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Apparitions, Animations and Aces is a highly regarded, vintage card magic manuscript written by magician Ron Ferris. Published in 1973 by Micky Hades Enterprises, it is a specialized, 31-page underground classic prized by "cardicians" (magicians who specialize strictly in advanced card sleight-of-hand).
The book focuses on clever, highly visual plots involving the four Aces, card transpositions, and gambling demonstrations.
Core Themes & Trick Breakdown
The manuscript is divided into effects that fit into three thematic categories implied by the title:
1. Apparitions (Visual Appearances & Transpositions)
These effects deal with cards mysteriously appearing, vanishing, or cleanly switching places under impossible conditions.
The Almost Perfect Transposition: (Later adapted and detailed in collaborative Las Vegas magic notes with Allan Ackerman). A hyper-clean routine where two cards cleanly trade places with minimal, highly deceptive handling.
The Green Gambler: A narrative-driven card routine centered around a fictional card cheat, showcasing how a professional gambler can manipulate a deck right under a spectator's nose.
2. Animations (Moving & Living Card Plots)
"Animations" in card magic refer to effects where cards seem to move on their own, or where the state of the deck dynamically shifts.
Ribbon Candy: A fascinating red-and-black separation routine later featured and expanded upon in Karl Fulves’ legendary Apocalypse magazine. The spectator attempts to find red cards in a black pile (and vice versa), only for the magician to reveal an entirely alternate, unexpected setup.
3. Aces (Four-of-a-Kind Routines)
A major portion of the manuscript is dedicated to the traditional calling card of the master card mechanic: cutting to, assembling, or producing the four Aces.
Royal Aces: A premier gambling routine where the Aces are openly placed into the deck and dealt out for two players. In the first phase, the performer effortlessly receives the Aces. To up the ante, the routine is repeated, but this time the spectator gets the four Aces—only for the performer to reveal they have dealt themselves a winning Straight Flush.
Blackjack Player's Delight: (Often associated with Ferris's work alongside Allan Ackerman). Four ten-valued cards are placed on the table. Through a series of fair choices, four selected cards turn out to be the four Aces, perfectly aligning to make four natural Blackjacks.