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Dice Thru Mirror – Magic Makers International
Trick Type: Dice & Wallet
Price: £18.95 (February 2003)
Difficulty: 2/5
Examinable: Mirrors & Die yes, Wallet no!
Angles: Table/Surrounded
Reset: Instant
Instructions: 5/5


Effect: Magician introduces a passport sized plastic wallet, which is opened to reveal two mirrors stuck either side of a ribbon which protrudes out of the wallet, and a die. Making great play about how solid the mirrors are, a spectator is allowed to check them and also the die. The wallet is shown to have a hole in the back and also one in the front, which is covered by a hinged flap. The mirror is placed back in the wallet and the spec. is asked to hold on to the ribbon to make sure the mirror doesn’t move. The die is placed in a small trap door on the top of the wallet and everyone is asked to concentrate hard on the die. Ever so slowly the die sinks right through the mirror and drops to the table.

Review:
I first saw this many years ago during a Magic evening at the British Magical Society – I was sitting right next to the performer - and the strength of the effect stayed with me ever since. I recently bought the item and I’m even more impressed! OK, you old timers out there have probably owned and been performing this one since Adam was a lad but it’s one of those effects which is timeless. What impresses me most is that the process is easy and leaves the performer every opportunity to work on the presentation – it’s as individual as you want it to be. I prefer to start off by referring to the usual audience reaction at magic, ‘’It’s all done with mirrors’ or ‘He’s using a trap door’ and confess that this time they’re right – one trap door (poking finger through appropriate orifice) and no less than 2 mirrors!

Props are good, the wallet is a bit ‘plasticy’ but no worse than anything you’d get from a bank to hold your credit cards/passbook etc. Mirrors are solid and the effect is quite staggering under the right circumstances. The last time is showed this one the more repeatable reactions were, ‘Bl**dy Hell’ and ‘St*ff me gently’ - which probably says more about my ‘friends’ than it does about the routine but I hope you get the message!

9/10

[Anonymously Posted by: 'Paul Stevens']

Just bought this today, after the rave review above & must admit that my first impressions are one of not impressed.

Before I lay out my reasons does anyone have a video of a performance of the effect. Would greatly appreciate seeing this trick done properly so I can adjust what I do or bemoan the trick to the world!

Since [Anonymously Posted by: 'Paul Stevens'] above is me, perhaps I ought to reply!

Others have commented that Dice Thru Mirror isn't a strong item for them but this is purely personal and I reckon this one is what you make of it. As a stand alone item it is fair to good. As part of a routine it's much better. I normally use it to follow Diceman and I use the Dice Thru Die for both as a sort of continuity thing. I don't have a video but you don't really need one as the mechanics of the trick are self evident and won't change much - all you can vary is the speed of the effect. The real secret is in the patter and presentation.

Treat it as a mainly mental item and, assuming you've preceded this with some excellent effects, the specs will be with you all, the way. I usually start by referring to the fact that most spectators are convinced that magic is done with mirrors and trap doors - well this is one which certainly is done that way - in fact there are two mirrors and a trap door. You can demonstrate these features as much as you see fit. Then change the mood - use a commanding and urgent tone of voice and tell them strongly to all concentrate, concentrate hard on the mirror, imagine and feel it getting warmer, changing structure, becoming less fragile, turning into a more liquid state until, yes, it's starting to stretch and separate, imagine, strongly imagine that you can all see the glass melting apart and....(at this point the dice starts to slowly descend).. there it goes, the glass is so soft it can't take the weight of the die (clunk goes the die onto the table) ah, yes, you've all broken your concentration and the mirror has returned to it's normal state (show the mirror intact). Take your bow, collect your cheque and go get a drink!

Lets hope that everyone who buy this, take the trouble to buy a genuine one, and not one of the c*** (not the best) indian copies.
Also, take a few weeks in front of a mirror to learn how to do it properly. I have one, which I bought years ago .
I love the powerfull reaction it can get, when the die melts through and lands in their hands.
This happening whilst they hold the mirror in, via the ribIt must rate as Bongo's best ever invention..
on.

Ok am I being thick here or do I have one of these s**t copies.

When I first posted about this trick I forgot the spectator holds the ribbon. Bloody Hell this means there sitting on top of the trick. Makes it much worse, (although better if I was doing it right!)
Now I presume we instruct them to hold the ribbon down thus covering the bottom.

But as there so close to you & as you have to re-position the wallet slowly surely they may well notice the angle change & if your not exactly straight onto them they can easily spot the back opening???

If anyone has a web cam & could do a simple performance it would be mucho appreciated.

http://www.magictricks.com/closeup/dm.wmv
your wish is my command

Cheers for that Magicdiscoman, now I've seen it performed I regret buying it.
Shall do it to the family later but will probably sell it on.

I prefer card tricks but some items you just have to buy to know how there done!

So prob have one dice thru mirror trick, brand new for sale. Interested PM me.

P.S. I don't know if that was your performance Magicdiscoman, certainly meant no disrespect man dissing the trick.
Another factor that I didn't like was that the dice was pushed all the way through the folder so it couldn't be seen at all & there was about a 1 - 2 second gap before it dropped out. Kind of gave the impression the dice had been flattened.

Hmmmm, that's a very average presentation. You don't need the thumbs on the die at all - it looks far better when it just sinks down mysteriously. Oh well, to each his (or her!) own I suppose!

well if you do want to sell it I may well take it off your hands...

Gonna try it on my kids later today, depending on their reaction I'll maybe PM you

Ok, showed this to my kids who were like so unimpressed. Despite keeping it all still the words, it's slipped out the back Dad were yelled out!

So if you still want this bananafish pm me. I paid £8.00 on ebay for it New & with £1.99 postage cost me a tenner so am looking to sell it for £8.00 plus postage costs?

in other words what I could pay for it new? that's not a great bargain is it?

True but I can whack it on e bay & at least recoup my main cost of £8.

I've had this for a while, so I just thought I would add my review to this thread. Dice Thru The Mirror has been widely available for a number of years now, but I think it's worth resurrecting this thread because it's a very nice effect.

Dice Thru The Mirror



The Effect
"The performer shows a wallet with a small square in the middle.

A mirror attached to a ribbon is passed around for inspection, then inserted into the wallet. A die (singular for dice) is inspected and placed in the square in the wallet.

Then, it very slowly sinks until it completely penetrates the mirror and drops to the floor. The die and mirror are once more passed around for examination."

There are two performance videos on YouTube. For your convenience, I've posted them below:

Performance 1
Performance 2

In my opinion, the second performance is far superior to the first. More on this in the main review.

Cost
£9.99, including postage and packing
from Free Post Magic
Dice Thru The Mirror (DTTM) is available from a number of the usual dealers, but Free Post Magic easily have the best price. Good customer service, too.

Difficulty
(1=easy to do, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)

1
Very easy to perform, but will require practice to do it well.

Review
Included in the package:
White, opaque die
Mirror with a length of ribbon attached
Plastic wallet

As you can see from the videos, DTTM is a pretty straightforward effect. You can perform it as is or, as Mandrake suggested all those years ago, as part of a longer routine. Mandrake's suggestion regarding the trapdoors-and-mirrors patter is an excellent one and I can confirm it works a treat.

The props supplied are nice enough. I was pleasantly surprised to have received a real mirror (I'm easily pleased) instead of a plastic equivalent. I purchased Dice Illusion recently - which cost twice as much - and it came with a perspex mirror, so it was nice to have a glass mirror with DTTM. The attached ribbon is used to show that the mirror does not move from its place in the wallet during the performance and it does its job. Speaking of wallets, the one supplied is of adequate quality; it's basically plastic-covered cardboard but it does the job and mine has lasted a long time and still looks pretty decent. The die and mirror are ungimmicked and can both be handed out for examination. However, this is not something I like to do but you could do so without fear of exposing the method. The wallet cannot be examined.

DTTM has some angle issues but they are not severe and you should be fine provided your audience are directly in front of you. I would strongly recommend you practice this one in front of a mirror to perfect your handling. The trick is very easy to perform but you do need to keep an eye on your angles, not to mention your handling, which will need adjusting if you are to get the best out of this effect.

Practice DTTM in front of a mirror and perfect your handling before taking this on the road.

The instructions suggest that you use your thumbs to effect the penetration (see the first video above), but I think it is far more effective to just let the die penetrate the mirror without pushing it through the trapdoor in the wallet. You don't need to use your thumbs; just let the die slowly fall through. I would suggest having a glass or ceramic bowl underneath the wallet because this adds greatly to the overall effect and reinforces the illusion of the die penetrating a solid mirror (see second video above). The instructions also contain a couple of helpful performance tips and is pretty well written for a trick of this nature.

Overall
DTTM is a fabulous effect that many people will enjoy seeing. It's off the beaten track and different to the usual pick-a-card trick. I had great success with it when I first purchased it, and continue to do so today. Provided you give it the practice it deserves, you're onto a winner with this one. For the price, I would really recommend Dice Thru The Mirror.

Score: 9/10