Topit
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A Topit is a utility device used by magicians to dispose of objects secretly. It plays a similar role in the magician's toolkit to pulls, holdouts, servantes, and techniques such as sleeving or lapping. While the original Topit booklet by Patrick Page was put out by Davenports Magic Co. in London decades ago, it was Michael Ammar who popularized the Topit with his refinement of Topit technique and inspired a number of well-known close-up magicians to adopt it.
A Topit is essentially a secret pocket sewn into a coat or sometimes a vest. It is a very large pouch, the bottom of which tucks into the waistband of the performer's trousers, creating a more-or-less foolproof catching device. The performer can, by practicing various seemingly natural gestures, toss items into this pouch silently and covertly, and can later retrieve the item(s) from a visible pocket. It is sometimes used to cause an object to vanish, but some prefer to only use it to get rid of secret objects in a secret way.
Historically, Topits were employed by pickpockets and shoplifters, but they have a different name for them. The art of Topit has developed, like some other forms of magic, in symbiotic relationship between magicians and grifters, both considered sleight of hand artists.
[edit] References
Wilmarth, Phil. "Ramon's Topit Pattern (review)." The Linking Ring October 2003: 124.
