Coin Under Watch – Tips and Advice

Coin under watch is a fantastic coin magic trick for more than one reason. Once we begin to touch upon the subject I am sure you will begin to realise the benefits of having this skill set in your arsenal of magic tricks.

Any magic tricks performed in the spectator’s hands, immediately becomes stronger. The magic is happening to your spectator. We could write for hours in depth about this, but that is for another blog post!

The Coin Under Watch is one of those incredible coin magic tricks that people will remember for the rest of their lives. Any time your performance is mentioned, they will remember that moment they looked under their watch and found their coin.

Let’s look at a few reasons why Coin Under Watch is such a powerful and memorable coin magic trick:

1) Simplicity – The premise of this coin magic trick is straightforward and direct. It can be explained in one sentence; ‘the coin vanished and reappeared under my watch!’.

2) Personal Space – Coin under watch is one of the great coin magic tricks that happen in the spectator’s personal space. Much like a playing card changing or something appearing in the spectator’s hands the magic happens to them. The idea of you being able to physically place a coin under their watch without them knowing is utterly impossible to a layperson. It is this reason why we have the next point:

3) Surprise – This is a genuine surprise to lay people; it seems like such an impossible thing to be able to do without being caught. The shock a spectator feels when they see that there is a coin wedged under their watch is intense! There seems like no way you could have gotten it there without them feeling it so it must be magic!

4) Can be done with borrowed coins – Coin Under Watch is one of the best coin magic tricks that do not need any unusual coins or gimmicks to perform! It is a skill that you can learn, a technique. Coin magic tricks like this are worth their weight in gold. Once you learn the skill set it is with you for life, and ready to go at a moments notice. Because no special coins or gimmicks are used you can simply borrow a coin from your spectator and perform a coin magic trick that they will literally remember forever. How astounding is that?

5) Impromptu – This is one of the few hugely impactful coin magic tricks that are totally impromptu, meaning no prior set up is needed and no gimmicks (as talked about). You can be totally unprepared and using borrowed items you can go straight ahead and perform this exceptional piece of coin magic. Any performer will know that having a few good impromptu magic tricks that are strong and memorable is essential.

Problems magicians face when learning coin under watch.

There are a few problems that people will face when learning the Coin Under Watch. Here are some of the most common issues, and solutions so you can begin performing Coin Under Watch successfully.

1) Confidence.

Coin Under Watch takes a certain amount of confidence to pull off. First of all, you must trust that it IS possible and that you WON’T get caught. If you can eliminate the fear of getting caught, then half the battle is won. A good tip to help is to pinch (not too hard) the tips of the spectator’s fingers when performing the move, this will deprive their sense of touch and give you that little edge of confidence you need.

2) What if you cannot see the watch?

This seems like it is a significant problem, but in reality if you are placing something onto a spectators outstretched palm it is perfectly natural to position the hand where you want it to be. You can maneuver the hand so that you can see if they are wearing a watch. Also, once you have performed this a few times you will realise that even if you lift the sleeve of a person and get a good look. You have the advantage of the fact that the spectators don’t know what is coming, they are concentrating on the items you are placing on their palm, and they will occupy their mind quite enough for you to do your dirty work.

3) What if the coin falls out?

When performing magic tricks like this, a magic trick that is bold and requires skill to pull off, do not worry if it goes wrong. A spectator will be impressed that you even tried it, trust me I know, I have been there. As with any magic trick, if it goes wrong you need to be able to handle it in a way that is mature and experienced. Nothing terribly bad has happened; the world hasn’t ended, so just brush it off as if it was something cheeky you thought you would might try. Much like a watch steal if it goes wrong it is not so serious, and it will happen from time to time so be prepared for it, and if you brush it off as nothing so will your spectators.

4) What if the watch is loose?

ABORT! This is the only time when I will not try coin under watch (apart from when you find they aren’t wearing a watch!). It is too risky as the coin will most probably fall out straight away, if not it will undoubtedly fall out when they go to look, and that is a real buzz kill, the effect does not register in the same way, and the reaction will fall flat.

So these are my top tips for performing Coin Under Watch, the key truly is not to fear it, take a deep breath and just go for it. I will leave you with this quote:

‘What’s the worst that could happen?‘ – Dr Pepper