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Steve Brooks Founder / Manager Northern California - United States 3783 Posts 
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THE ORANGE TREE MAGIC STUDIOS Presents NON BOX by Jianyu Kuang & Berlin
--------oOo--------  Description / Ad Copy: The NON Box is a brand new Okito box that is designed to act like both a standard Okito box and a Boston box… BUT ends up being completely examinable! Yes you read that correctly!!! When they examine the box they will not find that pesky little extra "lip" on the bottom that is usually present on a Boston box. Why???? Because the gimmick actually slides off and can be palmed or ditched very easily. READ That again. Here is just one of the many miracles that are possible: You open the lid to the box showing it full of silver half dollars. You dump out a handful of half dollars. Put the lid back on the box. Snap your fingers, open the box again and it is now full of Chinese coins! But here's the kicker. You put the lid on the box, snap your fingers and as you slowly pull the lid off the box… The box is seen to visually transform into a solid SLUG! Nothing that they just witness could've even happened. Because...the coins could've never came out of the box. Because it is no longer a box! This is just one of the miracles that is possible!!!! All of the items are made out of high-quality brass. Made by Jianyu Kuang The NON Box Set includes:
NOTE: Quantities are extremely limited. We only have 50 sets available. These take quite some time to make because of the inner workings and the precision quality. The price will go up at the end of the month to $299. Get yours NOW and save money before they sell out. I guarantee they will sell out quickly! -Nathan Kranzo ---------- --- Magicians have been doing magic with coins ever since the Chinese and Roman Empire introduced them to the world. Then in 1911 magician Theo Bamburg (Okito) invented the first Okito style box and the rest is Magical History. The number of variations and innovations with coin boxes over the years is really quite amazing, especially when one considers that initially the design of an Okito style box is actually very simple; A small metal box with a lid that is able to hold a number of coins, usually four. Indeed, the basic Okito box is not gaffed or gimmicked in any way whatsoever and relies on pure skill and proper presentation by the performer. With practice the amount of magic that may be performed is seemingly unlimited. Books such as J.B. Bobo's Modern Coin Magic and David Roth's Expert Coin Magic are just two such examples of texts which contain a slew of magic with the Okito box. Other books, monographs, lecture notes and dvds can be found with plenty of coin box routines and or ideas. Keeping all the aforementioned in mind, one can easily understand why learning a few Okito style box routines might be a good idea for any aspiring magician considering doing magic with filthy lucre or otherwise. 
My first personal experience with an Okito style box began around 1974 as I recall. The box was technically not an actual Okito box but a German Box. For those of you who do not know, a German style box is nothing more than a Boston Box minus a lid. There, mystery solved. At any rate, the box I purchased was not made of brass or other such metal but instead made from blue plastic and held four US Quarters plus one in the recess on the bottom. So, a plastic German Box. As you might imagine I did not know the proper name of my newfound wonder at all. All I knew is it was made by a company in Japan called TENYO and the trick I had just purchased was called Angel's Coin. I was hooked. I liked this discovery of mine and it was not long until I saved enough money to purchase a set of genuine Okito style boxes fashioned out of brass. That was a very long time ago and I am still fascinated by the various coin boxes which are available in the magic community. I still use Okito boxes to this day and have acquired numerous sets over the years. So yes, I know a little something about Okito Boxes. 
Now having said all of that, I recently received the NON Box set of boxes and have been playing with them for the last couple of weeks. Do I like them? Bottom line: Yes I do! Very much in fact and I will endeavor to explain my thoughts on the matter at hand. Fundamentally the NON BOX is an Okito style box, a Boston Box, a German Box and a Plug Box. Depending on your needs or wants and taking into account what type of routine(s) you may be doing this set may or may not work for you. As Okito box sets generally go, arguably the only missing boxes from this set would be a Slot Box (which allows you to retain a coin when dumping the other coins out) or my personal favorite; The Okorto Box. Named after its clever creator Milt Kort, the Okorto Box at first glance appears to be nothing more than a standard Okito Box with a lid. Appearances can be deceptive in magic and the Okorto Box is no exception. Used much the same way you might use a Plug Box (switching the box into use without your audience being aware), the inner diameter of the Okorto Box is slightly smaller making it virtually impossible to place any coins inside at all! When producing box sets it has been standard affair with Okito Box manufacturer's to include either a Plug Box or an Okorto box as the odd man out as it were. Either of the two aforementioned box variants are typically used as more of a gag as opposed to magic proper. In that light, the NON BOX set is keeping with tradition here. So, when your set arrives all you'll need are five (5) U.S. Half Dollars and you're ready to go. The quality of the NON BOX set is what one would expect from a set of brass Okito style boxes. Coins fit in easily and the box will hold four coins and a shell should you so desire. The set I received works with U.S. Half Dollars so my Walking Liberties felt right at home. I did compare and the boxes will of course accommodate Kennedy Halves as well as Franklin's so there's that. Weight of the boxes is perfect so flipping the box is not an issue here. I was even able to do rim steals and the like with absolutely no difficulties whatsoever and that is of course a plus. The gimmick works flawlessly and with a bit of practice you'll begin to wonder how you ever lived without one of these things. Aesthetically speaking the design of these boxes (the rings) not only make the boxes unique and attractive in the land of Okito Box collectors, but also play an important part in how the gimmick is able to work so smoothly and undetectably. The ring design actually reminded me of the various type of stylized brass affects produced years ago known as The Brema Brasses. I actually own several of them. Now, the ring design as employed in the NON BOX set also serves a more sinister purpose. More than just an artistic statement in uniqueness, the design helps to insure that unless you are a total klutz or are extremely inexperienced, your audience will never suspect that there is anything special about the box they see you using. Or in other words, they will not discover the real secret here. In the same way a copper / silver coin often goes into play during a routine and then is removed without the audience being none the wiser, the NON BOX gimmick is used in a similar fashion. Creators Jianyu Kuang and Berlin deserve high praise for bringing this concept to market. The design is a true advancement in the world of Okito style boxes and is frankly just diabolical to say the very least. I congratulate both of these creators for a job well done. Given the retail price, what are you actually getting for your hard earned magical dollars? I would say plenty. The boxes, lid and gimmick arrive snugly packed and ready to go. Part of the look is the fact that there is a black antiquing on the inside. I spent a few minutes and removed it from my set - personal preference I guess. Nathan Kranzo addresses this in the instructional video provided. Speaking of instructional videos, the one provided is hosted by Nathan Kranzo and runs around twenty (20) minutes in length. The Instructional Video Covers The Following:
Finally, the props are all well made (including the gimmick) and should last you a lifetime. One could argue that there are other coin box sets that include the Okito, Boston, German and Plug Box and for much less money. True enough. BUT - what you are really paying for here is a unique and revolutionary design in Okito boxes. Now having the ability for a box to change on the fly is really something special. Plus, it is much easier to use this gimmick than switching between two complete boxes. I would also add that there is also a number of things you can do using the gimmick that otherwise would be impossible. A good analogy would be the fact that you can perform the Copper, Silver, Brass routine using pure sleight of hand. True enough BUT - there are certain powerful moments that can only truly be accomplished using a gimmicked set of coins. So, can you live without these? Of course you can. I'm sure those owning and driving a Toyota are very happy people...but some are driving a Ferrari and they are even happier. 
I do not hesitate in highly recommending the NON BOX to you. P.S. I would add one suggestion to the creators of NON BOX: Please make me a set in stainless steel and include an Okorto Box!
---------- My rating:  Suggested retail: $299.00 USD (If purchased from Orangetreemagic.com) SPECIAL: For a LIMITED TIME you can purchase from Kranzo Magic at a discount! $249.00 USD Click Here! Questions? Comments? Email: Nathankranzo@gmail.com Email: info@orangetreemagic.com ---
"Always be you because nobody else can" - Steve Brooks
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Posted: Aug 29, 2022 08:22 pm 