Like most magicians, I have a weakness for paddle tricks...  I am fascinated by them and collect them, in all their myriad shapes and sizes, effects and variations.   I guess it is because even though the method is pure simplicity, the effect on lay audiences is huge -- way out of proportion to the rudimentary sleight of hand involved.

And most magicians love card magic also, which is why there have been some interesting combinations of paddles and card magic over the years.   The late, great Karrell Fox published a neat idea (in his 1995 book, Much Ado about Something) where a paddle stick showing four different suit pips magically changed into four of the same suit, which matched the chosen card -- for instance, the four of clubs.

A few years later, a pro magician from Southern California, Dr. Bob, who was a good friend of Karrell Fox, obtained the rights to manufacturer the KARD SCHTICK prop, and he made a beautiful version of it.    I have been lucky enough to come across some of these excellent little paddle rods, and so I am going to offer them up to all you paddle and card magic lovers out there.

The paddle is made from some sort of "composite" material -- it feels halfway between wood and plastic, if that makes any sense.   The "stick" (or is it a "schtick") is 3.75 inches long, 5/8 inch wide, and 1/4 inch thick.  The pips are printed onto the stick with a very high quality process and color -- they will not wear off or fade.

I am selling them in sets  -- this listing is for ALL four suits -- one each, Clubs, Hearts, Spades and Diamonds.   (If you don't feel the need to own all four different suits, check our other listings for set of two different suits.)

I use my own Kard Schticks a lot.   My routine goes something like this:

The spectator chooses a card.  (It is the Four of Spades, for example).   The spectator holds onto it, but does not show anyone.   I introduce the Kard Schtick and show that it has four different card suits on it.   I say that it is a portable lie detector.   I ask the spectator to touch a suit that matches the color of here card, but she is allowed to "lie" and touch the wrong color if she wants.   Say she touches the Heart, for red.   Now I turn the stick over to show four suits on the other side, and tell her that this side is for her to touch the actual suit of her card, but again, she can lie if she wants.   She touches (for example) the Club.  "So you picked a red card, that was a Club!  Hmm... I don't think you are being completely honest with me, but that's allowed, right?"    Now I turn the stick over again, saying this time, these four suits will be used to get the value of her card.  She is asked to touch any pip and to say aloud the value of her card.  "Like if it is a Seven, just say Seven, not the suit also.  And of course, you can lie if you want.  But if you are touching the magic card stick, it wil know!"    She touches a pip and says "Four" (for example).     I turn over the stick again, and explain that now the stick will reveal the truth with the pips on this side.  I wave it back and forth, and the pips all change to Clubs.   "So it was not Red, it was not a Club, but it was a Four -- four Spades for the Four of Spades."  She shows her card    "Well, at least you told the truth once!"   The stick is given to her for examination.

I find this lie detector context makes it very logical to turn the stick over repeatedly without calling any attention to it.  In the end, when all the pips turn to match the chosen card, it is genuinely surprising for the spectators.

This excellent paddle trick is not often seen 25 years after it was introduced, and is a great collectible.  But I also recommend that you practice it and show it to an audience -- you will be very surprised how well it plays.

These Kard Schticks originally sold for about $10 each, but since this is a set of Four different suits, you can get them for much less than that original price per stick.   

THIS SET IS FOR FOUR KARD SCHTICKS -- one CLUB, one DIAMOND, one SPADE and one HEART.  (Check our other listings if you want only two sticks, either in Clubs and Diamonds, or Hearts and Spades)

Brand new and unused, with printed instruction sheet.    This is from new-old dealer inventory -- never previously owned.    

(Note:  apologies to International bidders, but the US Postal service has raised rates on January 27th this year, particularly for International shipments.  Our shipping charges have been adjusted to reflect this.  We are still committed to keeping shipping costs as low as possible, and will always combine multiple ebay wins into a single shipment to save you postage costs!)