a coin slide, an item that can be found in most novelty shops.
33 Chosen Card Found: Miniature duplicate of forced card in slide, borrow penny from spectator and change to selected card.
33 Coin Press: Blank metal or plastic disc changed into nickel.
33 Sucker Color Change: Red paper disk changes to green, magician shows green on one side, red on the other, places in slide again, shows red on both sides.
33 Double Coin Vanish: Coin vanished using the slide, magician produces coin from pocket, vanishes from fingertips.
34 Dime to Penny: Borrowed dime changes to penny.
34 Fortune Teller Trick with Coin Slide: Question written on paper in slide, changes to paper with answer.
34 Sucker Slide Box: Magician borrows nickel, places in slide, spectator opens to find paper with words, "Thanks for the donation. You are now a member of the Sucker Club."
34 Mystic Art Box: Blank cardboard disk into slide, picture appears on it.
34 Disappearing Coin Slide: Coin slide vanishes at climax of routine.
35 "Coin Slide Forces U-Can Do": Several methods of having the spectator choose blindly and place their choice into "plastic (or wooden) receptacle to keep it out of my sight."
36 "More Tricks U-Can Do With a Coin Slide": Spectator stacks three colored disks in any order in the slide, magician predicts order even though spectator doesn't see their choice until drawer opened.
36 The Coin Slide Strikes Again
36 Coin Switcher: switch gimmicked for non-gimmicked and vice versa.
36 Sucker Effect: Spectator thinks piece of tissue paper is going to disappear but it changes color instead.
37 5 Tricks with a Windsor Dye Box
37 Miracle Detergent: Dirty rags magically cleaned.
37 Instant Chicken: Blown egg crushed and placed in box, rubber chicken produced.
37 Deckswitch: Switch gimmicked cards for ordinary ones.
37 Cut and Restored Rope: Cut rope goes in, restored rope comes out.
37 Coin Remover: Handful of change poured into box, quarters missing when removed again.
38 5 More Tricks with a Windsor Box
38 Ghost's Convention: Box shown empty, 10 white silks come flying out.
38 Is This Your Card?: Deck placed into box, 52 duplicates on string come flying out.
38 That's All, Folks!: Vanish props at the climax of the show.
38 Color-Changing Necktie: Magician removes tie, places it in box, removes different tie and dons it.
38 Do It-Yourself: Shredded newspaper and loose tobacco put into box, pack of cigarettes removed.
39 "Still More Effects With a Windsor Box"
39 Stamps to Album: Loose stamps and two-page album into box, album removed to show stamps pasted inside.
39 Passe-Passe Poker Chips: Red chip placed in box vanishes, blue chip produced.
39 Photo Lab: Negatives and blank paper in, photos out.
39 Wait!: Box shown empty, audience asked to name card, playing cards spill out of box, "Should have had you name only one."
39 Popcorn, Anyone?: Box empty, popcorn poured forth.
40 ... With A Little Help From Our Friends!!!
40 The Robert Hundertmark Silk Routine: Silk turns into ball which multiplies, etc.
40 Bottomless (?) Glass by Dan R.V. Cawley: Bottomless tumbler modified so that wand or other large objects may be placed inside it without falling through, though small objects still drop.
41 Some Ideas by Russell Thornton and Richard Foote
41 The Foote Production Cabinet: Box shown empty, spun in air, load produced, can be used to vanish instead.
41 Rice Bowl Switch: Double-walled rice bowl switched for an ordinary one which can be passed out for examination.
42 Eureka 4 In Hand (by Richard Foote): Spectator selects card, returned to deck, shuffled, cut, etc, top four cards openly shown to be indifferent, top four cards placed between fingers of spectator's fist, cards struck causing all but one to drop to floor, remaining card is selection.
42 The Cannon Ball Prediction: Six cards shown, spectator chooses one, cards mixed and placed face down on table or tray, miniature cannon shown, placed behind each card until steel ball rolls out of muzzle and lands on one card, card is selection.
43 Copper Card Cabinet: Cabinet lined with copper shown to be empty, spectator selects card, cabinet opened to show duplicate of chosen card inside.
43 Thornton Card Force: Spectator names number between two and fifty-two, magician counts down that many cards, selection then revealed to have been predicted, etc.
44 The Old Spikes Through Balloon-Trick: Modifying the apparatus so that the tube may be shown empty.
44 Drumhead Water Production: Production of liquids from a drumhead tube instead of the usual ribbons, dove, etc.
45 Dancing Die In Hat: Large die produced from pages of book, placed in hat, removed, placed under decorative cover, vanishes and reappears in hat.
46 Platelifter Effects: Using platelifter to have selected card or coin reveal itself.
46 X-Ray Spex: Using the familiar novelty as a prop to find chosen card, etc.
46 A Silk Finale: Brightly colored silk appears and shoots down to the middle of the magician's table where it remains suspended, unfolded to read "The End."
48 How to End Your Routine: 29 suggestions given, many involving familiar apparatus such as Spirit Slates, Egg Bag, etc.
51 Bonus Section
51 Round Card Trix: Perfect for show outdoors, Frisbee comes sailing in with duplicate of selected card pasted to it.
51 It's That Time Again: Card selected from round deck, alarm begins ringing, duplicate of selected card pasted to face of alarm clock.
52 Mercurio's Improved Card-In-Balloon Mystery: Cardboard target on stage with transparent balloon affixed to center, card selected from round deck, magician throws dart at balloon which bursts, duplicate of selected card impaled by dart on target.
53 Mercurio's "Record-Breaking Card Trick": Card selected from round deck, magician promises to give away record album lying plain sight on table if selected card doesn't turn up, several wrong guesses, large duplicate of card on record.
54 Mercurio's Card Wheel Improved: Round playing card selected, "brainwave testing" machine switched on, cards slowly scroll by window, stops on duplicate of selected card.
55 "Hole In One" Rediscovered: Seven cards shown, spectator selects one, magician fires imaginary pistol, hole in card, several methods given:
55 Double Envelope Method
55 Teletransposer Method: Mad scientist theme, hole drilled by laser.
55 Stooge Method
56 Stooge Method-Deluxe
56 No-Stooge Method
56 "Hole In One" Heckler Stoppers
56 Patter Idea: Golf theme
56 Cut and Restored Rope: using Double Envelope Method from above.
57 The Mailed Deck: Deck mailed to friend with instructions, cards cut, shuffled once, friend selects card, mails half the deck back to magician, magician sends postcard with name of selection.
59 A Novel Card Stab: Card selected from miniature deck, wrapped in paper, stabbed with knife, knife stabs right to chosen card.
59 Two Bright Comets Flashing From Your Fingertips: Almost literally that, flashes of fire from fingertips.
60 Rising Cards Revisited: Spectator's card rises from center of deck.
61 Living Or Dead Re-Visited: Spectators write names of living and dead people on cards, magician separates the living from the dead, nine different methods given.
63 "Pipe Dream" Trix For All Seasons
63 Magic Beach Tree: Magician shows seed and cardboard tube, plants seed in sand, covers with tube, removes to show small sapling ready for transplanting.
63 Ice Idea: Magician squeezes water in hands to make lump of ice.
63 Torn and Restored Maple Leaf: Title says it all.
64 Why A Duck: Magician out with guests on a lake, card selected, nearby duck dives, surfaces with duplicate of selected card.