Cups and balls
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The cups and balls trick is an old magic effect that has spawned a variety of adaptations. One popularly circulated painting of a man holding two inverted cups over two small round objects has been taken as evidence to suggest that the effect dates back as far as Ancient Egypt.
The most widely performed version of this effect uses three wide-mouthed cups and three small balls. The magician makes the balls pass through the solid bottoms of the cups, jump from cup to cup, disappear from the cup and appear in other places, or vanish from various places and reappear under the cups (sometimes under the same cup). The trick frequently ends with a larger object appearing in the cups in place of the balls.
Although traditionally cups and balls are used in the trick, many other types of small objects and covers can be used. The classic "3-Shell Game" con is taken by some to be a variant of the cups and balls.
See also: List of magic tricksTemplate:Magic-stub