Great, thanks. And I did mail order B&W Surprise from Europe and have the good set, the Color Deception I had previously had weaker m@#$ets. Thaks for the tips on the covers, it was actually the m#@$et strength I was wondering about but the cover appearance is reason enough to pack things up when through.

Magic Makers produces inferior quality rip-offs.

I see B&W surprise for sale at most magic shops, how do you know if it's the good one or not?

The good one is solid brass, heavy - usually in a black plastic box with foam interior. The gimmicks should fit extremely tightly with almost zero movement at all.

The cheap ones are plastic and don't fit nearly as well.

The one at Elmswood I believe is the real deal:
http://www.elmwoodmagic.com/full/close-u......_126.htm

Because of this thread, I dug thru my old stuff and found a complete set, made of heavy brass,and in perfect condition, I had a lot of fun playing with this last night, what made me think to stash it away, this is a winner.

As mentioned above, Per Clausen's Black & White Surprise from Denmark is the only version that comes with a durable black plastic box which I seriously doubt anyone would throw out since it was created to tote your chips in. Also, the blue side of one of the chips is a lighter shade of blue compared to the rip-offs. If your chips are not in a box like this then chances are you own Magic Faker's Color Deception.

That looks stunning actually, Richard

This was my favourite effect,and the quality itself is great.
I still keep this as my collection though I don't use it anymore.

CC

The version I have been enjoying for years is Poker Chip Polka; http://www.vikingmagic.com/?nd=full&key=1824
which is a plastic version of Black and White Surprise.

Another way to carry these around is in one of those cell phone cases that clip horizontally on your waist band or belt.
One can cut off the flap cover for EZ'r access and slip a bit of foam in for a snug spot. Cut out a couple of pockets in the foam for the chips to sit in or slide them in between the foam and the case. These cell phone cases really come in handy to hold all kinds of props.

I had Khameleon Chips (another version) and it came with a plastic coin holder. Worked well for carrying them around.

I had one very similar to this one but I liked it better and I don't know the name of it. It was only one coin, black on one side and white on the other but when you hand it to someone to observe it was black and white checkered on both sides. The principle was still the same. Also, it would be nice to have a magnet ring on the other hand to be able to "reset" the coin in front of the spectator. If anyone knows the name of this one, I'd like to find it again.

Thanks.

Echec and Mat is what your thinking of.
Also made in Europe.A nice chip set.
Todd

Thank you, bowers. That's it.

I have always loved my Black and white surprise - the Euro made version. Just a delight.

I have a set of Per Clausen's Black & White Surprise and truly is a quality item...Good weight and build overall.

Simple to learn, pretty much self working, and gets 'em good every time!

I don't do the performance that it mentions in the instructions with the card though. I prefer a more simple and direct presentation but either way, a strong effect.

I have used this for many many years and love it. I usually carry 2 sets.

Dan.

Good idea having two. For the inevitable "do it again" moment.

Now I know, a good magician doesn't do things twice but if you have two sets, a trick like this is harmless enough for a second run!

I prefer not to perform this twice in a row as the impression has always been quite strong. I often used this in sales. It was very common that a sales competitor overly embellish & imply their product was better and had vague studies to prove it. I would encourage my customer to hold that thought as we would create our own study where they could help design the details ... should we put the black coin on the white or the white on black? Of course it would lead to the first color change (not revealing the backs) where I would insist good science would require the study be repeatable now using the other order of coins. I would now show the second color change and then ask what our control sample (the other side of the coins) might show us revealing the next two color changes. Usually they would be most eager to grab the coins finding nothing as these props are very clean. I would then remind about them the point of my example and ask how was our little study was different from what my competitor did when presenting their data? From there, my material was considered fairly. Feel free to drop me a PM if you have any questions as my brief explanation might be a little confusing.

Dan.

Hi Dan,

Sounds like a great routine and context (and you're right about leaving it at one performance). If I ever get around to a second set I'll give your presentation a try (and may pm you for any clarification indeed)!

Anytime!

Dan.