by Steve Murray

This scenario brought to mind a Guy Hollingworth idea from his excellent book "Drawing Room Deceptions". Whilst the conditions don't allow for a duplicate deck, I have taken the liberty of using a duplicate force card. Two duplicates in fact. Read on.

The Ring Handling: Select a spectator wearing a large, bulky ring, or, better yet, a ring with
a stone mounted like a pommel on the ring. You're going to ask the spectator to hold their ring between thumb & index finger of right hand, and keep left hand free to take a card later. This should allow you to load a rolled up card into the ring, but hopefully stop the spectator from fingering it before the final reveal. With the spectator holding the ring, get them to place it behind their back and hold still. Emphasise that no-one should see this ring just yet, and the best way is to hold it low down behind their back - at this point take their hand, move behind them and finger-palm a rolled-up force card duplicate you're your pocket. It should be easy to load it through the ring, as you will have ample cover being behind the spectator's back (not great
stagecraft but essential to the effect!). NB The card is rolled along its short side to make a narrow tube, about 2.5 inches long.

The Card Handling:
Set-up: Force card on top of pack (low red card, eg 4H)
Duplicate 4H beneath that, with false 'generic signature'.
Duplicate-duplicate (is that good English?) with identical 'generic signature' rolled up into thin tube, in right jacket pocket.

The blank 4H card is forced, shown to all, and then signed by it's selector (spectator #1), but in such a way that the audience/ring-holder (spectator #2) doesn't see the signature.

During the signing, the top card of the deck (generic-signature 4H) is turned over face up. (NB 'guide' the signer by pointing at lower half of card, and ask him to sign it formally, as if "signing a check or legal document", so as to prevent anything too distinguishable!) Genuine signature card is taken and blown on to help dry the ink, whilst deck is dropped to side of left leg, to allow the top card to be turned over, as described by Hollingworth (NB this turn-over technique also
features in Hugard & Braue). The 'genuinely-signed' card is placed quickly face-up on top, and the deck is wrist-killed towards selector, with an aside like "Ink should be dry now." Then the card(s) are double turned-over, so the deck, from the top, goes fake signature 4H, 'real' 4H, remainder of deck. Take off top card and show to audience/spectator #2, (but obviously not the guy who signed it). At this stage, the spectators see 4H with fake signature on it, but have no reason to believe it isn't the real signature of spectator #1. Spectator #1 has seen his own signed card go on top of the pack, and has no reason to suspect a switch. Then place the top card (4H fake signature) face down upon spectator #2's right hand. As you return to a position between them, top palm off the real 4H, and pocket it (eg. Look for pen, and dump in inside pocket before 'realising' it's still with the card selector).

Then re-take the fake card from the palm of 2nd spectator and lose in the deck, but actually control it to the bottom of the pack; get a break above it, and cop it. Hold position for a beat, and then hand deck to 1st spectator, dumping copped-card into left outer jacket pocket. Spectator #1 holds the deck on flat of left palm, essentially to keep his hands busy. After a gesture or some other bit of byplay, ask spectator #2 to go to the cards and deal them face up onto spectator #1's palm, both looking for the card - this engages both of them, and their confirm the card is gone. Now ask #1 to slowly bring round his ring, and hold for a beat whilst
everyone sees this. This is really important to choreograph now! Ask #2 to pick out the card,
and to step forward and show the audience. As he does this, step in front of #1 and retake the deck. The original signed card needs to be re-loaded on the top. Now move forward to spectator #2 and take the card from him. Make a bit of a deal of straightening the card (i.e. your justification for handling it) and place it face down on deck to help massage it flat. Ask
spectator #2 to sit down, turn to #1 and double-turnover to bring the original card face up. Pull it off the deck by its front edge, and use left thumb to tease the card so that it looks that it has been warped slightly. Hold it towards #1 (not hand it to him) and ask him to confirm that this is
his card & signature.

Fin