130 entries in Cards / Effect Themes / Animation / Defying Gravity
Creators Title Comments & References Year Source Page AA Categories
To make a Card stand upright by itself on the Table tin slip
1876 132
Der Karten-Jongleur card balances on hat or elsewhere, thread
Related to 1896 71
Die Kartenbrücke long spread between hands that defies gravity, hidden rubber thread
Related to 1896 72
Friedrich W. Conradi-Horster Der Kartenturm severals cards placed upright on table to tower/house
1896 76
Magnetischer Kartenspiegel only selection adheres to mirror
1896 188
Karten- und Ei-Balance egg and upright card balanced on wand, card with needle inside
Related to 1896 189
The Terpsichorean Card card stands upright on table, then even dances to music
Related to 1897 92
The Balanced Card on hat, thread
Related toAlso published here 1897 146
The Bridge of Cards long spread between hands, elastic underneath
Related toVariationsAlso published here 1897 170
A Hypnotic Experiment cards adhere to each other and cling together, cards with thread preparation
1897 186
Card and Egg Balance impossible balancing stunt with card and egg on wand
Related to 1897 198
Das Ei des Columbus egg balanced upright, then card balanced upright on egg and coin on that, all on wand
Related to Sep. 1897
Der Zauberspiegel (Vol. 3 No. 3)
38
Die Kartenbrücke No. 3, deck spread out between hands about fifty cm, stays suspended, secret rubber band/thread set-up
1900 65
Friedrich "Fritz" Hügli III. Aus dem papierenen Königreich card is balanced on hat, deck is divided into two glasses and card floats from glas to glas, two cards are placed under two plates and the cards change places, selection is placed inside a book and performer shows envelope with miniature duplicate with correct page number and part of the text on that page written on it
  • 1. Die Karten-Balance
  • 2. Die Karte als Königin der Luft (with assistant)
  • 3. Die Kartenwanderung
  • 4. Eine magische Hypnose
1903 80
Die magnetischen Karten three cards taken and apparently magnetised, they cling to each other, making a row of three cards that is held at the top, threads across back
Apr. 1904
Der Zauberspiegel (Vol. 4 No. 4)
53
Card Balancing single card (gaffed) or deck (ungaffed) stand upright
1909 23
The Valladon Cards on Glass cards adhere to sheet of glass, spectator shoots on glass but candle goes out, performer shoots and all cards drop except selections
1909 235
Friedrich "Fritz" Hügli Der misslungene Eifersuchtsmord deck is balanced on single card, card placed in envelope and pierced with knife and then found restored
1922 51
Friedrich "Fritz" Hügli Balancieren eines Kartenspieles auf den Fingerknöcheln balancing deck on back of hand
1930 92
Tom Sellers New Magnetic Card card adheres to pencil
1935 23
Franklin M. Chapman A Tip card balanced upright on back of hand, thumb tip
1936 7
Lloyd W. Chambers Molecular Cards deck is pulled open into a stream of cards, selection is only reversed card in facedown stream, tape
1941 14
Jean Hugard The Balanced Deck deck balanced on hand
Related to Aug. 1944 66
Neal Elias No Gimmick Card Spread long spread, using perpendicular card
Related toVariations 1946 18
Rowland Brandwem Matchbook Discovery card is selected and shuffled back in the deck, second selection is placed unseen on the table, then 13 cards placed in a row and matchbox held over each card and one card sticks to it which turns out to be selection and unseen card's value matches position
Oct. 1946 261
Making It Stick card does not stick to wall above door, but when performer gives him the power it works
1946 58
Al Baker The Balancing Card card stands upright on performer's palm, thread
Also published here 1951 13
Bruce Posgate Ribbon-Spread Cards Suspension spread remains suspended in mid-air, combined with arm spreads, lazy tongs gimmick
July 1956
Ibidem (Issue 6)
17
Dr. William Weyeneth Williams magnetische Hand cards are attracted by magnet
1959
Hokus Pokus (Vol. 20 No. 4)
845
Charlie Miller Two Dollars and Aces aces appear in two envelopes that contained a dollar bill before, P&L Phantastic Card Reel for long spread in air
Inspired by 1961 58
Use Thumbtip For Standing Card On Hand No. 452, card balanced on back of hand with thumb tip
1972 128
Roterberg New Era No. 691, on hat, thread
Also published here 1972 187
Roterberg Bridge Of Cards No. 693, long spread between hands, elastic underneath
Also published here 1972 187
Jerry Andrus Air Borne Spread long spread between the hands with faro-shuffled deck
1973 38
Karl Fulves Suspense card balanced between upright card case and deck, then it remains suspended (chair levitation like) when case is removed
Also published here 1978 1134
Terry LaGerould Kinky-Pinky deck balanced upright on fingers while card rises
Also published here 1979 66
Peter A. McDonald Die Standhafte Karte card stands upright
Aug. 1979
Intermagic (Vol. 6 No. 2)
69
Greg Wissmueller High Spread spread between the hands floats in the air
Oct. 1980
Apocalypse (Vol. 3 No. 10)
401
Karrell Fox Ballast balancing card on back of hand, thumb tip
June 1981
Apocalypse (Vol. 4 No. 6)
493
Don England Long Spread wire gimmick
1981 5
Paul Harris The Vacuum Cleaner Card Case case stuck to deck
Variations 1981 5
Curtis Kam, Chris Kam The VCCC Cleans Up Its Act case stuck to deck, gag routine with case as vacuum cleaner
Inspired by 1982 30
Gaëtan Bloom One-Card Card Castle card stands on its edge, uncredited
1983 190
Mike Bornstein Stretch Out long spread of card between the hands without visible support, rubber band
1985 544
Meir Yedid Cliff Hanger long spread of card between the hands without visible support
Related to 1985 546
Randy Wakeman Spreading it a Little Too Thin too long spread is suspended in mid-air, perpendicular
Inspired by 1985 11
Steve Beam Charged Cards several phases, apparently cards are charged with electric energy
  • 1. single card rises from deck
  • 2. half of a card stands on table on the long end
  • 3. half of a card stands on table on the short end
  • 4. four quarters of a card cling to the fingers
  • 5. card spread is picked up (Jerry Andrus)
see also p. 243 for additional idea by Jim Surprise
Related to 1985 161
Jerry Andrus Picking Up Card Spread
Also published here
  • "Some Ideas With Ribbon Spreads" in Jerry Andrus' "Kurios Kards" 1973, p. 32
1985 167
Steve Beam More? card case sticks to wall
1985 168
John Riggs Airspread card spread in hands, one hand lets go, spread suspends in air, ungaffed
1985 199
Steve Beam Airspread II gimmick version
1985 200
Gaëtan Bloom Impossible Is Not French card balances on edge, torn card balances on torn edge
Variations 1986 8
Karrell Fox "Baffling Balance" balancing card on back of hand
1986 52
Hippie Torrales The Leaning Tower of Pasteboards card only supported on one side "floats" on hand
Related to Feb. 1987
Apocalypse (Vol. 10 No. 2)
1309
Ken Krenzel Incredible Full Deck Levitation paper clip gimmick
1987 1
Ken Krenzel The "Cases" Deck Levitation deck in case floats at hand
1987 6
Ken Krenzel Purist Non-Clip Variations ungaffed version
Inspired by 1987 11
Ken Krenzel A Gimmicked Incredible Levitation alternative
Inspired by 1987 14
Ken Krenzel, Hippie Torrales Hippie Torrales' Magnetic Spinner - Krenzel Variation deck floats on finger and moves
Related to 1987 15
Ken Krenzel 180° Magnetic Spin deck floats on finger and moves
1987 17
Steve Beam Airlift deck is balanced on fingertips, various methods
Related to 1990 619
Steve Beam Power Pack half of deck balanced on other half
Variations 1990 622
Scott Robinson Fan Flight half of deck balanced on other half, which is fanned
1990 623
Steve Beam Light Spread long spread of card between the hands without visible support
Related to 1990 633
Steve Beam Carded business is suspended on other business card
1990 635
John Riggs Back to Business card on hand
1990 639
Ken Krenzel Powering Up
Inspired by 1991 654
Ken Krenzel Floating Deck deck on fingertips, in Leftovers
1991 736
Dan Harlan Auto Suspension deck of cards suspends on hand
Related to June 1991
The Minotaur (Vol. 3 No. 2)
8
Neal Elias Setting Up for No Gimmick Card Spread from June 1990 letter
Inspired by 1991
Cheat Sheet (Issue 8)
81
Howard Wurst Magnetic Marker Ace of Spades is marked with X on back and shuffled into deck, long in-the-hand spread then is supported by itself, case clings to spread when touched with spread, then Ace and other four Royal Flush cards are found in case
1991
Cheat Sheet (Issue 9)
88
Steve Dusheck Kling-On a card balances and sticks to another, coin produced and vanishes again
1992 87
Steve Dusheck Spread Em long spread between hands, reel
1992 98
Steve Beam Charged Cards several phases, apparently cards are charged with electric energy
  • 1. single card rises from deck
  • 2. half of a card stands on table on the long end
  • 3. half of a card stands on table on the short end
  • 4. four quarters of a card cling to the fingers
  • 5. card spread is picked up (Jerry Andrus)
Related to 1993 101
Muneo Yokoi Stand Up Spread Table spread made to stand up vertically on its edge, self-standing, then two selections produced from it
1993 16
Sid Fleischman A Flourish From the 30x perpendicular card under the deck holds long spread
  • The Extender (two perpendicular cards)
Related to 1993 109
Michael Close, Gaëtan Bloom Bloom in Your Hand thread set up to balance card on hand and making matches fly from matchbox
Inspired by July/Aug. 1993
The Magic Menu (Vol. 3 No. 18)
200
Robert Parrish Do the Spirits Return? rapping hand answers questions, rising cards with the hand, card stands upright
Inspired byRelated to 1995 25
Terry LaGerould Kinky Pinky deck balanced upright on fingers while card rises
Also published here 1996
The Art of Astonishment — Book 2 (Issue Close-up Entertainer)
153
Patrick Snowden Tensegrity display construction with two cards and a pencil, impossible object, using thread and gaffed card
1996
The Art of Astonishment — Book 2 (Issue Astonishing Friends)
295
Joel Givens Lean Time deck stands upright on palm
Also published here 1996 1155
Sticky Cards card sticks to wall, spectator cannot duplicate, static electricity
1997 25
Lee Asher Erect Aces four Aces stand upright on table
VariationsAlso published here 1997 1299
Richard Bartram, Jr. Suspended Change card is suspended on fingers then it changes to selection
1997 40
Jon LeClair Static Card card stands on hand on edge
Inspired by
  • "Standing Card" (Gaëton Bloom)
1997 135
The Magnetic Rise card sticks to handkerchief and is risen out of deck
1998 9
Nob Yoshigahara Magnetic Aces four Aces face-down on table in a row, right first finger presses on first Ace, it clings to finger, places it on next Ace, both cards cling to finger, and so on
Related toAlso published here 1998
Underworld (Issue 9)
118
John E. Mintz Magnetic Aces - Notes cards cling to finger and are picked up one by one
Related to 1998
Underworld (Issue 9)
119
Nob Yoshigahara Static Cling "an offbeat ace assembly"
four Aces face-down on table in a row, right first finger presses on first Ace, it clings to finger, places it on next Ace, both cards cling to finger, and so on
"in Science Magic Martin Gardner credits it to Nob Yoshigahara of Tokyo"
Related to 1998 232
Jason Alford Floating Deck deck is on table and clings to fingers when lifted up, hidden fork
1998 34
Christian Scherer Sensitive Finger five phases blindfold routine with sense of touch presentation
  • 1. finger print, by touch
  • 2. think stop
  • 3. rising card under handkerchief, magnetism presentation
  • 4. card identity divination
  • 5. location of selection
Inspired byRelated to 1999 9
Ellis Stanyon Balancing Any Card on a Hat No. 11, card moves in hat and then stands
1999 160
Ellis Stanyon The Card and a Glass of Wine Balance on a Hat No. 12, glass balanced on end of playing card (with hinged flap) which is balanced on hat
1999 160
Ellis Stanyon The Mysterious Chain of Cards No. 13, corners of two cards are rubbed together and they adhere, more cards are attached like that
Variations 1999 161
Karl Fulves Supplementary Note different gaff
Inspired by 1999 161
Ellis Stanyon The Electric Pack of Cards No. 48, floating spread between hands
1999 184
J. A. Jackson Balancing the Pack on End - on the Back of the Hand No. 12
Variations 1999 302
Karl Fulves Supplementary Note routine for the stunt
Inspired by 1999 302
Ellis Stanyon A Bridge of Cards Between the Hands No. 32, elastic cord, long spread
1999 311
Mark Aspiazu Pen Production pen appears on in-the-hands spread, or under the spread with floating spread sequence
  • Variation
1999 89
Martin Gardner The Balancing Deck deck sands upright on back of hand, with comment by Joseph K. Schmidt
Related to 2000 25
Jack Avis Jack Avis balancing deck with rubber band around it, clings to hand when hand is turned
2000 26
Lee Asher Put Your Treys in the Upright Position "Erect Aces", four Threes stand upright on table
Also published here 2001 9
Karl Fulves Suspense No. 38, card balanced between upright card case and deck, then it remains suspended (chair levitation like) when case is removed
Also published here 2001 83
Neal Elias A Long Spread using perpendicular card
Related to 2001 50
R. Paul Wilson Hovercraft deck is balanced on card case
2002 17
Egg, Card, and Wand egg balanced on card balanced on wand
Also published here
  • Will Goldston, Tricks and Illusions, 1908, p. 102
2002 95
Al Baker The Balancing Card card stands upright on performer's palm, thread
Also published here 2003
The Secret Ways of Al Baker (Issue Pet Secrets)
361
Dámaso Fernández La Carta Acróbata card stands on hand of performer and then flies to the other hand
2003 262
Doug Edwards The De Suspension deck suspended on fingers, first in card case then without, ungaffed
Also published here July 2003
Magic (Vol. 12 No. 11)
86
Karl Fulves Vulcan Deck rubber band around deck vanishes, then long spread between hand is made
Inspired by 2004 81
Karl Fulves Magnetic Mix-Up two rubber banded halves on top of each other, bottom one is lifted when top one is lifted
2004 90
Nathan Kranzo Tip Trey selection stands on table
Inspired by 2004 151
Dirk Losander The Card Stands Alone
Inspired by
  • "One-Card Card Castle" (Gaeton Bloom)
June 2004
Genii (Vol. 67 No. 6)
64
Karl Fulves Loco-Motion follow-up for "Auto Kinetic", toy car replaced in card case, then full deck removed from it, case balances on edge of one-handed fan, signed card to case
Inspired by 2006
Prolix (Issue 1)
5
Doug Edwards Deck Suspension deck suspended on fingers, variation with card case
  • Opener
Also published here 2006 108
Joel Givens Lean Time deck stands upright on palm
Also published here 2007 227
David S. Anderson Magnetic Card borrowed card balanced on thumb and seems to cling to it
Also published here
  • Linking Ring, March 1961
2009
Prolix (Issue 6)
388
David Gabbay Dizzy Tenkai (The Card That Falls Up) card shoots from one hand to other, used as flourish or “muscle pass” effect
2012 55
Nico Scholl Tapped Deck is sucked back into card case while magician tries to remove it.
Related toVariations 2015 20
Alexander de Cova Drei Sekunden Schweben deck balances on fingertip in an impossible way
2015 315
Stephen Hobbs Matter of Balance deck balances on back of fingers, can be used as production when deck is tossed up and selection remains between fingers
May 2017
Genii (Vol. 80 No. 5)
61
Alexander Kölle Tapped Out additional handling for Nico Scholl's Tapped
Inspired by 2018 20
Lorenz Schär Strapped deck is sucked back into card case while magician taps on it, only card sticking out is selection
Inspired by 2018 21
Marty Kane A Stretch of Time long spread between hands, using a watch
Inspired by 2018 36
Joaquín Navajas La carta que se mantiene en pie convincing handling for Gaëtan Bloom's Standing Card
Inspired by 2019 175
Steve Forte the floating cut bottom half seems to cling at upper half during tabled cut
2020 987
Doug Edwards The De Suspension deck suspended on fingers, first in card case then without, ungaffed
Also published here 2022 207
Chastain Criswell Box Balance case balances on finger in impossible configuration, hidden coin
Also published here
  • MAGIC, Nov. 2006
2022 555
Mortenn Christiansen Take Annnnny Card long spread between hands that defies gravity
Related to 2023 40