SAMPLER

Printed in China

ISBN: 978-1-954243-20-0

Copyright Vanishing Inc. Magic, 2024. All rights strictly reserved

This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner
whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of
brief quotations in a book review.
 Created, written, and illustrated by
Christian Scherer

Edited by
Andi Gladwin, Joshua Jay and Mike Vance

Designed by
Andi Gladwin

Cover design by
Michał Kociołek
Acknowledgments
Thanks are due to all the authors who have
published their ideas and theories about the
art of magic, their own tricks and routines
in magazines and books, as well as in the
form of videos. With their publications,
they have all contributed as much to the
preservation of knowledge about the origin
and working of classical tricks as they have
to the advancement of the art of magic.
Without them, none of the reflections, ideas,
and tricks described in this book would
have come into being. Books describing
sleights and relevant principles that form
the basis of magic tricks, books on scripting,
blocking, and all aspects of presentation
which explain how to turn a simple magic
trick without meaning into an impactful
experience for the audience are particularly
noteworthy.

Special thanks go to my long-time friend

Sveroni, who has patiently listened to and
watched my trick ideas countless times over
the past 25 years and in many cases helped me
develop them into practical presentations.
He has often come up with amazingly simple
methods and witty presentation ideas. In
addition, as a toolmaker and master of the
old school of precision engineering, he has
helped in the realization of many trick ideas
that could not have been accomplished
without him.
I would also like to thank Lorenz Schär,
who with his unerring instinct for timing,
dramaturgy, and effect has repeatedly given
me tips that have helped to improve the
audience impact of some of the tricks.

Pino Pan and Lorenz Schär have read the

drafts of many of the more recent texts and
with their corrections and suggestions have
contributed a great deal to increasing the
quality and comprehensibility of the text
and images.

And a big thank you goes to Mike Vance,

the untiring, selfless proofreader, who has
been so kind to proofread the non-native
English texts.

And finally, many thanks to Joshua Jay

and Andi Gladwin of Vanishing Inc., who
agreed to publish this book with a selection
of my best tricks released in German
between 1978 and 2021.
 Contents
Before we Begin.................................................................ix
Preface ............................................................................. xi
Introduction ..................................................................... xiii

More than Small Change ..................................................1

The Matter Transmitter ................................................... 3
Chinese Fortune Coins..................................................... 18
The World’s Smallest Currency Converter..................... 40

Enigmatic Happenings .....................................................51

Escaped ............................................................................ 53
Weaned from Smoking .................................................... 69
The Magic Stones of Stonehenge ................................... 77
Mary’s Charm................................................................... 90
The Fourth Dimension .................................................... 107
Free Fall ........................................................................... 128
Motion Control ................................................................ 135

The Die is Cast...................................................................143

The Hapless Dice Cheat ................................................. 145
Dice Player’s Spleen ........................................................ 158

Cups & Balls ......................................................................179

Essay on the Cups and Balls ........................................... 181
Click Wand ...................................................................... 197
Applied Physics................................................................ 200
Cagliostro the Alchemist ................................................. 221

Cards A la Carte ...............................................................233

The Royal Fours .............................................................. 235
Another Fancy False Cut ................................................ 246
 A Card Index ................................................................... 251
The Poetry of Magic ........................................................ 256
Is It a Trick? .................................................................... 277
Good Luck Number ........................................................ 282
The Oracle of Bern .......................................................... 287
French Leave ................................................................... 295
Uncanny Reflex .............................................................. 315
The Missing Page ........................................................... 319
Hofzinser’s Glove ............................................................ 328
Phantasmagoria ............................................................... 334

Intriguing Occurences ......................................................341

Fisherman’s Yarn.............................................................. 343
Gone Terribly Wrong ...................................................... 354
Magic Miniature Golf ..................................................... 370
Keep Away from Card Cheating Games......................... 390
A Childhood Dream......................................................... 406
Cause and Effect............................................................... 418

Parting Thoughts ..............................................................433

Some Parting Thoughts.................................................... 435
Like a Swiss Clockwork................................................... 437
Bibliography .................................................................... 443
Christian Scherer’s Publications 1978-2021 ................... 447
 Preface
Roberto Giobbi

If there was a list of great little-known magicians, Christian Scherer’s

name would have to figure very close to the top. Although his specialty
is definitely card magic, he excels in many other branches of magic, and
this book brings it all to you.

But I’m putting the cart before the horse, so let’s take one thing at the
time.

I met Christian for the first time in 1978 at a Swiss Magic Convention.
I was perusing a card book at a dealer’s booth and asked Almeico,
the owner, if it was any good. He smiled and pointed to the person
standing right behind me, “You should ask him, he’s the author!” The
book in question was Christian’s first literary effort, Eine Handvoll
Kartenkunststücke (1978), which I bought there and then, asking the
author if he would perform a few of his published miracles from the
book. This was our first hour-long session that would have many repeats
in the ensuing years.

On this occasion, and on those that followed, I could appreciate

Christian’s holistic approach to the creation, study, and performance of
magic. Clearly, he has a profound understanding of what constitutes a
good effect, the ability to execute even the most difficult sleight perfectly
– I won’t forget his Perfect Faro he did without looking under the table
after a dinner we had with Juan Tamariz in London – and the personality
to bring it across convincingly for laypeople and magicians alike.

As for the content of the present book, you are in for a treat: Christian
shares over thirty of his favorite pieces from his working repertoire
that he has been using in over forty years as a part-time professional.
However, you do not only get the detailed explanation of these
masterpieces, but also his sophisticated scripts. Whether you like them
or not, I recommend you read them through carefully first, as Christian
has put a lot of thought into why and how he says something: try to catch
the essence before changing things around. All of this, I should add, is

Christian Scherer xi
clarified with over 700 illustrations from the author himself, another of
the abilities of this multi-talented man.

Christian’s life would justify a chapter of its own: He’s a winner of

numerous magic awards, and several honors have been bestowed upon
him, among others he’s an Honorary Member of the Magischer Ring der
Schweiz, the Swiss magic circle, and received their first Ring of Honor
for extraordinary merits. For years he was the editor of their magazine
Hokus Pokus, and over the years successfully published many of his
creations. And it cannot go without mention that he has undertaken the
unenviable task of translating and publishing Erdnase’s The Expert at the
Card Table in German, and to which I had the honor of contributing a
lengthy foreword. Last but not least, Christian is a gifted lecturer, who
has highlighted many a club evening and magic convention.

Any connoisseur of intelligent magic will find something of value in the

routines exposed in this book, which are the distillation of a lifetime
devoted to magic. In the name of the magic community, I would like
to thank and congratulate Christian for sharing his secrets with us.
And now I wish you much pleasure in discovering Christian Scherer’s
remarkable world of magic!

Roberto Giobbi, October 2022

xii Mosaic
 Introduction
Good magic is like a mosaic of many individual pieces. Only the
right pieces of the mosaic can be put together correctly to create
the desired picture. Putting them together is made more difficult
by the fact that the individual stones are usually not simply given
and don’t only have to be inserted correctly. Rather, the individual
pieces must first be searched for and shaped before they can be
correctly fitted. A single incorrectly placed stone can severely
disrupt the image of the entire mosaic.

The process of searching and forming is really never over. Each

stage reached is merely the starting point for the next. The addition
of “ultimate” to a version of a feat, which is so popular especially
in the English-speaking world, can therefore be translated quite
simply as meaning, “I can’t think of anything more to say about it
at the moment.” There is nothing that cannot be improved, over
and over again. The tricks and presentations described in this book
are therefore also to be understood as “works in progress”. They
reflect the current state of my efforts to find forms of presentation
that contain a certain originality in terms of both trick technique and
subject matter, are practical, and are well received by the audience.

The detailed described patter and presentations are to be

understood as examples. Not only can you change them, but you
should do so and adapt them to your own personality.

However, always make sure that the meaning and logic of the trick
is apparent and the effect is clear.

I wish you many entertaining hours studying the tricks and much
success in performing them.

Christian Scherer, 2021

Christian Scherer xiii

 25. 26.

(or in front of) the cups (or left lying around). Appropriate timing
can significantly increase the effect of the appearance of the loads.
If the loads are uncovered too quickly one after the other, the
whole thing looks more like one three-part load. If, however, the
loads are presented one by one, there are three loads.

So do not lift the three cups in quick succession to show the loads,
but lift the first cup, pause for a moment, pick up the load, look at
it, look into the audience and then place the load on the cup.

Depending on whether you want to give the impression of a

demonstration (you know exactly what is coming next) or are
curious about what is going to happen, the exact handling can
vary. In the former case, you simply lift the cup as a matter of
course, but if you pretend not to know exactly what is under the
cup, you will first lift it only slightly and then - when you see that
there is something underneath - lift it completely.

Proceed in the same way with the second and third cups (or the
third load if you only use two cups).

For example, if you are using a tomato, an onion and a lemon as

loads, try not to simply lift the three cups quickly one after the
other and show the loads, but proceed step by step and present the
individual loads as a real surprise and give the spectators the time
to perceive each individual load as such.

196 Mosaic
 Click Wand27
In magic, it is very important to let the audience know or notice when
exactly a magical effect happens. For example, if you seem to pass
a ball from one hand into the other and then hit the empty palm of
your hand with a magic wand, the spectators don’t know exactly when
the ball has disappeared - when it entered the hand, immediately
afterwards, at the moment the wand touched the hand?

In order to indicate the exact time of the disappearance of an object

acoustically in Cups and Balls, in coin or sponge ball routines, the
Click Wand emits a clearly audible click at the appropriate moment.

Construction
The shaft of the 14”-long wand with aluminum ends is covered
with anthracite-colored heat shrinkable tubing, which ensures
comfortable and safe handling of the wand (Fig 1).

In the ends, a rod-shaped piece of brass is mounted between two

holed discs of foam rubber. When the wand is struck on the hand,
etc., the brass rod strikes the inner wall of the wand with a clearly
audible click (Fig. 2).

1.

2.

27. Since 2020, manufacturing and sales rights are owned by MeirYedid, MyMagic

Christian Scherer 197

Handling of the Wand
The Click Wand can be handled normally without making a sound
- even if it is whirled through the fingers. However, if you hit the
hand or the edge of the hand with the wand, a clearly audible
“click” will be heard!

When working with coins, you can acoustically simulate the

presence of a coin in your hand by striking the empty palm of the
slightly opened hand before you vanish the (already absent) coin.

If you seem to be holding a ball in your hand, hit the Click Wand
on the edge of the loosely closed fist (“Click!”) and simultaneously
open your hand. The acoustic signal suggests that the magic wand
hits the ball, and the ball disintegrates at that moment, which is
visually confirmed by opening the fist.

The same effect is also achieved by using sponge balls. Of course,

they would not make a sound when you hit them with your wand.
No spectator will be aware of this, but the acoustic signaling of the
effect defines the moment when the ball disappears. This makes the
effect clearer and more surprising, as a few trials will easily show.

The Meaning of a Magic Wand

If the wand were real and you could do magical things with it,
you would consider it your most valuable possession and handle it
with the utmost care - you would not wave it around like a cooking
spoon!

If you only use the wand because you think it makes you look
like a wizard, or just to cover a hidden object in your hand, you
might as well leave it out. However, if you use the wand with due
respect to produce magical moments and use facial expressions
and gestures to give the audience the impression of how valuable
it is to you and that it really does have magical powers, then it can
considerably increase the magical content of your performance.

198 Mosaic
 However, if you use the wand with the necessary respect to
produce magical moments and use mimics and gestures to give
the audience the impression of how valuable it is to you and that
it really does have magical powers, it can add considerably to the
magical quality of your performance.

Christian Scherer 199

 The Royal Fours
This is a completely revised version of a combination of two tricks I
published in 1982, using my handling of the Ascanio Spread.

Effect
The performer removes the four Fours from a deck of cards. The
deck is put aside. The Four of Hearts changes into the King of
Hearts. Then the other three Fours change into Kings. The two
red Kings are turned face down and placed on the table. The
spectator is asked to guess which of the two face-down cards is
the King of Hearts. The King of Diamonds is turned face up and
then placed face down on the table with the black Kings. When
the King of Hearts is turned face up, it has changed back into the
Four of Hearts. When the other three Kings are turned face up,
they are the remaining three Fours.

My Ascanio Spread Handling

With the standard handling of the Ascanio Spread, the handling of
the double card can sometimes look quite unnatural. I developed
the following variant in the eighties and have been using it
regularly since then. The technique solves the problem of the
awkward handling of the double card in an elegant way.

Grasp the packet consisting of five cards with the right hand from
above at the ends. With your left index finger pull the bottom card
to the left as usual; your left thumb rests on the top card and holds
it firmly, while the remaining three cards are pulled to the right
with your right hand. Then, with your left middle finger, the card
second from the bottom is pulled to the left. The right hand holds

Christian Scherer 235

 1. 2.

3.

the double card by its right corners, the right index finger resting on
the top card. And now the handling variant follows: The left thumb
is raised for a fraction of an inch and the right index finger turns the
top card outwards around the right middle finger (Fig. 1).

The left thumb is placed back on the three (four) remaining cards
and holds them in place while the top card, turned outwards, is
grasped between the right index and middle fingers (Fig. 2).

The card is pulled to the right and put back as the top card of the
fan; its inner left corner is pushed under the left thumb (Fig. 3).

The whole thing does not take longer than a second. Then you
hold four fanned-out cards in your left hand, the hidden card still
in the same position (third from top or in the middle) as it was
before the fanning.

Preparation
Put the four Kings on top of the deck, from top to bottom: King
of Hearts (face down), the two black Kings face up, King of
Diamonds face up.

236 Mosaic
 Presentation
False shuffle the deck if you like, retaining the four Kings on top.

“In card games, individual cards have a different meaning. Aces are often
especially desirable.

Spread the deck face up between your hands and point out an
Ace.

“Low-number cards, such as the Fours, on the other hand, are rather
unimportant and usually play no role in the outcome of a card game.”

Spread the face-up deck between your hands, remove the four
Fours, and place them face up on the table. After having removed
the first three Fours, slightly raise the cards and continue to spread
the cards up to the first face-down card. Establish a break above
it before removing the fourth Four. Be careful to keep the three
reversed Kings hidden. Grasp the pack with your right hand from
above at the ends and turn it face down sideways. This slightly
sidejogs the four Kings to the left. The left little finger pulls down
on the deck as you re-square the deck and establish a break under
the four Kings.

Place the Four of Hearts face up on the deck, outjogged for one-
third of its length, then place the other three Fours on top of it
(Fig. 4).

“To get a little more attention, sometimes a four spot tries to pass itself off
as something better.”

With the fingers of your right hand square the sides of the Fours
with the deck, grasp all eight cards above the break and flip them
sideways face down onto the deck. The Four of Hearts is still
outjogged. With your right hand, grasp the outjogged Four and
the four cards above it and lift them off (Fig. 5).

Place the deck on the table. In your right hand you are now
holding the Four of Hearts and above it the four Kings; the lowest

Christian Scherer 237

 4. 5.

King, the King of Hearts, is face up. Due to the outjogged card,
the switch is completely deceptive and passes unnoticed.

Push the outjogged Four of Hearts inwards with your right index
finger and square it with the cards above by pushing the inner
ends of all the cards against your left little finger. Grasp all cards
between the thumb and fingers of your right hand at their right
sides. With your left thumb pull off the top two cards one by
one, then push the next two cards as one to the left with the right
thumb and take them onto the cards in your left hand. Flip the
last card, the Four of Hearts, face up onto the cards in your left
hand. The whole thing looks like a reverse count of four cards.
As it should be if they were the four Fours, the fourth card is the
Four of Hearts.

“The Four of Hearts, for example, loves to pretend to be the King of Hearts.”

Execute my variation of the Ascanio Spread and insert the Four of

Hearts into the fan second from top (actually third from top under
the face-up King of Hearts).

Close the fan, make a magic gesture, and again perform my

variation of the Ascanio Spread.

“Just like that. That is how it looks. And the Four is good at it, it sure looks
a lot like a genuine King of Hearts.”

238 Mosaic
 6. 7.

The Four of Hearts has changed into the King of Hearts. Use the
card in your right hand to tap the King of Hearts (Fig. 6).

“And then, of course, the other Fours want to join in and also pretend to be
Kings.”

Replace the right-hand card on top of the fan and square the cards.

Turn the cards face up and perform another Ascanio Spread, this
time the classic variation, retaining the double card in your right
hand, displaying the four-card spread (Fig. 7).

“Suddenly all Fours look like Kings.”

The spectators will suspect that the face-down card is the Four of
Hearts. After a short pause, turn the King of Hearts face up using
the two Kings in the right hand (actually three cards) and display
the four Kings (Fig. 8, next page).

Start to square the cards by sliding the double card (King of Clubs
with the Four of Hearts hidden underneath) over the bottom King
of Spades (the face-down Four of Hearts ends up second from the
bottom). However, do not square the cards completely and hold
them for a moment in the left hand in the position shown in Fig. 9.

“Since we have four Kings now, we can play a little guessing game.”

Christian Scherer 239

 8. 9.

Grasp the cards with the right hand at the ends near their right
corners and pull out the King of Spades to the left with the fingers
of the left hand. Put the left thumb on the King of Diamonds, pull
out the cards underneath to the right with the right hand, and with
their help turn the King of Diamonds face down onto the King of
Spades in the left hand.

Place the cards from the right hand on top of the cards in the left
hand and turn the King of Hearts on top of the packet face down
outjogged for half an inch. Place the right thumb on the inner
end of the cards, the right fingers on the outer end of the King
of Hearts. Square the King of Hearts with the cards underneath,
establishing a right thumb break underneath. Pull the King of
Spades out from under the packet with your left hand and place
it face up on top.

Pull the King of Spades and the King of Hearts beneath it, squared
as one card, to the right (Fig. 10).

“It’s not about the black Kings…”

Turn the right hand outwards at the wrist to clearly display the
faces of the black Kings (Fig. 11, performer's view).

“… it’s about the red Kings.”

240 Mosaic
 10. 11.

12. 13.

Raise the right hand and display the two red Kings to the audience
(Fig. 12, performer's view).

Lower the hand and pull out the bottom two cards (face down)
to the left with your left hand (Fig. 13) and place them face down
on the table.

Square the two black Kings (and the King of Hearts hidden
between them) and place them face up on the table to your right.

With your left hand pick up the deck and in a short overhand
shuffle, run the top three cards (Fours), injog the fourth card
and shuffle off. Establish a left little-finger break under the injog.
Slide the two face-down cards apart, moving the top card (Four
of Hearts) to the right and the other card (King of Diamonds) to
the left.

Christian Scherer 241

“If you had to guess, what would you say: which one of these two cards is the
King of Hearts?”

“This one or that one?”

Point at the two face-down cards on the table with your right
hand. Regardless of what the spectator says, turn the left card (the
King of Diamonds) face up. If he has chosen this card, you say:

“This one? Very close.”

If he chose the other card, say:

“This one? Right.”

Place the King of Diamonds face up on the black Kings and pull
the four cards off the table with your right hand, turn them face
down lengthwise, place them on top of the deck and seize the deck
with the right hand from above (without the three Fours under
the break, leaving these behind in the left hand). Move the right
hand with the deck towards the face-down Four of Hearts on the
table and pull it towards you with the help of the right ring and
little fingers. At the same time place the three Fours face down on
the table to the left of it with your left hand (Fig. 14).

“Well, you had a 50-50 chance. Actually, the King of Hearts is here.”

Deposit the deck on the table to your right. Since the spectators’
attention is on the face-down Four of Hearts (the supposed King
of Hearts), they will not notice the switch of the three Kings for
the three Fours.

Pick up the Four of Hearts, look at its face, then place it face up
on the table.

“However, in the meantime, the King has reconverted to the Four of Hearts.”

After a short pause, continue.

242 Mosaic
 14.

“And the other three Kings also look like Fours again.”

Turn the supposed three Kings face up. They are all Fours.

Pick up the deck and establish a little-finger break under the card
second from top (the face-up King of Hearts). The left thumb is
placed on top of the deck at the outer left corner.

“And, of course, the Fours will deny that they have ever pretended to be
something else.”

Place the Fours face up on top of the deck slightly sidejogged to

the right. The fingers of the right hand enter the break and pull
the face-up King of Hearts to the right under the face-up Fours.
The top card is held back by the left thumb. Pull the Fours and the
King of Hearts below them to the right and flip all five cards down
onto the deck. Briefly spread the deck face down, turn over the
spread, gather the cards, square the deck and place it face down
on the table.

Additional comments
1. At the beginning, either place the two red Kings between the
two black Kings, or vice versa, the top King lying face down,
and the other three Kings face up. The first Four spot that is
placed face up on top of the deck must be of the same suit as
the face-down King.

Christian Scherer 243

2. Here are some more elaborations on my handling of the
Ascanio Spread. When the hidden card does not have to
remain in the center after the spread, you can reverse count
the four (five) cards into the right hand. To do this, grasp the
top card at its front end between your thumb (top) and your
index and middle fingers (bottom) and pull it away from the
fan. Move this card under the double card and pull it onto the
card in your right hand (Fig. 15).

In the same way, pull the two remaining cards one by one onto
the cards in the right hand. When the fanning and subsequent
counting are carried out smoothly and loosely, it looks
completely natural and completely deceptive.

If you want the hidden card back in the center after the reverse
count, reverse count the top three cards (the second being a
double), then turn both hands inwards to casually display the
backs of the cards to the spectators, turn the hands back and
place the left-hand card below the right-hand cards.

From the position in Fig. 3, you can also easily display the
cards vertically with their faces towards the audience. Grasp
the two (three) upper cards with the right hand, thumb below,
fingers above (Fig. 16), and turn them into a vertical position
(Fig. 17).

15. 16.

244 Mosaic
 17. 18.

The left thumb pulls the upper card of the cards remaining in
the left hand to the left, the fingers are placed on the right sides
of the cards, and the thumb goes under the cards and turns
them face downwards sideways. The thumb pushes the upper
card to the right, and the fanned-out cards are raised into a
vertical position (Fig. 18).

If you then place the cards from the left hand behind (above)
the cards in the right hand, the hidden card is back in the
middle. If you place the cards from the left hand in front of the
cards in the right hand, the hidden card ends up on the back.

Christian Scherer 245

 Some Parting
Thoughts
I am pleased to see some of my favorite tricks published in English.
I hope readers will study them closely and will be inspired by them.

What has driven me for decades to develop new tricks and forms
of presentation is my enduring love for the art of magic, and the
desire to give it the importance it deserves.

“Unfortunately, too many performers have created shows that are

nothing except a string of special effects, that has no meaning or
relevance. This is one of the reasons why many people regard magic
as a meaningless diversion (usually for children). It is because so
many magicians have made it so. We have removed all meaning
and relevance from our magic. How sad.”
—John Pyka55

To avoid falling into this trap, create presentations that matter to

your audience. Try to create magic moments in which the audience
can surrender to the illusion of having seen and experienced
something completely impossible, at least for the duration of the
performance.

To devise and improve your own presentations, consult books on

scripting. Scripting means you are thinking about how you are
going to present a trick, what you are going to do, what you are
going to say, how you are going to say it, where you place your
props etc. Scripting your magic will be of immense help to elevate

55. PYKA, J. . Leaping Lizards Magic, Orlando, FL, 200, p. 13

Christian Scherer 435

your magic to a higher level. It will also help in motivating every
action, avoid illogical procedures and superfluous moves.

As Nelms (1969) points out, the degree of interest that spectators

take in any presentation is in direct proportion to its meaning
for them. Get in the habit of using a prologue and an epilogue.
A few introductory remarks (prologue) to introduce a subject
are very helpful to arouse the interest of the audience and to
convey the topic, mood, intention or meaning of a trick. A final
remark (epilogue) also serves to improve the understanding and
interpretation of what has been witnessed. And don’t forget to
use appropriate mimics and gestures to accentuate, clarify or
emphasize what you are saying and doing.

As you will see when studying the tricks in this book, I have tried
to include in the descriptions all the aspects that are only hinted at
here, as well as other facets that characterize good magic. I hope
that the examples in this book will inspire you to apply the same
considerations to tricks from other sources as well.

Enjoy.

Christian Scherer

436 Mosaic
 Like a Swiss
Clockwork
Lorenz Schär and Kevin Stieger56

Swiss magician Christian Scherer is an extraordinary person and

a connoisseur of the art of magic. Here is the attempt of a portrait.

“I have known Christian Scherer for over 30 years and during that
time he has not only been a fellow magician but has become a close
friend.

We often sit together with our heads smoking to improve an existing

routine or tinker with the presentation.

What I appreciate most about him is the directness of his criticism

when he is asked for his opinion. He is not afraid to tell even an
experienced artist his verdict, whether it is good or bad. But if you
have the courage to ask him for advice, you will get an honest answer,
and often an ingenious solution to eliminate a recognized problem.
Unfortunately, this possibility is used by only few magicians. You can
be lucky if you know Christian, who passes on his great knowledge at
any time. If he did not exist, he would have to be invented.”
—Sveroni

During an afternoon at his home, he allows us a look behind the

scenes and a peek at his life. But he always has an ace up his sleeve,
and you will probably never figure him out completely. Christian
Scherer is very versatile and doesn’t fit into any pigeonhole.

56. Based on an article published in the Austrian magic magazine Aladin 5/2015

Christian Scherer 437

Therefore, we have decided to put him in an incomplete list of
different pigeonholes.

The Doer
“How time flies. Thirty-five years ago I was on a two-year
corporate assignment based in Horgen, Switzerland. I did speak
enough German to order bear and a brat, but I certainly couldn’t do
rigorous translation. My new friend Christian Scherer volunteered
to translate my “The Part-Time Pro” lecture notes into “Der
Teilzeit-Profi”. Those notes and my lectures opened a new venue
and continent for me. The many german-speaking friends I made
in Switzerland, Germany and Austria was simply amazing. I’m
forever indepted to Christian Scherer for his generous help and
friendship.”
—Gene Anderson

Christian Scherer lives in a beautiful house in picturesque Thun,

near Bern, Switzerland. His passion for tinkering and creating
can be found in his workshops, which are spread across several
rooms of his home.

He enjoys making props himself. When you marvel at his grippy

and amazingly silent balls for the Cups and Balls, he enlightens
you about silicone. He tells you that different silicones result in
changing the bounce of a ball. The cups for the Cups and Balls -
one of his favorite tricks - which he had made to his specifications,
were engraved by himself by hand. They look magical.

Christian spares no effort when devising new tricks and

presentations. But his routines are always practical and he never
loses sight of the goal to achieve the best possible effect. Christian
has shown his creations at many championships (taking first
place several times), refined them at numerous performances.
On several occasions he also had the chance to inspire a larger
audience on national TV.

438 Mosaic
 When asked whether his background as a psychologist is helpful
in devising routines, he explains that magic doesn’t work that way.
He advocates trying things out in front of an audience. “Doing” is
his motto here, too. Accumulating experience, evaluating, drawing
new conclusions, daring new experiments, testing, incorporating
expertise, revising and doing, doing, doing.

The Thinker
“I remember with pleasure my meeting with Christian Scherer: a
serious and careful student of the Art of Conjuring. He Knows how
to give the right value to the technical aspects and to the artistic as
well.”
— Aurelio Paviato

When Christian Scherer began to seriously study the art of magic,

it was much more difficult to obtain information and learn secrets
than it is today. The sought-after literature had to be obtained in
often very laborious and, as it were, expensive ways. Fortunately,
he had acquired sufficient knowledge of English at school to be
able to study english-language magic books.

Christian Scherer has always had a good grasp of what makes good
magic. His views may have changed over the years, but his clear
positions have remained. It is a pleasure to debate with Christian,
especially when you disagree with him. He is always willing to
reconsider his own point of view and offers new and exciting
perspectives. His passion for the theory and history of magic is
reflected in his library of about 1500 books, all of which he has
read. He is always up to date and continues to study diligently.
That’s why it was important for him to translate a standard work
of magic literature, Erdnase’s The Expert at the Card Table, into
German to make it accessible to the German-speaking public.

In addition to the classics, when starting out Christian devoured

everything by Harry Lorayne. He probably knows the content
of the books better than Lorayne himself – even without memory

Christian Scherer 439

training. Later he turned more and more to other areas of magic.
From close-up to parlour and stage magic. Christian loves every
aspect of magic. For a longer period of time he was known only as
a card magician, but that doesn’t do justice to him.

His own thoughts and the way he approaches things are of equally
great value. At the Jornadas cartomágicas del Escorial in 2014, as
part of the presentation of internationally lesser known authors,
the work of Christain Scherer was featured. In particular, his
handling of the Ascanio Spread met with great interest.

The Self-sufficient
“I have known Christian Scherer for decades. For me, he is a person
with enormous professional expertise - both in theoretical and
practical terms. His dexterity also amazes me time and again. If
he thinks he can make use of a sleight he sets out to master it, no
effort is too great for him to take the time and leisure to learn it.
After all the years of intensive study of the art of magic, he has
mastered quite a few things!

Christian is also a person who - as yet - dares to speak his honest

opinion. If you ask him for advice or criticism, you will get it. The
answer may be painful, but it is honest! He says what he thinks
and not what he thinks his counterpart expects to hear.”
—Pino Pan

Christian Scherer could be much better known and respected in

the international magic scene than he is at present. His knowledge,
technical perfection and approach to classics and present-day
tricks are remarkable. But he doesn’t seem to care about that, he
isn’t fond of travelling and it would never occur to him to push
himself into the center of attention. Even though he is an old hand,
he always keeps up with the times and is state of the art. With
his latest German-language work, Schlaglichter he is treading new
paths. Interested readers can first watch video demonstrations of
all the tricks for close-up, parlor and stage and then decide if they

440 Mosaic
 want to buy the book. Definitely worth reading are the 27 articles
about the key principles to create presentations that matter to
your audience.

There is no question that Christian Scherer would sell quite a few

copies of the book on lecture tours. But that will not happen. He
prefers to go for a walk along the lake, take photos, discuss with
his best friend Sveroni, play billiards in the basement of his house
or work on new ideas. This could lead to the erroneous conclusion
that he is not a helpful person. Far from it...

The Supporter
“I don’t know any other person who dedicates himself so seriously,
passionately and without a break to magic, helping many other
magicians. For me, too, he has built many steps on my way, without
which I would not be where I am. Thank you Christian!”
—Christoph Borer

His sometimes very direct manner can put people off at first.
However, there is never any malicious intent behind it. Rather, he
is concerned with getting the best out of a performer and a magic
trick. To this end, he is honest and straightforward. He sees no
point in feigning false enthusiasm for fellow performers, whom
he likes to meet at eye level. If he realizes that his counterpart
is seriously interested in magic, he opens up and lavishes his
counterpart with advice and knowledge. It is not uncommon that
weeks after a discussion a package arrives from him with a book
in which exactly what you were looking for can be found.

Christian has been responsible for candidate support at the Magic

Promotion Club, a local club of the Magic Ring of Switzerland,
for decades. One of his most important goals in promoting young
candidates is “to turn them from gullible YouTubers into competent
readers”. Candidates who have been briefed by him on a regular
basis receive the best ratings in the entrance exams throughout
Switzerland.

Christian Scherer 441

As a passionate photographer, Christian Scherer took pictures of
professional and amateur magicians at national and international
conventions, lectures, workshops and public performances for 35
years. One day he had the idea to add texts written by the artists
to the photos and to publish everything in book form. This is how
the three volumes Magicians in Action 1980-2015 with photos and
texts of more than 250 artists from 28 countries came into being.

Without Christian Scherer, the magic scene in Switzerland would

certainly be different today. He has paved the way for many who
celebrate international success today. Even if Christian does
not like human idols and he thinks nothing of personality cult,
his status with his work makes him an important figure of the
German-speaking magic scene and we are grateful to him that he
shares his knowledge with us. We are looking forward to many
more projects from the think tank of the pigeonhole, which carries
the name Christian Scherer.

442 Mosaic