The Original Victorian Penny Seance

In Victorian times, when séances and spiritualism in general were fashionable in the more affluent parts of London, hawkers and fortune tellers who worked the fairground circuit sold an affordable and portable way to host a séance.

For those who could not afford the fees of a medium and did not have the space to hold a full séance, a market emerged for what became known as “The Penny Séance”.  This did not refer to the cost of the séance, but rather to the fact that a penny was used as a device to contact the spirits. No ordinary penny was used, either: a grimoire written in medieval times had full instructions on creating a device that is imbued with the power of breaking the veil of the spirit world.

It is well documented that the eyes of corpses were covered with pennies, which it was believed to be their tally for the boatman who would escort them to the next world. It was these pennies which were stolen by the underground fortune tellers and made into pendulums. The idea was that such a highly charged item would allow access to the spirit world far quicker than a normal séance would.

Freddie Valentine and Lebanon Circle present The Victorian Penny Séance, everything you need to conduct an interlude with the spirit world in a box small enough to fit in your pocket.

The Original Victorian Penny Séance includes-

• A genuine Victorian penny pendulum with your choice of charm
• Antique style box with leather lined interior and an embossed pendulum chart on the lid

Please note - as this item is intended for real séance work no magic routines are provided. For those interested in furthering their pendulum work Freddie Valentine’s ‘Pendulum Book’ is the perfect companion for the Penny Séance and can be purchased here.

The Perfect Companion for your Penny Seance

The Pendulum Book is a beginners guide to using the simple pendulum to create psychic and occult near-miracles. Detailing uses for the pendulum such as a lie detector and for séance purposes, the book also explains the psychology behind using the pendulum and how to apply it in your shows with the action happening in the spectators hand. Also includes some great bonus material including a guide on how to make your own bespoke pendulums by Joshua Johnson (who has also contributed a superb locket routine) and a wonderful piece called 'Ring Out Your Dead' by Dale Shrimpton which is used in all of Freddie's séance shows.