Faerie Shilling
Phantoms
Confundamus

And finally, the Egyptian Gods pendulum by Darkness. A pendulum is a very special thing, and this one has brought me much joy. This was actually my first serious purchase of a pendulum. I had a lot of fun digging through some of the recommended reading also. Reading the works of Knepper, Thiel, and Webster was a real treat, but the pendulum started it all.

Pearls of the Past

My votes (in no particular order):

Pearl of the passed - Evil Eye Workshop
The Roxanne Effect - Brynmore
ECSS II ticket

Haunted MP3 by Bill Montana
Pearls of the Passed by EvilEye Workshop
The Family by Max Vellucci

Pearls of the passed (not past)

My votes :
- Alchemists square - Chris Gould
- Alchemists bane - Prof BC
- Faerie shilling - Prof BC
- An edition of Hypnerotomachia Poliphili - Francesco Colonna
- An old Abracadabra Amulet - Quintus Serenus Sammonicus

Thank you for your latest votes, I am sure the different creators feel touched by your votes, this is a great feedback for them.

only 5 days to go ......

My 2016 favorites:

Witches Almanac - Gemini Artifacts
Witches Almanac Casting Cloth - Gemini Artifacts
Le Petite Fleur Tarot - Outlaw
Bell and Bone Pendulum - Mr Darkness
Bell and Bone Pendulum Cloth - Mr Darkness

You have only 48 hours left to vote for The 2016 Ghostie

Continue to vote and to thank creator who inspired and stimulated you this year in here.
Vote for your best 5 bizarre purchases of 2016

I purchased quite a bit in 2016 (said smugly as I stand on the steps of the bankruptcy court here in Ohio) and while it's hard to choose my absolute favorites, here are a few I've really loved:

Spectre - Prof BC
Pearls of The Passed - Evil Eye Workshop
Kadar - Alchemy Moon
The Teller - Outlaw Effects
Dopps - Prof BC

That said, I could name a BUNCH more ... but I'll spare you that.

In no particular order:

Confundamus - Prof BC
Cemetary Gate Key - Prof BC
The King in Green - Alchemy Moon

And even though it was gifted to me and not a purchase.... "Arcana of Bizarre Magick" - Jim Magus

Egyptian Gods pendulum by Darkness.
Bell and Bone Pendulum by Darkness.

Can I vote for myself? I guess I "purchased" something for Tears of Angels....
Only joking, I'd vote for Mystic Energies vol 1 - Bill Montana

Pearls of the Passed - I really like the story for the routine. Evil Eye workshop.

Spirit Glass - This is amazing to lay people. By Adrian.

Witch Hazel - Talk about an attention getter.

Bone pendulum - It gets looks whenever I use it. By darkness.

Seance (book of the magazines) Great stuff.

Make that Pearls of the Passed

While I really do appreciate the recognition, I would rather not receive a “vote”.

I don’t wish to support "product" consumerism in this way. In turn helping to inflate the already expensive second hand market. It’s a form of hype I wish to distance myself from. These limited “very small” run items I make are not to be put on this kind of public pedestal. I get enough reward every time you hit the PayPal button with your hard-earned cash so thanks for that. I wouldn’t want an ego award based on 15 votes from friends and other creators, there is no value in that for me.

I’m not and don’t want to be the most popular kid in town that has higher social status in the industry or followers. I leave that to those who thrive on it.

This award doesn’t work in our tiny community of creators like it does for the larger trick market. It makes me sad because it’s not in the spirit it was intended. Let’s not be followers to upstairs, give recognition in a different way if you feel it necessary. Like supporting the little guy so they may stay in business, use the items, don’t put them on the shelf or in a drawer and just enjoy the art that is enough for me.

Thanks for the support and encouragement.

Alea jacta est.

When I started this competition, there were clear rules, no hidden agenda, and I started it of my own volition. The aim of this thread is to celebrate great creators, amazing craftsman and bizarre inventors. This is a thread of Joy for me.

Thank you all for your votes, I have no doubt it means a lot to our creators.

We are very lucky to have Prof BC who volunteers to make this year’s Trophy, The Ghostie 2016, a lovely statuette, which depicts Trivia, the queen of the Ghosts. It is another demonstration of his ongoing commitment to the community.

This year was full of amazing effects. Have you seen all the diversity? The competition was very hard and the final scores were tight. Winning is not the only aim of this thread. If somebody used one of their 5 votes to vote for your effect, it is a real compliment. Only 1 vote is amazing when there are so many effects around. It is a testament to your hard work. This thread also allowed people to find hidden gems and become aware of effects that they may have missed this year. For these two raisons, I added the list of every vote below (in comparison to the best magic café who advertised only the winner). Please join me in thanking all these creators who inspired and stimulated us this year.

<French Drum Roll>

The 2016 winner is ….. The Fairy Shelling by Prof BC with 13 votes for, an amazing storytelling magic with a rare collection of old Irish coins and a magic purse. Please join me in congratulating him. Felicitation Prof, this is a well-deserved prize.

Not everybody has the same opinion and no system or name is perfect but they may evolve over time. I cannot please everybody; I have to trust that people choose to vote for effects they really enjoyed and were inspired by. I started this thread and try hard to monitor it and to keep it inside the boundaries, it takes some time and energy but I am enthusiastic and I hope my enthusiasm will continue to be infectious. This is one of my contributions to this amazing bizarre community. I will be happy to run the next competition. I will begin the thread again at the summer solstice in Sydney (winter solstice for you guys up-above). It is a good time of the year to review and reflect on the year. I will add extra recommendations to increase the fairness/ethics of the competition. Two thousand and seventeen has already started very well in the Bizarre World, and I have heard about more stimulating projects coming. I am already excited, let’s continue in the Joy.

Here the list of all your votes. Congratulations to all of you:

Pearls of the passed - Evil Eye workshop (11 votes)
The Roxanne Effect (Brynmore) (9 votes)
Vade Retro Satana - Gemini Artifacts (6 votes)

Krampusnacht - Lebanon Circle Magic (4 votes)
Krampus Box - Lebanon Circle (4 votes)

Confundamus - Prof BC (3 votes)
Seven Sins by MR Darkness (3 votes)
Spectre Prof BC (3 votes)
Phasmology Prof BC (3 votes)
Spyderwort -Prof BC (3 votes)
Switch box - Marc Charisse (3 votes)
The Resurrection Cemetery Gate Key -Prof BC (3 votes)
Bell and Bone Pendulum - Mr Darkness (3 votes)

Egyptian Gods pendulum by Darkness (2 votes)
spirit lamp - Pete Mcmillan (2 votes)
Most Haunted House in England - Prof BC (2 votes)
Heaven and Hell Pendulum- Mr Darkness (2 votes)
Salem by Jim Kleefled (2 votes)
Mystic Energies - Bill Montana (2 votes)
Spirit Glass - Adrian (2 votes)
Kadar - Alchemy Moon (2 votes)

The Ragdale House Affair - Stephen Young
Phantoms (Gemini Artifacts)
Cuss Card Kings - Christopher Gould
Death in the Family - Christopher Gould
The Unrest (Gemini Artifacts)
Bell and Bone Pendulum Cloth - Mr Darkness
ESPoe (Perkins)
The Providence Oracle (Peculiar Antiques)
A Cast of Horrors, by Sudo Nimh.
3 Wishes (Prof BC)
Ipswich II
Codex V - Bobby Hasbun
Fortune 500 - Slim King
Etherica - Roth & Wiseman
Rogue 6 Doll
Lota Bowl -Martin Duffy
Bascom Jones Complete Magick
Complete run of the Jinx- Annemann
The office desk and a full collection of yokais and tsukumogamis.
Slash Hack & Saw by T. Everett Bookings,
The Spirits Will Come by T. Everett Bookings,
Dopps - Prof BC
The real Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch
Heartsong by Jerome Finley:
Forcing Pendulums by Bill Montana:
Palm Reading for Magicians DVD - Paul Voodini
The King in Green - Alchemy Moon
Le Carnaval Des Spectres - Docc Hilford
Death Comes Knocking Dark Lord by Outlaw Effects
Lillian's Diary (Gemini Artifacts)
Book of Revelations (Lebanon Circle)
The Big Black Book (Black Hart)
White Star (Jim Critchlow)
Boston Daily Globe 1912
Lubor Lens/Reality Twister (Paul Harris)
The Teller - Outlaw Effects
Mind, Myth and Magic (T.A. Waters)
Triptych - Prof BC
Admission ticket to ECSS 3
Bill Montana's Seance Teleseminars 2 & 3
The Brain of Edward Kelly
Eclipse From Curious Miracles
The Hidden Hand from Curious miracles
The Family by Max Vellucci
Alchemists square - Chris Gould
Alchemists bane - Prof BC
An edition of Hypnerotomachia Poliphili - Francesco Colonna
An old Abracadabra Amulet - Quintus Serenus Sammonicus
Witches Almanac - Gemini Artifacts
Witches Almanac Casting Cloth - Gemini Artifacts
Le Petite Fleur Tarot - Outlaw
Witch Hazel
Séance (book of the magazines)
Arcana of Bizarre Magick - Jim Magus

Please join me in congratulating Prof BC and all these great creators, amazing craftsmen and bizarre inventors.

This art is full of great people who all deserve an award, but I can't imagine a more appropriate individual to receive the first one. Congratulations Prof BC!

I can't wait to see the award once it is done.

Hooray!!! Congrats Prof BC!!! So well deserved!
Kudos to all the creators who continue to advance the art.
Cheers to you.