About
From The Trickery to TricksAndIllusions.com
The story begins with The Trickery, a pioneering online magic shop founded by Howard Van Baltus during the early days of the Internet. What started as a specialty magic store soon evolved into a much bigger vision — building what became the world’s largest online catalog of magic tricks and illusions.
At a time when most magic shops still relied on printed catalogs and word-of-mouth, The Trickery introduced innovations that later became standard across e-commerce. The site featured demonstration videos for many of the effects being sold and implemented a live inventory system that allowed customers to see exactly what was in stock. These features were developed long before modern shopping platforms made them easy to implement, all with the goal of giving magicians greater transparency and a better buying experience.
The Trickery Townshouse
The Trickery Studio West Milford
Beyond retail, Van Baltus continued developing original magic effects and collectible props that were sought after by performers and collectors around the world. Many of these pieces combined craftsmanship, theatrical design, and practical performance methods.
In 2011, Van Baltus co-created a 70-minute dinner theatre production titled Manlow & Baltus, writing and producing the music for the show. The production blended magic and mentalism into a theatrical experience that played to sold-out audiences throughout the New York metropolitan area for several years.
Today, Van Baltus directs an international cast of assistants and dancers as part of a large-scale theatrical production featuring music, art, culture, and more than 20 grand illusions in a fully immersive 90-minute show.
See Van Baltus: My Secret World
About TricksAndIllusions.com
TricksAndIllusions.com continues the legacy of The Trickery by offering one of the most extensive online collections of magic available anywhere. The catalog currently features more than 7,000 magic tricks, over 1,000 books on magic, and nearly 800 instructional DVDs, along with a wide variety of performance tools and specialty effects from respected creators around the world.
Our goal is simple: provide magicians, collectors, and entertainers with a trusted destination where they can discover new effects, explore classic magic, and find tools that inspire performance. Whether you are a professional performer or someone discovering the art of magic for the first time, you will find an incredible range of magical possibilities waiting to be explored.
And from time to time, you may even spot an original creation from The Trickery making a special appearance.
