Lesley Marking System Rub-Ons by Ted Lesley, Martin Breese, Ted and Chris Wasshuber - Trick

This is a sheet of custom made white rub-on transfer numbers, characters and symbols. This is exactly what you need to make several Ted Lesley Working Performer's Marked Decks - or other similar decks like the Boris Wild Marked Deck. (The cards you have to supply yourself.)

This marking system is considered the very best by many professionals. It combines super easy and reliable reading of the markings - which is crucial for real world under pressure performances - with 'invisibility' if you are not familiar with it.

"I must congratulate Ted on producing the most remarkable "reader deck" I have ever seen."
- Billy McComb

"A bold yet deceptive marking system that reveals the cards as fast as you can glance at them. An absolute boon to the professional performer."
- Larry Becker

"This marking idea is brilliant. It is quite the cleverest idea I have seen in a marked deck for magicians."
- Jeff Busby

Ted Lesley designed this marking system primarily for Bicycle cards, but it works equally well and sometimes even better for many other decks like the new Mandolin or Phoenix decks or Tally Ho, etc. Any deck that uses an intricate white design on a color background can be used.

Please note that these rub-on transfers are custom made. They are smaller than the ones you can buy in office supply and art stores, the adhesive is stronger, and the selection of characters, numbers and symbols is tailored to marking cards. With over the counter transfers you will need to buy several sheets to get the same number of necessary symbols you get here with one sheet, the markings will be more noticeable because they are not as small as the ones provided here, and the adhesive is not as strong and will rub off much faster. If you want the original exactly as Ted Lesley designed it, then our rub-on transfers are the right product to get. On top of it this is a licensed product and not a cheap knock-off.

Besides the numbers and characters you will need for the Lesley Marking System you also get additional symbols (card symbols, ESP) and additional numbers to allow you to experiment with different ways to use this idea and to mark other cards like ESP, Tarot or Zodiac cards.

A number of different marking systems have been created over the years. The enduring question is: "Which is the best marking system?" Online there are heated debates of what is the better system, the Ted Lesley or the Boris Wild. Of course, this can't be answered without knowing the circumstances, the boundary conditions, the type of routine you would like to perform and the type of performer you are. Each system has its pros and cons. The smart performer will learn as much as possible about this subject, try out different marking systems, and then decide what is best for what situation and what routine.

The two primary design variables for a marking system are 'how quickly, reliably and easily can one read the marks when one knows what to look for', and 'how hard is it to detect the markings when one does not know what to look for'. The Lesley system leans toward the first variable - it allows for a fast and reliable reading of the marks for the magician. Other systems are stronger on the second variable and are harder to spot for an uninitiated spectator, but typically are also harder to read and require more visual and mental processing. The Boris Wild system for example cannot be read as fast as the Lesley system but it has other advantages. You have to decide what is best for you. No marking can really sustain careful audience inspection, but a good routine and professional audience management avoids any problems.

[Note that you will not get any instructions. This is a refill. We assume you already know what the Lesley Marking System is, how and where to apply it to the cards and how to use it.]

This product is licensed from Martin Breese who owns the rights to the Ted Lesley marking system.