A shiner originally was a crooked gambler's tool used for glimpsing a card during play. Today shiners are utilized by magicians and mentalists to assist them in entertaining their audiences. In addition to my coin based shiner, I create a large thunb tack type with a 5/8" diameter convex reflecting surface of polished steel and a 7/8" diameter pure nickel silver plain style (no tack on back) convex reflecting shiner. Good shiners are all convex to improve the field of view. Shown here are two of the shiners I make in use. The convex reflecting surface allows use without needing to pass cards directly over the shiner. It allows much more freedon for the entertainer. Larger sizes are available on a custom order basis.
The shiner shown in the upper right corner of this page is one of the 7/8" diameter models. It can merely be placed behind the card box or palmed as shown here. It is often concealed behind other objects or even mounted on the side of a coffee cup!
