Here's my list of the top magic DVDs of all time:

Born to Perform Card Magic with Oz Pearlman
Very Best Of Jay Sankey
Revolutionary Card Magic
Revolutionary Coin Magic
Sankey's Secret Files Volumes 1 & 2
Sankeytized Volumes 1 & 2
Sankey's Greatest Hits
22 Blows to the Head
Boris Pocus

Here 's the Top ranking up to date of this post with 3 absolute winners !

24 Bill Malone On the Loose 1-4
24 Richard Osterlind Mind mysteries 1-4
24 Michael Ammar Easy to Master Card Miracles
17 Tommy Wonder Visions of Wonder 1-3
14 Lennart Green Green Magic series
13 Daryl Encyclopedia of Card Sleights
13 Flicking Fingers The Movie, Tricks & Fiction...
10 Jeff McBride The Art of Card Manipulation
10 Greg Wilson On the Spot
8 David Williamson Magic Farm
8 David Roth Expert Coin Magic
7 Max Maven Video Mind
7 Daryl Ambitious Card Routine
7 Banachek psi series
6 J Guastaferro Brainstorm
6 Jay Sankey The Very Best
6 Dai Vernon Revelations series
5 Johnny Thompson Commercial Classics
5 Derren Brown Devils' Picture Book
5 Darwin Ortiz - Scams & Fantasies With Cards 1,2,3,4
5 Sal Piacente Expert Card Magic Notes
4 Harry Lorayne Best Ever Series
4 Darwin Ortiz Cardshark
4 De'vo Cradle to Grave
4 Doc Eason Bar Magic
4 Jay Sankey Secret Files
4 Daryl Daryl Does the Full Monte
3 Dean Dill Extreme Dean
3 Daryl Foolers Doolers
3 Allan Ackerman Ackerman Series
3 Guy Hollingworth Routines
3 Darwin Ortiz - At the Card Table 1,2,3
3 Paul Green In the Trenches
3 Jay Sankey Revolutionary Coin Magic
3 Stars of Magic Stars of Magic - Paul Harris
2 Daniel Garcia Project
2 Troy Hossier Total Destruction 1-3
2 David Roth Ultimate Coin Magic
2 Michael Skinner 1-4
2 Alex Elmsley The Tahoe Sessions
2 Daryl Card Revelations 1 René Lavand Close-up Artistry
2 Greg Wilson Pyrotechnic Pasteboards
2 Shoot Ogawa - Cultural Xchange
2 Jeff Mbride On Stage
2 The Essential Aldo Colombini, vol. 1, 2, and 3
1 Yves Doumergue Ripped & Restored
1 ShockFX
1 Greg Wilson Card Stunts
1 Brad Burt Chop Cup
1 Michael Ammar Classic Rubber Band Magic
1 Greg Wilson Double Take
1 Segal Gaff Magic
1 Eugene Burger Gourmet Close-up Magic
1 Jennings France Lectures 1&2
1 Steve Dacri Master Routines Sponge Ball
1 Banachek pk silverware
1 Eugene Burger Real Secrets of Close Up Magic
1 Dai Vernon Revelation Series
1 Greg Wilson Ring Leader
1 Henry Evans Something > an Illusion
1 Stars of Magic Stars of Magic - Andre
1 James Freedman Stealing the Show
1 Bro John Hamman The Lost Works
1 Michael Ammar Topit
1 Michael Close Very Very Close
1 J Bannon Smoke & Mirrors
1 Albert Goshman's Magic by Gosh
1 Don Alan video by Stevens
1 Sylvester the Jester Suspended Dimension
1 Rodney Reyes - School of Hard Knocks
1 Oz - Born to Perform
1 Cellini Vds.
1 Simon Lovell The Party Animal and Office Animal set
1 Richard Kaufman basic technique
1 Dave 2 (Williamson)
1 Scott Alexander 10 O'Clock Show
1 Jean Pierre Vallarino - Card Fantasies
1 David Williamson - Sleight of Dave vol.1
1 Juan Tamariz - Fabulous Close-up Lecture
1 Paul Gertner - Steel & Silver
1 Eric Decamps - Stars of Magic
1 Daniel Garcia - Project
1 Paul Harris - Stars of Magic
1 David Roth - Ultimate coin Magic
1 Rich Marota Dynamic Duo
1 Rich Marotta Close-up, Stand-up, and Walk-around Comedy Magic
1 Harry Anderson Hello, Sucker
1 Steve Martin as Flydini
1 Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants
1 Denny and Lee "Live at the Wells Theatre"
1 Dan Garret Kidshow Konnivery
1 Terry Herbert Children's Magic The Herbert Way

I see that I'm a bit late for the tabulation.

Well when I made my list I had somehow completely forgotten about Derren Brown's "Devil's Picturebook". If you haven't seen it, you must. Derren shows that what he wrote in "Absolute Magic" and "Pure Effect" were not just the idle musings of an armchair magico-theorist but someone who found a way to make magic a very powerful experience for the spectator indeed. You can see just how blown away these people are on the tape and they come off like a pretty astute and reserved bunch to start with at least, a far cry from the L&L circus.

Less important than the spectators experience but just as impressive is Derren's smooth technical mastery of the cards and his supremely confident misdirection. He has also created some interesting and useful moves for the move junkies out there.

I don't know if this is a DVD yet but it certainly deserves mention and I place it above any video I own. I can't imagine that anyone wouldn't think this was terrific but then again this is the Magic Café and there's bound to be someone who doesn't like it much.

Cards...Cards...and more Card DVD magic! This list is mainly focused on finger flickers with Cards.

Is this the best magic? We forget there is a wide group of lay persons who do not like card magic.

Maybe this is why magic has not been accepted as an Art Form.

New best book seller coming soon: "1,000,001 Ways to Pick a Card, Lose a Card, and Find a Card."

My list.

Max Maven Videomind
Richard Osterlind Mind Mysteries /too
Marc Spelmann DVD collection
Eugene Burger The Chicago Tapes
FLIP The Very Best of FL!P
The Flicking Fingers the movie
Darwin Ortiz Cardshark
Dai Vernon Revelations
Daryls Encyclopedia of Card Sleights
Lennart Green Green Magic

There are actually more than 10, but these are the ones I watch them repeatedly.

As a hobbyist, I would add:
Al Schneider Technique, Vol 1 - 3
Fred Kapps, Seeing is Believing

Although I am deeply sympathetic to your point- I think cards are way over emphasized by magicians and not to continue flogging a deceased equine, that although "Devil's Picturebook" examines effects with cards, the effects are very magical and transcend the routine boredom associated with "pick a card" tricks. Also, there is some very strong mentalism on the tape with a few effects not requiring a deck of cards at all. Also even non card workers could learn a thing or two from Derren's implementation of misdirection, both physical and psychological.

OK, this pony has now officially expired (but maybe he's just pining for the fjords).

I have a question...

What do we mean by Best?
The most enjoyable to watch. Fooled us the most when we first watche the effects. Still fooled us after we watched the explainations. Contained the most effects that we use in real world performing situations. Contained the most useful advice outside of trick-teaching. (I think the list goes on)
The problem is, without defining "best" we have a list that may not tell us as much as it could.

BTW, I'm working my way through "Educating John Archer" and it ranks high up in just about all the categories I've listed.

Good question- I would venture to guess that, based on the posts thus far, "best" is a subjective designation inspired by what comes immediately to mind when one is asked "what is best?". That subjective evaluation is likely based on an individual combination of the criteria you suggest. As per your post, it would be helpful if people wrote more about they chose their own candidate for "best".

I have to agree here. Card tricks are waayyy overdone and lately I find myself purposefully NOT buying DVD's full of card tricks.

Just my 2 cents.

Either way... why did I buy a simon aronson dvd? no one mentioned him except the guy tryin to sell it to me

Is it not good?

My top ten magic dvd's of all time are:
1. Bill Malone - On the Loose vols.1-4
2. Maryn Roy & Carol - Mr. Electric
3. Richard Sanders - Fiber Optics (Rope Magic at it's best)
4. Tommy Wonder - Visions of Wonder vols.1-3
5. Morgan Strebbler,s - Liquid Metal (incredible fork bending routines)
6. Richard Osterlind's - Mind Mysteries vols.1-4 (MENTALISM AT ITS BEST)
7. Gene Anderson - Torn And Restored Newspaper
8. Alex Elmsley - The Tahoe Sessions
9. Michael Ammar - Easy To Master Card Miracles series vols. 1-9
10.Daryl - Encyclopeadia of Card Sleights
if you haven't seen some of these dvd's, you should check them out! great stuff

Cody Fisher On Magic
Larry Davidson Scripted Insanity 1&2.
David Williamson Magic Farm

Thanks, I'm happy just not to be listed in a "worst" thread.

Only listed once that I see but if you've not seen them you're really missing out:
Charlie Frye - Eccentricks

I noticed a few of you cheated (?) and put down complete volumes sets as one DVD (ie: Bill Malone Vol 1 - 4, Michael Ammar Vol 1 - 6, etc.)

It'd be nice to hear which of the DVD's from each set you value the most (ie: Bill Malone Vol 2, Michael Ammar Vol 5, etc). If you love the whole set, number them in the order you enjoy them. Just a thought.

Rick

PS) My favorite DVD sets are the Michael Ammar Easy to Master series (that's more than 10 right there - hehe), Bill Malone(4), David Regal(7) and John Guastaferro(2). I'll get around to numbering them (as I mentioned above) when I have more time.

Sorry Rick, but I've got a few more important things to do...

Clinton W. Gray

Please be a little more politcaly correct and call us lazy creeps instead of cheats. It just softens it a bit more!
:rotf:

My top ten DVDs for inspiration, education and putting me on the path to becoming a pro would be (in no particular order);

Derren Brown's - Devil's Picture Book
Richard Osterlind - Mind Mysteries
John Archer's - Educating Archer
James Brown - Still Fancy a Pot of Jam
Paul Wilson's - The Royal Road to Card Magic
Derren Brown's - International Magic Lecture DVD
Andy Nyman's - Get Nyman
Martin Sanderson - The Business
David Williamson - International Magic Raccoon Lecture
Paul Daniel's - Master Class