Darn it... now you guys have done it... sending me back to my copies of Hugard/Braue and Stars of Magic...

Seriously, this is one of the reasons this board has rapidly become my favorite: so many opinions about so many good options.

Thanks, folks!

Though not an ace assembly in the classic sense, I love to perform the Vernash aces.

I love the Stanley Collins four-ace assembly in The Amateur Magician's Handbook. You deal all the aces face up, then three face-up cards on top of each. Then one by one you show the cards in each stack and the aces have vanished. Then you put the cards back on the deck, deal down four piles again and the aces have all moved to one pile . . . very very nifty. For anyone who wants to look it up, it's in the chapter "Tricks Where No Cards Are Chosen" - and it's about the second trick, I think.



Gosh I love these emoticons y'all have on this board . . .
Spiff-o-rama . . .

I love Henry Christs four ace trick from ETMCM 5 and Macdonalds aces are cool too. another I like is from Card College volume 1 Royal Flush Finale.
james

My vote goes to John Bannon's Mirage Assembly. It's done with queens rather than aces (for a reason) and at the end of the routine the queens "instantly" disassemble back into their original packets for a nice clean finish.

my favorites are:
"De ja vue Jokers" by Darwin Ortiz a very convincing assembly where the jokers jump instantly back (negative: uses 5 jokers)

if absolutly inpromptu I love to use Daryls
"diamond jack" as described in Richards almanac and Daryls Joker assembly booklet
and "rock´n roll aces" I found in apocalypse but forget who invented it. it uses an Olram subtility for the ace layout, so the spectators know there are the 4 aces laying on the table. I love it

I am not so keen on using jokers for assemblies. Court cards are ok sometimes but jokers are a cop out. You don't get four jokers in a deck.

Blank cards is an exception when you use Bannan's Twilight Zone Assembly

Paul Hallas

I am absolutly with you Paul. In the case of deja vue jokers, I make an exception because it is so clean looking, and the final showing of the four jokers in the leader packet before they jump instantly back is so convincing. The jokers are not taken out of the deck but are introduced for themselves in a small packet.

I don´t know Bannan´s twilight zone, what kind of assembly is that, please?

I'm stunned that no one mentioned Gary KURTZ's EXCELLENT versions.

You can also find VERY GOOD and offbeat versions by DUVIVIER in "Magie Duvivier" by RACHERBAUMER.

There is also a pretty fine version in CARPENTER's "Modus Operandi".

Someone mentioned the Open travelers plot. One of the best versions of this different effect is by Jean-Jacques SANVERT, it combines ideas from ACKERMAN, DE CAMPS etc., very good indeed.

Hope this helps a bit...

You can find all these routines are worth-buying books/videos... go get 'em

Thomas, Bannan's Twilight Zone Assembly is in Impossibilia. He talks about extra cards that only show themselves at certain times. The blank cards appear then you do a standard(?) 4 ace assembly using the blanks rather than aces. Of course some of the display moves you can do with 4 jokers you can do with the blanks so it looks very clean.

Until I actually used it I didn't realize how strongly it played. The "Twilight Zone" nature of it gives it extra appeal.

I believe he has a new book due out this year sometime.

Paul Hallas.

Paul, a guy in a magic shop showed me a trick where you put two face up and two face down(?) and he then pattered about the twilight zone and showed they were all the same way round. did Thomas Bannan invent this, I am looking for a source so I can see if the method I figured out is right.
james

Thomas Bannan doesn't exist!

Read, it was "Thomas, Bannan"!

Which was a spelling mistake of (John) (BANNON's name (even Paul is not perfect!

The twilight thing the guy showed you is in Magie Duvivier by Jon RACHERBAUMER. Nothing in common, AT ALL. Magie Duvivier is a great book, very inspiring and refreshing...

Onward.