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Hello, i am looking for a set of decent marked cards and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. I have had various different decks in the past ranging from one extreme to the other. I have decks which are impossible to tell they are marked and at the same time nearly impossible to read without actually starring at the card for ages close up (which looks kinda obvious lol) to the other extreme really easy to read but again really easy for anyone comparing 2 cards to tell the difference.

I am looking for a deck with a simple marking system thats easy to read from a slight distance (i.e a distance that looks natural) and also marked in a way that is really hard to spot.

any suggestions?

I would suggest the Boris Wild marked deck, but you could do with being a bit clearer with some of your terms, ie "a slight distance" what do you mean by this?

You said you've tried a few in the past but which ones?

To be honest, I'm not a fan of any of the commercially available marked Bikes for the same reasons as you mentioned. I ended up creating two of my own, one of which is commercially available, the Ouija Deck - it's not a Bike design so you might not find that much use in it but the marking system (just one of its features) is getting some very nice praise My other marked (Bicycle) deck was done with a regular deck and a Sharpie There's a plan to release it commercially but not until later into this year.

If you're interested and don't mind marking your own, I'll happily PM you the marking system instructions.

I'm in the same boat as Vanderbelt in that I've never found a commercial marked deck that suited me so sat down and came up with my own marking system. A red sharpie matches the colour of a red back deck of bikes very nicely. You might also want to look at getting a copy of Hidden in Plain Sight by Boris Wild, I've not read the book myself but have heard lots of good things about it.

Hi thanks for the suggestions guys, i will take a look at that book you suggested if i can find a copy of it and also look at marking systems. And in regards to Arkesus question, what i meant by a slight distance meaning as in you can read the marks from a natural standing postion you would normally be in when performing card magic in a bar for example (as in the marks are not that small to see that you have to bend in close to see it)

I like the Fournier 505 marked deck:



You can find them about half way down THIS PAGE.

I find the markings very easy to read and I've never had them spotted by anyone else. That said, I think these things have a lot to do with personal preference so your mileage may vary. Worth trying them out though.

I agree that the Fournier 505s are fantastic, and good value. My favourite by far. As used by a certain Mr Brown in a certain stage show...
He has good taste in marked cards, as it happens...
T.

I find that a blue fine tip sharpie is exactly the same colour as blue back bikes. You can make your own using pretty undetectable markings!

K

Hidden in Plain Sight is by Kirk Charles, not Boris Wild. You might also want to have a look at Pete McCabe's marking system, or Harry Riser's blockout system from Feints and Temps.

Garrett Thomas has a deck that is marked in the lower left corner, so much less likely to be spotted (I've seen it and can attest to that).

magicnevin is doing marked free with orders over £50 for a short period will let you know if its worth erm well nothing.

That would be great thanks for that

Marked - Bicycle Marked Deck Kit

Performing with this ultimate secret deck marking system will give you the most powerful advantage in card magic possible.
At a brief glance you will secretly know any selected card. Become a world class card performer or even a mind reader with MARKED by MAGIC MAKERS...
Everything you need to get started is included in this kit.

Kit Includes:
(1)Printed Marking System Guide
(1) Instructional DVD on the marking system with bonus performance
(1) Special Marking Device
(25) Bicycle Deck Seals (Standard Black Seals)
(1) Bicycle Deck Ready For Secret Marking Application

WARNING
For entertainment purposes only!
User assumes all risk and liability resulting from use of this product.
Neither seller nor manufacturer shall be liable to the buyer or any third person for any injury, loss or damage directly or indirectly resulting from use of, or inability to use, this product.

the man says this type of marking is not known by magicians and is illegal to use....... I say clackers (you know two plastic balls on a string that explode on contact), one word utube.
you get a dvd which is well produced, a pack of cards and a marking device.... big hint its neither a red or blue sharpie.
personaly I think the cards and deck seals are there to justify the price, as too the marking system boris wild it certainly is not, not even in the same area and i meen this geographicly people, although it would be unfair of me to tell you about the specifics, even though no copywrite is implied or stated and it was developed in the big house so to be on the safe side and not be shanked.... it share similarities with the three most popular systems on utube and incorporates the best of all of them e.g. the picture cards are seperate as are the suits.
like all marked decks handled normaly then there should be no issue of a flick test or turin test so this should be discounted when factoring its value to magicians, so was it worth the £0.00 I paid absolutly, worth £9.99 from magicnevin... only if you havent bought hidden in plain sight, worth the £19.99 adverage price...... not at any streatch of the imagination, you don't even get any alternatives to the markings, if you can get it cheep the go for it otherwise get hidden in plain site and do your own.
http://www.magicnevin.com/proddetail.asp?prod=bo01680&cat=67 hidden in plain site.

You might also want to look at getting a copy of Hidden in Plain Sight by Boris Wild, I've not read the book myself but have heard lots of good things about it.

Got this last week & def worth a read.