Modern Magic: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Conjuring

MECHANICAL CHANGING CARDS.--These are of two or three kinds, but all have the same object--viz., the apparent transformation of the card to a different one. In some cases the change is from a court card of one suit to the same card of another suit--e.g., a king of spades to a king of hearts, involving merely the alteration of the pip in the corner. This is effected by having the card made double, that portion of the front card on which the pip should be being cut out. The hindmost card, which is pasted only round the extreme edge to the front one, is a plain white card, but with the appropriate pip, say a spade, neatly painted in the proper position, to allow of its showing through the opening in the front card, which thus has the appearance of an ordinary king of spades. Between the two cards is a moveable slip, worked by a pin through a slip in the back, on which is painted a heart pip. By moving this slip, the heart is in turn brought opposite the opening, covering the spade pip, so that the card now appears to be the king of hearts. The card as above described is of the old single-headed pattern, but the same principle may be applied to double-headed cards. In this case both of the “pip” portions of the front card are cut away as in Fig. 55, while on the upper corresponding portion of the hinder card is painted (say) a spade, and on the lower a heart, as in Fig. 56. The moveable slip is of such a shape and size as to cover the one or the other, according as it is drawn up or down; and on the upper part of this (see Fig. 57) is painted a heart, and on the lower a spade. When, therefore, the slip is pushed up, the heart pip on the slip and the heart pip on the hindmost card are shown, so that the card appears to be a king of hearts. When, on the other hand, the slip is drawn down, the spade pip of the hinder card is revealed, and at the same time the slip covers over the heart pip of this latter, and exhibits its own spade pip, giving the card the appearance of a king of spades.