BDM Safe Box

Brief history
More than 20 years ago, we manufactured Murphy’s Chest. It was a
fantastic product but some mechanical issues could appear after
some time of use. It was also quite expensive. Its retail price was
around $400 (US dollars). More than 10 years ago, we stopped
marketing the product and focused on improvements. During the
2020 pandemic lockdown, we finally came up with a solution and
started developing BDM Safe Box.

The principle applied in BDM Safe Box has never been used before
in safe box locks. A feature we added is a slot, based on a Roy
Johnson’s idea, which was shared with us by Gaëtan Bloom 20 years
ago. Everything was manufactured for this effect: the keys, the lock
and the chest. In spite of looking normal, the lock was specially built
and uses a mechanical principle designed and built for our magic
product. The chest was also redesigned, adding the slot and a lock
holder.

Introduction
Apparently, it was a Magician named Kolar who first created a
Mentalism routine using a lock that could be only opened by one of
several keys. From then on, similar routines appeared, but using
different mechanisms. Many of them used locks, but only a few were
performed using chests. However, the most famous of these routines
was Annemann’s “Seven Keys to Baldpate”, published in “The Book
Without a Name”.

After a year of work, taking care of every detail, we present BDM

Safe Box, Bazar de Magia’s new product. With BDM Safe Box, you
are always ready to go. You now own a true gem. We hope you enjoy
it.

What you receive

 BDM Safe Box
 5 different keys
 Carry bag

Reset
BDM Safe Box needs no reset and is always ready for use.
Secret
All the keys can either work or not work to unlock the box. The secret
lies in the lock, which works in a different way than regular locks do.
It was specially manufactured for this magic item. Every normal lock
can be unlocked once the key is inserted all the way in. BDM’s lock
will not work if the key is inserted all the way in. To be able to turn
and unlock, the key has to be inserted almost all the way in (step-
back key system).

Safe Box Unlocking Technique

It won’t take much to understand and get used to this new technique.
With a little practice, you will be able to easily achieve it.
 Option A (inserting the key in 1 step: this is the fastest and
more natural way to do it. Hold the key from the bow with your
fingertips positioned slightly forward than you would usually do,
so when inserting the key, your fingertips will stop the key from
going all the way in. This way you will be able to lock or unlock
normally. This is shown on the online video, as well as in
Picture 1. Once the key is set in this place, either you or a
spectator can open the lock.

 Option B (inserting the key in 2 steps): this option is

explained as a variant, although we recommend Option A.
In this case, you insert the key all the way in, and once it stops,
you use your fingertips to slightly pull it backwards to the
proper position as show in Picture 2.
In both options, once the key is in the proper position, you yourself
can turn to unlock or let a spectator do it.

Slot
The chest has a slot that can be used in your routine. On the online
video we show how it is used in the second part of a two-phase
performance. You decide if you build your routine combining both
phases, or using only one of them.

Routines
Here are some complementary routines. All of them are good options,
although it will depend on your style.

Basic Routine
The Magician shows a safe box with a key in its lock. A spectator
checks that the key is the one the opens the lock. The Magician puts
a wad of bills (or any valuable item) inside the chest. The spectator
locks and takes the key out. Four other keys are shown, explaining
that none of them work. The five keys are put inside a clear goblet
and well mixed.
The Magician explains that he wants to play a game, and says that
the spectator who is able to open the chest will keep the money
locked inside as a prize. Four spectators choose their key, one by
one, leaving the remaining one for the Magician. The keys can be
exchanged. The spectators try their keys, but none of them unlocks
the chest. Finally, the Magician tries with his key and opens the
chest.

Method:
The four extra keys are held on a keychain, from which the Magician
will take them out in front of the audience. Ask a spectator to check if
the key inserted in the lock works. Once this is done and the box is
locked, ask him to take the key out and put all five keys in a clear
goblet and mix them well, always in full view. Now, four spectators
will choose each one a key. Offer to exchange keys as many times as
you want and end up unlocking the box using Option A or B.

Canki’s Routine
The Magician briefly talks about Murphy’s Law, saying, “If something
can go wrong, it will”, and how when you get home on a rainy day,
the last key you try is always the last one to open. He adds that it
would have been quite difficult to bring his door to show what he is
talking about, but instead he brought a locked chest and a keychain
holding four keys. After showing these items, he detaches the keys
one by one from the keychain. They are put inside a clear goblet and
four spectators will choose each one their key. Each time a spectator
takes his key the Magician says, “Please take any key, but not the
last one”. The spectators try to unlock the chest one by one, each
time failing, even the last one!!! After the four of them have failed,
the Magician pulls up his trouser leg and shows there is a ribbon tied
to his leg. A key attached to the ribbon. The last key, the one that
works!!! He explains that as this always happens to him, he was
cautious enough to keep the last key in a safe place.
The Magician inserts the key in the unlocking position and asks a
spectator to check that it works. Now, all of the five keys, including
the one that worked, are put in the clear goblet and are well mixed.
He reminds the audience that the key that works is ALWAYS the last
key. The spectators are asked to choose each one their key, once
again leaving the remaining one for the Magician. Each spectator tries
to unlock the chest, without achieving it. Once again, it is the last key
the one that works. Murphy’s Law never fails!

Method:
Canki was an Argentine Magician, who was close friend of us in Bazar
de Magia. He created this routine for our first chest, Murphy’s Chest.
We have adapted his routine for the new BDM Safe Box.
Explanation: Tie a key to a ribbon and tie the ribbon to your leg,
hidden by your trouser leg. From the keychain, take out the other
four keys. Patter about Murphy’s Law and how the last key will
always be the one that works when trying to open the door of your
home. Complete the routine as described putting all your energy into
your acting. Remember that you yourself can unlock the chest, or ask
a spectator to do it once you have put the key in the correct place.

From an idea by Annemann

Based on The Seven Keys to Baldpate by Theodore Annemann, we
came up with the following routine. The Magician shows a locked
chest and four keys. Four spectators take one each, and all fail to
open the chest. The Magician then shows a red ribbon with a key
hanging from it. It is the one that works. He demonstrates this by
opening the chest, and then puts the ribbon aside and mix the five
keys, including “the one that works” using a clear goblet. The
Magician turns around and asks five spectators to take each one a
key and hide it in a pocket. Facing them again, he passes his hand
over these spectators until he stops at one of them saying that he or
she is the one that has the key that works. He asks for this key and
puts it inside the goblet. One by one, the spectators put the other
four keys inside the locked box through the slot. Finally, the Magician
inserts the “key that works” in place and either unlocks himself or
asks the spectator to do it. If you choose to ask the spectator to
unlock the chest, it is important that once you insert the key, you
draw their attention away for a moment, for example recapping on
what has happened until that moment.

Idea by Ted Lesley

On a trip to Argentina, hired by Bazar de Magia, Ted gave us an idea
for Murphy’s Chest routine, which can be applied to BDM Safe Box’. It
consists of a variation of the classic routine, in which the Magician
shows the “key that opens the lock” and a clear container holding 200
keys that look alike but do not open the lock. To demonstrate this,
the Magician asks four spectators to choose each one a key from the
container, and check that they won’t unlock the chest. These four
keys plus the one that works are mixed by a spectator with all the
others in the container. The Magician will take out one key from the
container, the one that unlocks the chest. The 200 keys are obviously
not included, but we wanted to share this idea with you. If you would
like to do this routine, please contact us, and we can supply the keys.
Although it might be a bit expensive, it could be a big hit on your
show.

Some tips
 Always check that your chest is working properly and that the
keys are not damaged.
 If it happens that a last key does not work, you surely did not
place it in the correct position. This is easily solved by inserting
the key all the way in and once it stops, you use your fingertips
to slightly pull it backwards to the proper position (Option B).
 You could give the indication as follows: “Insert the key all the
way in and check if it works. If it doesn’t, please don’t force it
because you might damage it…I am sorry, you took the wrong
key”.
  In case you decide to ask the spectator to open the lock,
remember to draw their attention away for a moment after you
have placed the key in the proper position. This is a useful and
classic technique used in Magic (parenthesis of forgetfulness).

BDM Safe Box

Suggestions from Jim Kleefeld for contents to put in the box and
routines

Contents

Valuables
This is a locked security box, so store some items in it that should
be kept safe. If you use something that is really valuable or looks
really valuable, be sure to treat it seriously before, during, and
after the show.

 Gold Coins: use real coins or metal tokens and fill the
box so it is very heavy. You may want to fill it with
washers and set a few coins on top.
 Paper Money: very nice fake money can be bought at
propmoviemoney.com
 Jewelry: a large pearl necklace, stiff bracelets, heavy
rings - do not use thin chains as they will get tangled
in the box.
 Corporate Award: this is a great prop to use at a
corporate banquet where they want to give an award,
trophy or certificate to a member. Keep the award
inside and close the show with the presentations.
 Gold Bars: Fake Gold Bars that are made as
doorstops can be bought on Amazon. They look real
but only weigh about a pound - a real gold bar will
weigh 33 pounds, so put several flat steel or iron
plates in the bottom of the box to make it heavy.
 Cigars: Cigar collectors pay small or large sums for
specific brands. Get to know some expensive brands
and buy those or use fake labels.
 Wine: Everyone knows wine can be very cheap or very
expensive. Get a bottle that looks expensive or replace
a label on a cheap one with a type and year that is
vintage.
 Stock Certificates: Fancy paper certificates for
companies like Apple or Twitter.
  Rings: use two dozen or more fancy women’s finger rings
in all different styles and colors.. Have a woman open the
box and find them. Then have her look them all over and
choose one to use. Use that ring and perform a Ring Flite
or Nested Box routine next in your show. If you use very
nice costume jewelry it will not be real expensive so you
can even let the lady keep the ring.
 Prediction: If you use several mental effects in your
show with forced outcomes, you can put a folded paper
inside the box with a written prediction of the outcomes
from the rest of the show.
 Anniversary Gift: If you do an engagement party or a
wedding anniversary, get the actual ring or gift from the
host to put in the box. Keep it secure and produce it at the
end. At an adult birthday party, perhaps the husband will
buy his wife a necklace which you can produce or maybe
he will buy her a car and you can put the keys in the box.
 Photograph: At a private house party, perhaps the most
cherished memory will be a photograph of the couple or
their parents or children. Get one from the host before
the event and have it nicely framed.

Gag Contents
Because you have a box that is made for safety and security, it
may be funny to use items that do not need to be safe or secure.
Here are some gag items to use.

 Your Lunch: a sandwich and a banana and a juice box.

 An Oscar: Fake Oscar statues can be bought online.
Write a routine about an actor at the last ceremony who
got drunk and lost his.
 Fake Stocks: make good-looking stock certificates with
funny corporate names like “Goggles - Faster Than
Google and Easier to See Through” or use real names of
companies that are so old they are worthless like
“Whitmore T. Somerset, Buggy Whip Manufacturers” or
more recent ones that went bankrupt like Enron.
 Political Gags: “Millard Fillmore For President - the
Modern Candidate.”
 Nothing: Have the box empty. Claim that the box is filled
with ”The Most Valuable Element on the Planet.” Show
that it is full of air.
 Animal Skeleton: Tell the audience you had a favorite pet
when you were a child and inside the box is something you
remember from those days. Open it and take out a
skeleton of a dog or fish. Act shocked. “Oh, no—it’s
Spotty! He was alive when I put him in there.” Many
animal skeletons can be found in stores around
Halloween time.
 Rubber Production:fill the box with dozens of latex
production items like food or hammers and shovels.
Open it with the lid facing the audience so they cannot
see the inside. Start removing the items, allowing them
to expand behind the lid. Be sure you have the box on a
flat tabletop with no drape so the audience does no t
suspect that you have a hole in the box and a hole in the
table.
 Pinocchio’s Nose: Tell the audience that you found a
rare toy collectible when you were in Italy - the actual
nose from Gepetto’s wooden Pinocchio puppet. Pull out a
10-foot wooden Appearing Pole.
 Bit Coin: Say that you use the security chest to store
your valuable Bitcoin. Ask if anyone has ever seen a
Bitcoin. Open the chest and pullout a giant metal coin
with a bite taken out of it. To make this, get a Jumbo Coin
from a magic dealer and saw a jagged chunk out with a
metal saw.
 Egyptian Mummy: Say that the chest is from the
Natural History Museum and has a rare artifact found in
an Egyptian Tomb, but you don’t know what it is because
you have not opened the box yet. Have it opened and
look inside, and say that you think what is inside must
be a mummy. Pull out part of a Hat Coil and let it stream
onto the floor, filling the stage with lots and lots of the
flowing paper strip. Use two if you have room. After the
Hat Coils are done filling the floor, turn the box upside
down and shake out a big pile of dust.
 Toyota: Tell the audience that you give away a prize at
every show. Last night someone won a box of candy, the
day before it was tickets to a Broadway show. Reach into
a big bag full of cards and pull out one and say that
tonight’s prize is a Toyota. Have the box brought out and
six volunteers come up. Say that it looks a little small for
a car - but maybe there are car keys inside. Let them
pick and exchange keys to the box. Five do not work.
When the last key works, that person wins what is in the
box. Open it and pull out a toy Yoda doll from Star
Wars. Let the person whose key worked keep it.
Routines

Yes, you!
Before your presentation, find a person in the audience who you
wish to use for the ending of the routine. Write a key prediction
along with a short description of that person, such as “The box
will be opened with the fourth key, which will be chosen by a tall
lady with short dark hair wearing a blue dress and glasses.” You
may have to peek through the curtain if it is a stage show, or
mingle and choose someone mentally if it is a banquet.

At the performance, set the box onstage in a prominent place.

Have a glass bowl with the five keys in it and another key set
aside on the table.

Show the box and tell the audience that locked inside of it is a
special message about tonight. Show the glass bowl with five
keys. Take them out one at a time and try them in the box. None
will open it. Now show the extra key you had set aside. Say that it
is the one that will open the box. Use it to open the box as proof.

Toss all six keys back into the bowl and shake it to mix them up.

Get six volunteers on stage and have them each take out one key.
After they do, tell them that they must now trade their key for
someone else’s. Now ask them to arrange themselves in a line
facing the audience. After they do, tell them they must now trade
places with another person. During this movement, you must
keep track of the person you chose, in this case the tall lady in
the blue dress. Contrive to get her into the fourth position from
either end. You can have everyone trade places again, or you
could not have anyone trade places in the first place, or you can
add a separate command such as one person on either end must
go to the opposite end.

When all is settled and the lady in the blue dress is fourth from
one end, ask if everyone is ready to see the special message.
Have the people in line each come to the box and hand you the
key. Start from the end where the lady will be the fourth person
to try. Each time the volunteer gets to the box, you try the key
and the box does not open. On the fourth try, the lady with the
blue dress will come forward and you use her key to open the
box.
Inside is a sealed envelope. Have the lady remove it, open it,

and take out the note from inside. Put the mic by her so she can
read it aloud. It will describe her and say that her key opened
the box.

Pass the box among the volunteers so they can each reach inside
and take out a gift card or other small token of appreciation.

Garden Gift
Place a hand trowel or small shovel inside the box and lock it.
One painted bright shiny gold would look good. Get a large
glass jar and fill it half-way with food waste like carrot pieces,
chopped celery, bits of apple, and mushy green liquid from a
blender. It should look wet and messy and ugly. Put a plastic lid
on top and cut a thin slot in it.

At the performance have the box and the jar on display along
with five of the six keys. Bring someone up to help. Ask your
volunteer if she gardens. Tell her you bought yourself a gardening
gift and it came stored in a nice metal box for safekeeping. Tell
her the gift should help you with your planting, just like the
compost you are making. Point out the jar and show the messy
food scraps inside.

Hand her the five keys and ask her to try them in the box so
you can show your new treasure. She will try all five and none
will work. Reach in your pocket and bring out the sixth key. Try
it to show that it opens the box. Now have the volunteer hold
out her hands and put all six keys in them. Have her shake them
so the keys get mixed up. Ask her to pick any one and if it does
not open the box, to hand it to you. As soon as she does, turn
and drop it into the food waste jar. Make a nasty face to show
that the key is now inside a jar of messy, disgusting liquid.

Have your volunteer shake the keys again and try another one.
It will not work, so she hands that key to you. Drop that one in
the jar. For the third and fourth keys, have her mix them and
choose one at a time. If they do not work, have her drop them
in the jar herself.

There are only two keys left. Ask her to keep one and give you
one. Ask her whether she thinks her key will open the box or
yours will. Whichever one she says, drop the other key into the
messy jar. Shake it a little and hold it out to the audience.
Comment that you hope your helper is right because you would

hate to put your hand inside that sloppy mess and try to dig out
one of the other keys. Hold the jar out to your volunteer and ask
her if she would like to change her mind and pick out one of the
keys she already discarded.

There is one key left, either the one you were holding, or hers.
Use that key to open the box and take out the shiny new trowel,
your reward for the evening and a big help for you when you go
home and work in your garden tomorrow.

After the show, put on plastic gloves and fish out the keys from
the jar and wash them.

Time Capsule
Beat up and spray paint your box so it looks old, dented and
rusty. (Do not worry that your box will be damaged—you can just
buy another one from Bazar de Magia.) Fill it full of items from the
1900s like a pair of old spectacles, a shoe button hook, a corset
stay, a vintage photograph of President Theodore Roosevelt, a
vintage newspaper, a WWI arm patch, and other curiosities. Be
sure to add an old vintage bracelet. Go to antique stores or look
for vintage items on eBay to get real artifacts, not modern
reproductions. Put all of the keys on old worn and dirty strings.

Tell the audience that you are head of the historical society in the
small town where you live and they entrusted you to safeguard
this box. It is a time capsule that was found buried near the Town
Hall. Say that you are pretty sure the box is safe because
nobody knows where the key is to open it. The only keys the old
Town Hall had were six old ones that have been hanging on
strings in the office for longer than anyone remembers.

But wouldn’t it be incredible if one of these keys opens the Time

Capsule box? Have a participant come forth and choose any one
of the keys. She hangs it around her wrist like a bracelet. Then
she gives you the other five keys and you try them one by one.
Each time the key does not work.

You act very disappointed and thank the volunteer and send her
back to her seat. She will stop and tell you that you forgot about
the last key on her wrist. Point out that you did forget and hold
up her wrist to show the audience. Then take the key and open
the box. Inside are old Time Capsule artifacts which you briefly
show. Remove the vintage bracelet last, put it on your helper’s
wrist and let her keep it as she returns to her seat.

We hope you enjoy BDM Safe Box. Please share with us the ideas
you come up with, so we can include them in future editions. The
possibilities are endless. Thank you very much!