Torn and Restored, Guaranteed!

Effect:
A card is chosen, signed and torn into 4ths, 8ths, whatever. You mention that the Joker has a guarantee on it. On the back of your joker, you show a stamp and an address to the USPC company.

You place the joker and the torn pieces into the card box and give it a shake. You then dump out only one playing card, the restored signed selection. On the back of the playing card is a stamp and the magicians address!

Setup:
You need a duplicate card of any card in the deck. I prefer to use a court card because you are going to have a dummy signature on it. On your duplicate court card, sign the white space that borders the card. On the back of the second court card, place a stamp in the upper right corner and address it to yourself, however do not put a return address.

Place the stamp card face down on top of the deck and the dummy card face down on top. Remove any other card from the deck and slide it face down into the cellophane around the card case so that it is on the side with the half moon cutout. Finally, on the back of the Joker Guarantee card, place a stamp and address it to the USPC office in Ohio. Put the joker in your wallet or pocket.

Go Time:
“I use a lot of playing cards. The USPC has become a good friend of mine. I order directly from them now, so they hook me up every now and then. Let me show you how fast their service is.” Cut the deck and hold a break, then do a riffle force and cut your setup back to the top.

Do a double turnover and have them sign the white space on the court card. Pick up both cards and bring them to your mouth to blow, subtly reinforcing the normal back. Place the cards back on the deck and do a necktie second deal, removing the second card (dummy card). Place the deck face up on the table.

“If I tear this card up, I can usually get a replacement for it, thanks to the Joker.” Tear the card into 3rds or 4ths and place them on the table. I usually place the pieces on the table face up, with the 2 signed pieces(assuming you tore in 4ths) on the bottom of the packet.

Pick up the deck, keeping the top necktied towards yourself. Remove the Joker and read the guarantee on it. Show the back of the Joker and point out that it is addressed to the USPC. Place the Joker face up on the deck and pick up the torn pieces momentarily.

“Now, I would say that card is defective. It is torn after all.” Drop the pieces to the table again. Do a double turnover and remove the top card, then place the deck in your pocket or face up on the table. Even though the address has changed on the card, no one will notice.

I use my fingers to obscure some of the address also. Place the card into the card case so the face is towards you on the moon side. “Usually I put this in the mailbox, but for now I will use the card box.” As you put the card in the box, squeeze the sides of the case inward, causing the box to buckle.

Use your thumb to open the gap between the card and the cellophane. Pick the torn pieces up and drop them into the gap. The lid of the box will obscure where they are actually going. Close the lid and shake the box for a second, then dump the card out of the box. “That was fast, huh? Now my address is on it. Instead of sending a replacement though, they just fixed your card for us.” Now you turn the card over and show the signature.

Thoughts:
If the deck is on the table, you can pick it up and thumb the Joker into your pocket as you are putting the deck away. This is a good trick for table hopping because you can give the card away and it has all of your information on it. You can write in a website or phone number after the effect. I only do this effect for potential clients due to the fact that a stamp is wasted each performance.

Shout Outs:
This is effect is similar to an effect in Miracles with Cards by James Swain. His effect is structurally different, as well as a different presentation. His effect has a friend sending him a card in the mail.

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