How to Learn Coin Magic – Recommended Basics

Coin Magic Basics

Learning how to do coin magic tricks is part of the core training for every magician. Coins are everyday objects so you always have the props you need to be able to perform magic where ever you are.

Many beginners can be put off by the huge range of coin magic tricks available, many of which, assume that you already know the basics. So the team at the Merchant of Magic have picked the top three places to start, to learn coin magic the right way. These are the training books and DVD’s we suggest to magicians beginning tuition at MoM, and are a perfect place for magicians of any age to start mastering this skill.

Start Learning Coin Tricks the Right Way

Bobo’s Modern Coin Magic

This is the core text for all coin magic, and probably on the bookshelf of every coin magician today. The book takes you from complete beginner to expert, and then acts as a reference to return to, though your whole study of magic tricks.

In The Beginning There Were Coins

Not everyone likes to learn magic techniques from a book. Sometimes it’s much easier to see the moves in action. This DVD assumes no previous knowledge, and will show you the main moves you need to learn to perform magic with the normal coin in your pocket. It’s over 2 hours of training, and covers a huge range of techniques as well as teaching a lot of coin tricks, so you can start performing right away.

Unique Coin Pro Set

Learning sleight of hand with coins is the goal for any magician beginning to learn how to do coin tricks, but sometimes you want to be able to do some crazy tricks, right away. The Unique Coin Set allows this. It’s just a special £2 coin and a 2p coin, but you can do so many tricks with it, and the coins do the hard work for you. We recommend this, when beginners want to take their time to learn the techniques, but also want to amaze their friends right away. It helps beginners to see, just how powerful a professional coin trick can be. Unique Coin Pro tends to be popular with magicians that focus on card tricks too. It is easy to use, and allows them to break up their tricks, so they are not just going from one card trick to another. The set is made from real coins, so you need to be careful that you don’t spend it by mistake!

Need More Help?

If you need more help or advice choosing, please contact the Customer Care Team who will be happy to recommend items that you will love, and answer any questions you may have.

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The First Magic Tricks a Magician Should Learn

by Dominic Reyes 2 Comments

How to pick the first magic tricks a magician should learn

Mark writes: 'I found you book on magic practice helpful, but I don't know which tricks to start work on. How do I choose my first effect? Any help?'

There are so many magic tricks to learn. The magic shop stocks over 20,000 tricks.. How does a beginner know where to start? The answer isn't to browse through the shop until you find a trick that fools you. You're not the person you want to fool.

Here's a short video from Dominic Reyes about choosing the right magic tricks to start learning magic:

When you are a complete beginner, the first goal is to understand HOW you are going to perform, rather than what you will be performing. You need to find your style. Will you be serious, funny, mystical, urban, classic, polite, cheeky..? Until you have an understanding about the style that suits you, and the audience that you will entertain, it's very hard to practice the presentation of any magic trick.

It's a good idea to choose self working tricks when you first start out. Easy mechanics, means that you can move on to presentation as quickly as possible. Presentation is the KEY to good magic practice. The mechanics can be drilled, but your performing style needs to develop through performance. If you learn a few easy to do tricks at the beginning, you can start performing to your family and friends, and in doing so, discover a presentation style that fits YOU.

This discovery stage also extends to the fields of magic that you can choose. Will you be a card mechanic, a coin worker, a jack of all trades..? There's so much to learn before you even try to practice your first sleight of hand. Taking the time to understand how you will present your magic, will naturally point you in the direction of the first 'harder' effects you will want to tackle.

How to Start out as a Magician and Get Experience

by Dominic Reyes 1 Comment

Samuel didn't know how to start out as a magician

By Dominic Reyes

I received this email from a young magician:

'I emailed you about how to go about getting a first gig, and you told me that as I was 14, I should consider doing some charity events. I spoke to members of our towns committee about it, and they seemed more than happy to take me on. I am now getting lots of gigs, so I thought I should say thank you, as you gave me the original advice that started it all off. So thank you very much for your great advice.' – Samuel Prior

This got me thinking about the advice I game Samuel when he was 14. It applies to young magicians that are just starting out and are having trouble being taken seriously when they approach venues or companies to pitch their magic. However, I think the advice is solid for magicians of any age, when they have the catch 22 situation of needing experience, but struggling to get gigs because of that reason:

If you want to do magic as a paid performer, you HAVE to get out and start performing for the public. Nobody will come to you and beg to hire you, so you need to put yourself in public situations where you can perform professionally. The easiest way to do this is to HELP YOUR COMMUNITY by offering your services at local charity and community events. That first step will give you the confidence to market yourself, get your name out, and push forward to get future paid work as a magician. If you have been thinking about doing this for a while, now is the time to act. Contact your local community centre TODAY, and ask them about events coming up that could use some free entertainment. It's just a phone call, but it's that first step that you have to make sooner or later..

Do you know a keen magician that has been thinking about doing paid work, but has yet to take that first step? If so, email or text them a link to this page. A little push from someone that cares about them is all it might take..

Are you already a working magician and have some advice for magicians just starting out? How did you get your feet off the ground performing? Maybe you are in the same position Samuel was in, and have a question? Leave a comment in the section at the bottom of this page.