"Psychic's Credit Card" by Menny Lindenfeld
Suggested Retail USD$43.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 7 Out of 10

"Psychic's Credit Card", a new effect by Menny Lindenfeld, is an incredibly clever utilization of an established method that, though lacking in a couple of areas, offers an interesting take on an old theme that might be destined for bigger things than the creator allows.

The routines offered are variations on a theme: a bill is folded and placed in an envelope while blank pieces of paper are similarly folded and placed in matching envelopes, all of which are mixed by a spectator, and yet the performer is always able to find the bill.

There's more offered than that simple routine, though the gist of those are along the same lines. There's a longer, three-phase routine, a routine for locating two different denominations of bills, and ideas for locating business cards, checks, finger rings, and the like. Essentially, if you can hide it in an envelope, "Psychic's Credit Card" will help you find it.

Before we go any further, let me get my personal biases out of the way: my name is Shane and I'm a gadget freak. Show me a clever, magical gadget and I'm pretty much hooked. If nothing else, "Psychic's Credit Card" is a very clever gadget. It's based on the workings of several effects on the market (there's no new concept here except for the stroke of genius for hiding it in plain sight and do so perfectly) and it's smart. Looking at it through those rose-colored glasses, I love this thing.

But there's more to magic than gadgets (darn it) and that's where "Psychic's Credit Card" wobbles a bit.

The presentation is unsavory to me. Oh, there's nothing wrong with it per se: it serves the purpose of rationale and almost has to be used to bring the gimmick into play. I just don't like doing these types of routines as wagers (which apparently is the whole purpose of "Psychic's Credit Card": to quote the ad copy, "find the bill, win the wager, and get free drinks!". Yep, nothing spells entertainment and repeat engagements like bilking spectators). Can it be done another way? With some thought, yes, and for my money it should be.

And while you're re-thinking the presentation, try to come up with a better way of bringing the gimmick into play. The ploy Lindenfeld uses is okay -- "I'll even bet my credit card" -- but if you're doing the work to move away from the wager theme, you might as well tackle that one as well. You might want to work on another way of getting the info than sweeping the credit card along the envelopes as well while your creative cells are churning.

You see, that the other problem with this one and it takes some attitude to pull off: the credit card becomes omnipresent. It's almost always in your hand or on the envelopes and, unless you can pull off a genuine air of casualness, spectators will get curious (some more than others; a sharp-eyed spectator so inclined will notice the appearance of the credit card is strange, though the gimmick itself is well hidden in it). For routines like this, it's preferred to have the method not just transparent, but anything leading to the method, if not invisible, at least beneath notice. That's not the case with "Psychic's Credit Card", so you'll need to invest some time and energy there, too, one way or the other.

If this all sounds like "Psychic's Credit Card" is bad, let me assure you that it isn't. It's a clever idea with a fairly good routine attached. The drawbacks I've pointed out are really advances that could and should be made to the routine using this gimmick that would really move this into a whole new level of entertainment and magic. Lindenfeld has some interesting ideas for using his idea, and a couple of them are eye-catchers. With a bit more thought on Lindenfeld's part, this could easily be a must-have.

As it is, this is one I recommend for the experienced performers who like the plot and are willing to invest some extra time into it to make it more than what Lindenfeld gives (granted, what he does give isn't all that bad at all). If that describes you, you're likely to be perfectly content with "Psychic's Credit Card" and maybe, just maybe, intrigued enough with the possibilities to really make this thing soar.

"Psychic's Credit Card" by Menny Lindenfeld
In a Blink: 7 Out of 10

Practicality: 8
Beside the cleverly-gimmicked credit card, you'll need a specially-prepared bill (or two, depending on the routine you decide to do, and they can be any paper currency), envelopes (or not, again depending on the routine), and a couple of more extra somethings to help things along. All of this pretty much adds up to a small vinyl wallet, which isn't that big a strain on the pockets. Once you've got that stuff together and organized how you like it, you're dealing with no real set-up, a marvelously quick reset, and no angles to sweat. All in all, this is quite practical.

Workmanship: 9
The gimmicked credit card is extremely well made and looks great, though an eagle-eyed spectator might raise an eyebrow at its appearance.

Documentation: 8
The documentation, a small booklet, is well-wrtten and heavily illustrated, making learning the routines and handlings a breeze. A few extra ideas rather than the given variations on the theme would have been nice, since, intuitively, there are more things to do with this thing than are taught.

Effect: 7
While not earth-shattering stuff, the routines here play very well. Will gentle women swoon and strong men faint? Hardly. But it is entertaining and mystifying enough to make the grade.

Presentation: 6
The whole "wager" theme is weaker than other presentations would be, and unfortunately it's almost a necessity here since it's the entire reason for bringing the gimmick into play. Work out another way and this goes to a different level.

Shane

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