'On The Mark' by Mark Elsdon

Name: "On the Mark" by Mark Elsdon
From: Mark directly, or Alakazam
Price: £45
Genre:Mentalism

Basic effect:

Showing the audience a wallet, the magish/mentalist states that inside it he has one envelope, inside which is just one card.

Through a very fair selection process, the spectator names a card. The mentalist removes only one envelope, removes the only card inside and shows that it is exactly the named card!

Comments:

So, in description, the effect reads like Kenton Knepper's Kolossal Killer, or one of the many variants thereof. And yes, it is another variation on that theme.

You get a nice jacket style (i.e. long) wallet, the necessary Bicycle-brand gaffed card(s) and the necessary envelope(s).

The wallet and envelopes are totally ungaffed - in fact the wallet is practically identical to the shop-bought one I butchered to do my very first card-in-wallet routines many years ago.

The internal set-up of the wallet makes locating the envelope easy and logical, leaving you to concentrate on the presentation.

There's some clever wordplay involved - much more clever than the standard equivoque you may have come across.

So how does it bear up to it's competitors?

Kolossal Killer

The biggest difference between OTM and KK is that, with OTM you are always 100% right - no "off by one" get outs. Whether or not this cliniches the deal for you will be a personal choice. I prefer direct hits.

52-on-1 Card Miracle by Dick Barry

This routine uses a jumbo card (apparently with a full deck on it) and gaffed envelopes. The routine is played out slightly differently and can involve more than one spectator. OTM can play big or small, and each stage of the selection process can be done by a different person - making the final choice seemingly all the more random.

Bang On by Marc Oberon

Perhaps the most direct in terms of effect - you name any card, and that card is immediately produced from a single envelope inside a single wallet. Only you use more than more wallet, and the wallets themselves are of a widely known variety.

Obviously, the wallet can't be in view all the time with Bang On, which is not the case with OTM, in which the wallet can be in a spectator's hands all the way through and (with some very good audience management skills) they can remove the envelope.

So, with OTM, you have a 100% success rate, a selection procedure that is logical and consistent, and only one, ungaffed, wallet which can be in view all the time.

Do you have to use the supplied wallet? No - you can use this in other wallets with certain attributes.

Do you have to use the supplied envelopes? If silver's not your colour, no. Go for manila pay envelopes if you want.

Is it a one trick pony? Yes - and, no. Yes, because it's a very clean, direct selected-card-in-envelope-in-wallet, and no because the selection procedure used can be utilised far more widely - with any objects you might want to imagine.

Because the routine itself is so strong, and because it's so adaptable I have no qualms about recommending this.

Mark

Yep I second Mark's thoughts, it is very good.

If you are considering making the splash get it from Mark as Mr Nardi is rich enough.

Mark's email - onetruemerlin@hotmail.com

Too true. I always buy any of Mark's stuff directly from him.

Have you seen Mark's "In Your Dreams", Noel?

Wow sounds like a v.v.v. good trick. Might have to buy in the future!!