Some years back, I was booked to work the W.C. Fields Bar at The Magic Castle for the first time and I wondered what my set should consist of. I decided to do some of the tricks I loved when I was a kid, the tricks that got me hooked on magic. I wasn’t sure if this was a good idea or not, but that’s never stopped me before. As it happens, it was a good idea.
Aside from the internal nostalgic value the theme of my set provided, I was pleasantly surprised to see grown men and women reacting to the old tricks in the same manner I did 50 years ago, with delight and awe. One of the tricks stood out from the rest. The effect used to be called Double X and back in the day it sold for less than five dollars. Perhaps it cost half that… all I know is I did not possess great riches as a 12-year-old, and purchasing this trick did not stress me out.