talkmagic.co.uk

We took a spin round Aldi today and I saw a couple of things that might be of interest.

First is the book Practical Magic by Nigel Anderson for £4.99, and yes, of course I bought one. A very nicely produced spiral-bound hardcover, full colour throughout with lots of photos. A good range of tricks for beginners. Not nearly as comprehensive as Mark Wilson, but it's more modern in style and more impressive to look at.

Second is one of the Marvin's Magic kids' sets for £9.99. Fairly sure, if memory serves, it's the Amazing Magic Tricks set, the really big one, meaning Aldi was offering it at half price. I managed to resist the temptation to buy this one, but it was a close-run thing! If it's still there next time, I may yet haul it home.

Both were in the toys section. The book actually appears on my receipt as a "children's activity folder".

Generally, each Aldi shop gets just a few of each item like this, and once they're gone they may or may not get any more, so it's worth grabbing quick if you want one.

Oh... nothing to do with Aldi, but something else I've recently run across that may interest someone.

Coincraft is a big London coin dealer (Great Russell Street, just opposite the British Museum), and for some reason they sent me their latest catalogue (The Phoenix).

The catalogue cover item is a bag of old English coins. £28.50 gets you an assortment of 65 coins, none less than 43 years old and some over 100. Nice if you're looking for something atmospheric, say for White Star or maybe a Jack the Ripper story.

They also offer 100 assorted foreign banknotes for £27.50, which I thought might make for fun booby prizes in a Just Chance / Bank Night routine. Cheap enough to give away, tear up, burn, whatever.