Magic supplies in Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino County, California

Coin work travels better than anything else: one gimmick in a pocket and whatever change you already have. A plate that lets a borrowed coin fall through the base of a glass, and a coin you can see straight through — both work with the coins in your hand rather than a matched set you have to go and buy. Harder than cards to learn, and considerably stronger when it lands.

Material built to survive inspection from three feet away: sponge balls, cups and balls, chop cups, ring gimmicks and close-up mats. Street and table work is the most forgiving way to get good, because the audience is small enough to restart and honest enough to tell you when it did not land.

Beginners usually buy too much. One self-working deck, one coin gimmick and one routine you can perform without thinking is worth more than a shelf of props you half know. The decks under $15 are not the cheap option — they are what most professionals learned on.

The short answer is by post, and that is not a sales pitch — there is no magic shop left in most American cities. The few that survive are in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York. What is left locally is the party-supply aisle and the fancy-dress rack, which sell plastic props to children and nothing you would perform twice. Ordering is simply how magic is bought now, in Rancho Cucamonga as everywhere else.

The west coast magic scene leans close-up and comedy, and Los Angeles has the Magic Castle pulling performers through it. Expect strong local competition and a correspondingly good standard of amateur work.

We post to Rancho Cucamonga like anywhere else in the country. That covers all of San Bernardino County. Free shipping over $75 anywhere in the United States, Rancho Cucamonga included.