Description
If you are looking for something a bit different from the norm to entertain your audiences, something with a fun routine, then this unusual effect will almost certainly fit the bill.
The performer displays a casket which he claims to have discovered unexpectedly in an old junk shop, and which the shopkeeper told him once belonged to Ancient Egypt’s Queen Nefertiti and has an unusual story behind it. Removing the lid from the casket, the performer reveals a small box which completely fills the interior of the casket. The smaller box features the golden death mask of Nefertiti’s husband, the Pharaoh, who gave her this box shortly before he died. This small box is then tipped out of the casket, leaving the casket completely empty prior to its lid being replaced.
The small box contains a golden, gem-studded ankh which once belonged to the Pharaoh and which is special in more ways than one: firstly, because the golden ankh has a power similar to that of a divining rod which enables it to reveal to its owner, Queen Nefertiti, any presence that may prove to be harmful to her; and secondly, that this prized golden ankh can never be stolen from her. The performer, using five special Egyptian cards, proves the divining power of the ankh to detect evil and then the ankh is returned to its box…
And now, according to the junk shopkeeper who sold Nefertiti’s casket to the performer, this is where the story really begins to get interesting. A wily old Egyptian antique dealer known as Cairo Con originally owned Nefertiti’s casket and the small box and golden ankh it contained. Cairo Con, after much haggling with a tourist wanting desperately to buy the valuable golden ankh, would finally agree to sell it to him, together with the small box which housed it. Unfortunately, however, when the gullible tourist finally returned home and opened the box to examine his priceless treasure, he discovered – to his considerable dismay! – that the golden ankh had disappeared completely! And where had it gone? Cairo Con was not called by that name for nothing: the golden ankh always returned, unfailingly, to Nefertiti’s casket (which Cairo Con claimed he held in trust for the Queen), thereby enabling him to make up a new small box to house the ankh which he could then sell all over again. And again. And again… Always safe in the knowledge that the valuable ankh would return to the casket where it rightfully belonged!
THE APPARATUS
The exquisitely handcrafted teak casket measures approximately 10.5 x 7.5 x 6 cms, and is decorated with both inlay and relief work. The smaller teak box containing the golden ankh measures 8 x 5.5 x 2.5 cms. The recess in the top of the lid is framed with a rectangular black border set in relief. A specially moulded golden pharaoh’s head is mounted in the recess. Inlaid bandings are also a feature on this smaller box.
The golden ankh is decorated with a small blue natural gemstone and measures approximately 6.25 cms in length. A full routine and five special cards featuring an Egyptian back are also supplied with the apparatus.
Andy Martin –
Wow! Beautiful, Magical, and Entertaining!
The latest creation from master craftsman Alan Warner certainly delivers! The detail on the boxes is incredible – it really is magical just to look at them. I know why there are so few inventors out there making this sort of magic: because Craftsmanship like Alan’s is in very, very short supply.
The effect and patter line are entertaining and the basic effect is a simple transportation from one box to the other. Not a new method or theme, but with these props and the patter line its still a beauty.
I know Alan really puts his heart and soul into his work, and for this effect it is very obvious he does so. If you have not seen any of Alan’s work up close, its about time you did. You will not be dissappointed.
Keep any eye open for a new site dedicated 100% to this wonderful creator: $link(http://warner.qualitymagic.com,warner.qualitymagic.com) – it will be live soon!
George Guerra –
Absolutely Marvelous!!!!!
You can’t find any fault with Alan’s magic. I have been collecting quality magic for over 15 years and in all the years of seeing great stuff, Alan’s Mini-Magic is, in my opinion, the best I have seen. This item is simply beautiful. The craftsmanship is superb and delivered the same awe inspiring impact as the $link(1442,Flight of the Falcon) did when I received that masterpiece. The storyline is entertaining and the magic dramatic. I really don’t know what more I can say, but, Alan….thank you very much!!
Doug Gorman –
Cairo Con
This is my first piece of Alan Warner magic, but not my last. The effect is entertaining, and the method is clever, but what is most striking is the quality of craftsmanship and the friendliness of service I received from Alan in the acquisition of this beautiful piece. Thanks, Alan, for your creativity, your attention to detail, and your just plain being a nice person.
Bob Parmacek –
An Egyptian Mystery
Many years ago I had the wonderful experience of traveling through Egypt from the pyramids at Giza to the Temple at Karnac. One of the highlights of that trip was visiting the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. In this museum you see the treasures of ancient Egypt and the spectular collection rescued from King Tut’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings. If you were to walk through the museum and saw the outer casket of Alan Warner’s Cairo Con you would admire the ancient hand work on the cover and the beautiful inlay work around the base. If you happened to see a sign next to the small casket and it read that this box was one that Queen Nefertiti had kept her most precious jewels in, you no doubt would nod at its beauty as you might many of the ancient treasures in the museum and continue on enjoying every so often your memory of this very special box. The truth is that you do not have to go to Egypt to see this box and not only can you enjoy the beauty of the casket you can find the mystrey of the box. In fact the box holds several msyteries for you and the specators you show this Mini Magic box to. The pieces of the effect are made with the careful hand of the master craftsman Alan Warner. The magic methods are subtle yet compelling. The story that goes with Cairo Con fits the magic perfectly and I am so pleased to have come to own my Cairo Con. If you are looking for something very special be sure you see the box that might have been owned by Nefertiti had she lived in a different era.