The very inventive UK cardman, Peter Kane, created the stretching card effect, and then Jon Racherbaumer, Eugene Castillon and Roy Johnson collaborated on an even more convincing version that used a more deceptive gimmick. The effect remains one of the most memorable card effects you can perform for lay audiences. It has the feel of a large stage illusion, brought down to close-up size. I first learned this trick in the pages of Jon Racherbaumer's Kaballa in the mid 1970's, and I still use my set. I even had a jumbo size set made, and occasionally perform it as part of my club set -- it is that good.
Although it was a powerful effect, many magicians did not get a chance to perform it, because the necessary gimmick was not readily available. But I've come across a few nice sets, made up in Bicycle poker cards. So now, you, too, can show your audiences this effect, which is EXCELLENT:
Magi shows three cards, two blue backed tens and a red backed queen. The queen is put faceup between the two facedown tens, and all is squared up. Then the queen is pulled out on end of the packet. Then she is pull out the other end of the packet -- extending from both ends! You can pull each end out a little more, and a little more, until she is about twice her normal length. Then she is carefully pushed back in. The cards are then very cleanly shown front and back.
By the way, only three cards are used. The handling is very clean throughout. The queen in this set has a contrasting red back, to use with the other two blue cards. If you prefer, you could use a blue backed Queen from your own deck. (This can make it seem more impromptu, if you apparently just remove the cards from your deck, rather than have them as a separate "special" packet.
Brand new and unused. To be clear, these sets are recently manufacturered -- they are NOT vintage sets from the 1970's cardworker's underground. They come with instructions from a basic handling of the effect -- I'll also include a copy of the handling described in Kabbala.
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