The magician shows five cards, four having guillotine stocks on them, and one has the blade, all of which have a hole in the center. The magician places the blade card between the four stock cards. You then make the blade card stick out above the other cards so you can see the hole that goes through it. The magician invites a spectator to place his palm out like a table, with his thumb sticking out above the palm. You now place the spectator's thumb through the holes of the cards. The magician now plunges the blade card through the spectator's thumb. The magician removes the top portion of the cards revealing the blade card, which can be signed before, and given to the spectator after. He then removes the undamaged blade card and places it on the table. The rest of the cards are removed, and all of the cards are counted and shown to be unharmed.