"Emergency Cash" by Steve Shufton
Suggested Retail USD$20.00
Available direct from Steve Shufton
In a Blink: 9 Out of 10

"Emergency Cash", an effect by Steve Shufton, makes the "impossible location" as practical, as simple, and as straightforward as it's likely to get and, in the process, made a powerful piece of magic.

Face it, we're addicted to the "impossible location" thing. Bills, cards, coins, you name it, we're up for making that thing disappear and reappear somewhere it couldn't possibly be. Shufton's "Emergency Cash" accomplishes that is as clean and almost automatic a way as I've seen.

The effect is simple: a borrowed bill -- it can be signed if you want -- is held in your hand, and envelope waved over it, and the hand is opened to reveal the bill is gone. The envelope -- labeled "Emergency Cash" -- is opened and inside is another envelope. This continues until only one, tiny envelope is left. This is given to a spectator who opens it, revealing the bill inside.

Now, there are probably a thousand ways of doing that effect, and I'm being conservative with the number because there are probably a thousand more besides that. What make Shufton's work so good is the method he settled on. Everything is self-contained; you don't have different gimmicked parts laying around, so you can pick up the envelopes and be ready to go. There's no fumbling in your pocket for the envelopes -- they're in plain view the whole time. Shufton got rid of any palming, as could be expected, but he also got rid of my favorite method of doing this (goodbye, trusty tip).

I could rave about this one for days. It's a slick piece of work and plays huge. It's a keeper. Considering its size, this one goes in my pocket when I go a-strollin'. Just a couple of things to talk about and then I'll leave you with it.

First, the directions are great to a point. One piece of the routine is described quickly and, unfortunately, not in great detail. This isn't a huge drawback -- all things considered and props in hand, you can pretty much figure out what's going on -- but it may have you scratching your head for a few minutes (I know I did).

Second, I'm not overly thrilled with the theme of keeping an envelope labeled "Emergency Cash" for "when something goes wrong". Yeah, I know it allows for some comedy bits, but I like to work my own lines, thanks. For the most part, that labeled envelope just sits around the house while its smaller siblings go out on the town with me. If you're like me, don't think that a single envelope makes that much of a difference -- four envelopes or five, this trick is a strong piece.

Last, "Emergency Cash" is more flexible than I first thought. I'll admit to doing it exactly as Shufton details the first few times (that's part of my job as a reviewer, so that's no surprise I reckon), but after that I went crazy and started doing it with everything from pages from a phone book to spectators' business cards. There's a bit of room to play with here, folks, and that makes it even neater.

So I said all of that to say this: "Emergency Cash", at $20, is a bargain. It's a powerful, easy, inventive piece that packs a punch. I said it before and I'll say it again:

"Emergency Cash" is a keeper.

"Emergency Cash" by Steve Shufton
In a Blink: 9 Out of 10

Practicality: 10
Packs small, the reset is quick and easy (though you may want some privacy to do it), no angle issues, simple enough to perform... this one is about as practical as it gets.

Workmanship: 10
Shufton did a great job making "Emergency Cash"; it'll last a good long time.

Documentation: 9
The documentation is concise and thorough, but could do with a bit of help explaining one part (the most obvious part) of the routine. You'll have little trouble getting this one down.

Effect: 10
"Impossible location" plots seem to always play big; "Emergency Cash" is no exception. It knocks people for a loop.

Presentation: 5
The presentation is alright, but considering the prop, you can do more with this one (Shufton created a remarkably flexible device here) and probably should.


Shane