Routine Ideas Archives

By Jim Burns

To say that I love White Star would be a huge understatement. I’m quite enthralled with it, as I love history. While reading some of the great ideas from different magicians, I began buying actual antiques on eBay to enhance it. I am looking for the greatest psychological impact possible and I believed that by using actual “real antiques”, the spectator would be so bombarded with what is real, they would loose track, of what isn’t.

Originally, my problem with all of my props was the question of whether to say that they were raised from the wrecking field or not. I knew that no one with any intelligence would believe that they were…. This was a big problem for me……but then I thought, what if I could set something in front of them that really DID go down with the ship; that was provable, with a certificate? Coal!!!!!! the only item that we can buy legally and for a very small amount of money!! It’s perfect. That should give them goose-bumps!

I’m guessing that I am not the only magician who has thought of using coal as a prop but in just in case some of you haven’t considered it’s strength, I’ll go ahead and give you both barrels! And again, please know that this is only a slight modification of the great original routine.

The dates on the coins are very important, but I was surprised that the dates are a bit challenging to read on a dark, bronze English penny, so I have a flashlight and even a magnifying glass which puts an end to that problem. I also, put the real (very small) piece of coal away in a safe and found a nice-sized chunk of coal locally, for the performances. (ahhum…if you see me standing on a street corner selling Titanic coal, don’t buy it) All items except the last two, fit neatly in the small box.

These are items I have bought on eBay (many of which, I am proud to say, came from Great Britain)

A 1912 English penny

A 1918 English penny

An old antique fountain pen

A lump of coal from the Titanic wrecking field (not used for performance)

Accompanying certificate of authenticity

A larger duplicate chunk of coal bought locally (pictured here, which I use for the performance)

A brass (nautical looking) magnifying glass

Small flashlight

Old world looking box

8 inch tall light house (that lights…. the jury’s still out on whether or not, I want to use it)

Titanic replica pack of photos and documents, not pictured….. (brilliantly replicated and real looking)

The Presentation

White Star routine, using two English pennies, a fountain pen, lighthouse and a lump of certified coal:
I’d like to perform an experiment right now, but before I begin, I would like Jane to hold onto this coin in her hand closed please…..and I would like Simon to hold onto this coin in his closed hand. I’m also going to set this, (coal) in front of you and this very old fountain pen in front of you. These two articles are simply markers; I’ll explain their meaning in a moment.
I’m going to show you some photos of some real people in history. They are not individually known for anything, in fact only their close family members would know their faces.

I’ll show you some of these photos one at a time and I’d like you to simply tell me if you are drawn to them in any way, just from looking at the photo. Most people find about half of the photos that I show them fascinating, and I hope you will too.

So, as I show you these photos, if you feel a particular energy about your photo, say YES, and I’ll place it in your pile, next to your marker. If you get no particular feeling at all, say NO, and I’ll place it in front of me. Again, try to set your sensitivity control to about half of the photos and I think that this will be fun and maybe interesting.

~After the photos are all dealt~I told you that these people aren’t known individually but they did experience one, very well-known event together.

~pick up the unchosen cards~ They were all passengers who were aboard the R.M.S. Titanic in 1912, but one thing separates them from one another…. Fate!! On the backs of the cards, are written some personal facts about these historic people. ~as you handle them, read some facts as you openly shown them~ As you can see, their fate is also identified. Oh, the lighthouse…. it represents the last port that some of these people saw as they sailed from Queenstown, Ireland.

Simon, would you please open your hand and look at the coin that you have been holding the whole time. It is an English penny. It is a real coin minted in Heaton, England many years ago. And would you please read the date on that coin? 1912. 100 years ago…..the year the Titanic sank.
The person who carried this coin in their pocket, (1912) could well have met their fate this year by taking this coin to the bottom of the sea; not what you would call a lucky coin.

Jane, this lucky passenger on the other hand, could have carried this coin in their pocket long after the Titanic sank. In this experiment, I had you hold these coins in your hands for a very important reason. I believe that they carry with them, an energy of their own.

As for the markers; they are also real! This is an actual lump of coal that went down on the Titanic, April 15, 1912, at 2:20 in the morning. It was recovered in 1996 and as you can see, has a certificate to prove it. Simon, lets turn over your cards which you were drawn to. You can see that they did in fact all meet their maker together on this day in 1912. They all sank together, off of the coast of Newfoundland, with THIS actual piece of coal.

As we turn over Janes cards…………(spread them out) yes, just as I suspected, your good feeling about these people was well warranted as they all survived the sinking of the Titanic. You see, this fountain pen was also around in that historic year of 1912 and was the exact type of pen that was used to record the names of the survivors; the people on the R.M.S. Titanic who went on to live long, healthy lives.
~as you casually, turn off the lighthouse, light……. you say~
“As for an explanation of all of this? I’m afraid, it is just another one of the many mysteries surrounding the Titanic.”