This is a great thread. It really got me thinking. Especially Harry Murphy's post. A professional should be effective at their profession pretty much all the time. Doctors carry little black bags when they are out of their office (or at least they used to before litigation set in). Law officers usually carry a weapon even when they are off duty. But a Magician is a bit different. Real magic doesn't need special props, so I decided to carry only ordinary everyday items (at least in appearance). This is what I carry.

3 or 4 rubber bands around my wrist. Borrow a dollar bill and I have a 3 minute eye popping routine.

A thin black ballpoint pen (Bic or Papermate). I use it with the borrowed bill to perform Daniel Garcia's "Void" (he uses a straw, but the pen works fine). Finish with a TT bill switch and there is another great routine.

4 quarters (just in case I can't find 4 to borrow) plus a matching sh*ll. Now I can do 3fly or coins across, or matrix with business cards.

I have a medallion around my neck tied with a black shoelace. It's not fancy but it gives me an excuse to have the shoelace and borrow
a finger ring for several ring and string effects ending with pro flite ring flight. which I use as my regular key chain.

So I have a solid 12-15 minute show and all I have in my pockets are 4 quarters and sh*ll, my TT, a pen, and my keychain.

I currently always have the following:
-Deck of cards in a porper card clip, loaded with 2 duplicates, and 1 blue backed card (used for two different effects)
-Wallet contains a 2 double backers (one is red/blue), a French Kiss 3-card preset, a gimmicked credit card, and a gimmicked bill for a fairly fair pen through bill effect. I really need to clean out my wallet sometime (may remove jokers, and replace with one double backer)
-6 Rubberbands on my wrist
-a mini universal pull of my own making (can be used w/o a jacket), can only be used for coins and small slips of paper though
-balloons for Pressure
-various coins for coin matrix, coins across, vanishing coin effects, etc. I need to learn some good routines in this area.
-a sharpie as a wand and for signing things
-Paperclipped card
-Paperclipped for Stairway
-hypnosis, prop-less

I can carry all of the above with a jacket. Minus the jacket means minus the deck of cards. Either way I am packing enough effects and routines to last me a decently long performance, and more than enough for any street magic performance or even walk around.

A deck of cards, my two hands and my mojo.

P!

I usually carry 3 sponge balls for my sponge routine, yes only 3, and a card deck with Further Than That(Mark Wilson) setup.

A deck of cards, a thumb tip (with rainbow streamer loaded), some coins, and a couple of mouth coils.

Oh, just added Kolossal Killer to my wallet. WOW! What a great effect.

A deck of cards - stacked

Invisible Deck

A MD of cards, pencil and some business cards. That is enough for most of the time.

My hands, 10 fingers +

- TT
- a few coins (local currency) that I can use anwy
- paper tissue -> sponge ball routine if needed
- rubber bands

imho most important is what you can do with your surroundings.

business cards are great for a 3card montee or ambitious card routine

Business Cards for billet tears, a sharpie, a notebook (Matthew Mello's Tecnique), and a deck of cards.

.......As a rank beginner, I got a chance to use the special "H" wallet I started carrying. My wife had agreed to purchase some items at the jewelers but didn't have her charge card. I opened my wallet and exclaimed, "I don't have mine either!" Then I spun around and said, "Oh, wait; here it is!"

Half dollar [ set, always on me, favourite routine is David Roths coins across.

A deck of cards, a pen, a gimmicked one for lubor lens and a f1 nitro wallet, with a mental act built in.

On my wrist- several rubber bands.
In my wallet:
1. Greed by Daniel Garcia
2. Jay Noblezada's Two Dollar Window
3. Roger Klause's 5 to 1 transpo
4. 2 kennedy half dollars and an Australian Penny (cooler IMO than English Penny)
5. Powerball 60
6. Three by Steve Valentine
On my Keyring:
1. Pro-Flight Key ring (my keyring) - I use a few carabiners to quickly detach bulk of keys. makes effect cleaner
2. Ignition (i store gimmick in my wallet when not in use)
3. Linkey by Allan Rorrison

I can literally perform an hour worth of magic at a moments notice and this doesn't take up much space. pretty much on me wherever I go.

Fun Topic: and 10 years in the making!!!

Very interesting topic indeed! In addition to a pack of cards, I keep a "shift" gimmick on my keychain at all times and use it as a go-to when I want to present something impromptu.... and when pulling out a pack of cards just doesn't seem organic enough.

I'm not a huge card fan, so I don't do a whole lot of card effects.

In addition to the sponge balls I've typically carried around with me, I've taken to carting around Ian Garrison's Dances with Ropes, depending on my pocket space du jour.

-Tom

The three items I mostly carry are...rubber bands....Scotch and soda......sorted affair.