More Simple Coins

I love the simple coins routine, the bold method of being one behind really makes this practical. This is a different beginning and a different ending. You don't take out the coins from your pocket to begin with, no you produce them from exactly the place where you pretend to put them a few seconds later. Only to pull them from those places and then one of them turns invisible, touches the other ones and they all vanish.

The ending in this version is the preferred ending when doing walk around magic. The standard ending is better suited for a stand up performance in a parlour type setting. The great addition in the beginning 2H1P phase is by the Austrian magician Daniel Philipp. By placing the coins on your arm you get rid of the table and weirdly it makes the click pass a bit more convincing.

Coin Thief

This is from the upcoming book by Jim Abrahams. There is nothing new about the phases, but the combination is. I find it quite hilarious to go from six coins to one.

The first phase is an oldie that has been lost in time. You can find it in David Pogue's book Magic for Dummies as the 7-Cent Reflex Test (that's the name in the German edition) uncredited. Tommy Wonder had a similar structure in one of his coin routines.

The second phase is just a joke, but it creates enough off beat to get away with the secret something.

The last phase is the sell.

I mentioned it before that I am somehow fascinated with the plot of stealing something from the spectator's hand. So I naturally like this one. And it is a ridiculously practical routine. You don't even need a table. The purse contains all the coins needed, it also can be used for the switch of the coin. It has an intriguing plot and seems like a genuine feat of skill in the beginning which turns into an impossibility.

Big thanks to Patrick for operating the camera and thanks to Toby for being the helping hand.

Three Ways to Produce a Coin

I love problems... no wait... I love solving problems. Getting ready for most coin productions is one of those problems. You need to get the coin into your hand secretly. So how do you do that. Well the most common method is putting away a certain prop stealing the coin along the way. Then you hold out until you start producing the coin. And you know what. That is perfectly fine. But I felt like toying around with different premises.

So the first one is by Harry Anderson. It is taken from "Wise Guy" published by Mike Caveney. The book is all about the magic of Harry Anderson. On page 22 you'll find the routine entitled "Sewing A Coin". But it has also been published under the name "As Ye Sew, So Shall Ye Reap" in "The New York Magic Symposium Collection Two". I like the fact that it starts off so playfully. It requires you to use your imagination. So it is not taken seriously and therefore the attention is very low on the actual dirty work. I can tell you from the many times I have been doing this, that the appearance of the coin generates a pretty strong reaction.

The second one is by Jim Abrahams. He does it not with a coin but a metal disc, claiming that this is part of a UFO. One side invisible and one side visible. After that he demonstrates a few other things with it to prove that amusing premise. But the boldness of showing your hands empty is something that others might appreciate. You basically do the exact opposite of what you are claiming to do. You don't pick up the coin, you place it. Which is hilarious I think. A good swindle and the appearance of the coin also works well.

The last one is my own. Actually I use this to produce sponge balls. But you can produce just about anything. You need a key, but putting the key away after you turned the lock is a good motivation to go into your pocket. In fact it is so good, that people don't even take note of it, because it is so natural to do that. So the initial conviction of the hands being empty remains. So the actual production of the coin is a strong one. And putting away the invisible box gives you yet another reason to go into your pocket. Again it kind of goes unnoticed. Which puts you in the perfect position for just about anything. The coin split was an obvious choice, But Spellbound, Karate Coin or tons of other ideas come to mind.

Ball, Wand and Coin

It's a weird routine I guess. But it is rather satisfying to do. Not that this matters to any audience, but the routine is short enough to be squeezed into any manipulation act. It's rather practical, the angles are not that bad and it has the potential to be enhanced drastically. The piece of silk in the end could be vanished transforming back into the coin. That coin could change into a jumbo coin, the wand could grow and all of that shit. In terms of move there is nothing new to add. The Flip Stick vanish by Flip Hallema, a Bobo Switch and Spell Bound moves. But the main thing is this new background. You like it? Was expensive as golden shit. Now I got it.

Simple Coins

This coin routine is really, really simple. Hence the name. Simple in both effect and method. Three coins vanish and then come back. The first vanish actually is the most simple vanish one can think of. It's a spin on the Bluff Vanish from Bobo's book. It's so much fun to do. The angles on the routine are very, very good. And the sounds are genuine and misleading. Just the way we like it. And you don't need a table. making this an anytime, anywhere routine.

Near the end one of the coins jumps back to the pocket. The one behind principle makes this a piece of cake. The method requires this little extra effect. But it also serves a function. The spectator could have chosen any number. Therefore it seems like a different outcome was possible. That creates the illusion that the magic happens at the moment it is perceived. And that would only be possible if really three coins were used. The routine is by Jim Abrahams and I know for a fact that this routine will be in his upcoming book that he is currently working on.

The main principle is a nice cancel for any coin routines that are one ahead. Mix the method and deception will follow. In fact the end, could be a great get ready for a one ahead routine. Or vice versa. Depending on which routine is stronger.