coin tricks Archives

Best Coins for Coin Magic – US Coins Vs. UK Coins

Dan Asks:

‘What is your opinion on using Dollar coins in the UK? As a beginner to coin magic, I read that it may be more natural to use UK coins, but in terms of learning the sleights, the UK coins are small and troublesome. Just wondered what are the best coins for coin magic?’

A LOT of beginners that come to the magic shop are are unsure which coins to use for their coin work. It’s even one of the excuses magicians use for not learning coin tricks. We can’t have that… So, Here’s a quick lowdown on the current UK best coins for coin magic

Good and Bad UK Coins:

5p and 1p : Very small but many of the 1p coins have steel content, so they work with magnets. These small coins are perfect for loading on people, more like markers and ‘chips’. For coin sleights, a larger coin is usually needed.

2p coin : Excellent practice coin. Still small, and not many gimmicks are produced for it as it’s steel content makes it both expensive and hard to gimmick

10p coin : A good silver contrast to the 2p coin but the rounded worn edge and smaller size make it extremely limited for manipulation.

50p coin : Great coin for sleight of hand. The shape pretty much rules out using an expanded shell. Getting a coin box that will work for 50p coins can also be a challenge. Because it’s a decent size, the coin is often gimmicked for UK versions of many tricks designed for the half dollar.

£2 coin: A very popular choice. Limited for multiple palm work and the bi metal design stop £2 coins being a popular coin for gimmicks. Once you get used to the thickness, this is probably the best coin to use for professional performances.

£1 coin : pretty pointless. OK for some coin gimmicks, but not for sleight of hand.

I’m going to suggest to you the BEST coins to use for learning coin magic. I will then tell you about the best coins to use for professional performance. Before I do that, I should tell you about the process I went through to come to that choice:

When I first began learning coin magic, I picked up a copy of Bobo’s Modern Coin Magic, 5 half dollar coins and 5 old english pennies. The pennies are pretty much the same size as the half dollars, but copper rather than silver, so they make a nice contrast for colour changes. I chose those coins because that’s what everyone seemed to be using. They appeared to be the ‘standard’ for coin magicians.

Happy in my coin magic Bubble.

I worked with those coins for a few years and didn’t consider using any other coins. I thought that those coins were THE coins that every coin magician should use. This attitude was reinforced as I watched magic videos, specifically the work of David Roth. In retrospect, I think that was probably not a bad move. Choosing one type of coin simplified my practice, and the development of hand dexterity as I practiced.

At that time, almost all the coin gimmicks were produced for half dollar coins, so I was able to pick up a range of coin boxes and gimmicked coins that all fit in together. The only real exception to this was a few manufactures such as Eddie Gibson that made UK coin tricks. These tended to be stand-alone tricks like coin unique and cig thru coin tricks. They were nice, but tended to use a £1 coin, which is pretty much useless for most coin manipulation.

The joy of a UK 2p coin.

I once visited Gary Jones, when he owned a small magic shop in Trago Mills, Devon. He showed me his performance of David Roths ‘hanging coins’ routine, with 2p coins, and I liked it very much. Partly due to Garys excellent performance, but also, it was the fist time I saw coin magic performed with small coins, in a way that didn’t lack impact. I started playing with the 2p coin in my practice sessions after that. Then I had the good luck to stumble on a 2p coin expanded shell. Suddenly, I was able to work on my coins across routines with a standard coin. 2p coins have a well defined edge which makes them a joy to palm. They are rather small, but that makes them nice and easy to manipulate.

I still preferred the US coins though as the size was more impressive.

Larger coins look harder to use, but in reality, the size doesn’t matter as much as the edge definition.

I found myself practicing with UK 2p coins but performing professionally with my familiar US and old English coins.

The £2 coin was born.

This was a breakthrough for me. Finally, a coin was being minted that was of a decent size for coin work. The thickness was a real issue though as multiple coin palms become very limited. The Bi-metal design has limited the range of coin gimmicks that could be made, and to this day, most of the £2 coin shells and gimmicks tend to be terrible. The coin was great to use, and I switched to it, for just about all my coin magic tricks.

Dazzled by silver.

Then back in the late 1990’s I decided to treat myself and have a custom set of US Morgan Silver Dollar coins remilled for me. They were 100 years old, so the surfaces of the coins were worn, and smooth (That makes them quiet as they slide across each other.) The edges were milled again, so they had a good grip. I fell in love with these coins the first moment I played with them. Honestly, I know it’s geeky, but using large solid silver coins gives you an awesome feeling. They feel smooth, and I can only describe the feeling as ‘chocolaty’ to use. The difference in the way they handle is the same experience as eating a square of dairy milk and then trying a square of galaxy chocolate. Does that make sense?

Silver dollars are large, look stunning, are fascinating for spectators to examine. The coins can have a story woven into them, and the sound of them ‘talking’ together in your hand is lovely.

They aren’t normal coins!

The way I see it, there really isn’t anything ‘normal’ about a magician. Why should I limit myself to only performing magic with everyday objects? Nothing wrong with doing so, but that would be a theme to your magic and your persona. I don’t use cheap ‘waddingtons’ bridge size playing cards. I don’t use a mug instead of a chop cup, washing line instead of white stage rope, and my sponge balls.. well, they look very odd indeed!

It may be different for me as I’m performing professionally as opposed to doing tricks for my friends socially, but I know I’m not alone, in finding that spectators have no problem with unusual coins. After all, you start off my letting them play with the coins. Something that would be quite odd to do, if they were normal UK coins.

If you use unusual coins, make them a story. There are tonnes of ways you can build in an introduction for the coins:

‘Would you like to see something from a LONG time ago?’

‘Look at these coins, That ones been traveling since 1908 to be here today, that’s quite a journey…’

‘I’m going to show you an old fairground game, used for years, to SWINDLE people..’

‘Look closely at these coins, They have changed hands so often, that they now do it all by themselves…’

‘Have you ever wondered why we REALLY refused to join the Euro?’

‘These US Dollars are becoming harder and harder to find in the States, and for good reason, let me show you why they are disappearing….’

Which coins are best for magicians?

It’s very much a personal choice. At The Merchant of Magic, we start personal tuition students off with UK 2p coins. The 2p coin is very easy to manipulate and don’t put people off learning because of their size. There aren’t that many good gimmicks in 2p versions, but that doesn’t matter, when it comes to learning the core techniques in coin magic. You really only need a few coins and an expanded shell.

If you want to use coins that look normal, the £2 coin is, in my opinion, the best coin to use professionally. It’s large enough to show the action and very visible.

If you don’t care about ensuring that the coins you use are ordinary every day objects, I would recommend playing with Old English pennies pressed in 1967. They can be polished or dull, are slim, and the edge makes them extremely easy to use. Contract this with a US Half Dollar for a silver coin of almost the same size.

If you want a very large coin, that will grab spectators attention, go for US silver dollars. They are easier to use than they appear. Silver dollars look and sound stunning.

Image courtesy of Gavjof

NEXT: How to start learning magic tricks with coins

How To Start Learning Magic Tricks With Coins

by Merchant of Magic 8 Comments

By Dominic Reyes

Colin writes:

‘Coin magic really interests me from an “immediate and no set up” perspective, and I have Bobo’s book (from you) but those primary conceals, etc, are a nightmare to learn – any ideas?’

It’s a sad fact that so many magic beginners are put off from trying to learn coin magic. They find the learning curve at the beginning far too hard. Most magic coin tricks that don’t rely on gimmicked coins force you to face up to a big scary monster called ‘sleight of hand’. With so many magic tricks available that have special devices (called: gimmicks), It’s never been easier to bury your head in the sand and pretend that sleight of hand doesn’t exist.

What’s wrong with that? Well, it means you have to be a consumer of other people magic.
Mastering at least some of those core moves is an incredibly valuable way to use your practice time. Being able to perform a few killer tricks, just with the coins in your pocket means:

Freedom from being dependent on expensive props and gimmicks.
You can perform at a moments notice, wherever you are.
The ability to borrow objects (the coins) from a spectator and create magic with them.
You gain a set of utility moves that allow you to create your own unique routines.
You gain balance within your act.

Here are a few quick tips that will help you speed up the learning process:

Choose the right coins.

If you are in the UK, then a good coin to start with, is the UK 2p coin. It is easy to palm. The small and sharply defined edge makes it easy to grip. For a larger coin, go for the UK £2 coin as it has a good size and edge. The down side with the £2 coin is it’s thickness and weight, which can slow down progress. The 2 Euro coin is also a good choice, and for magicians in the US, the half dollar is the most popular choice.

Commit to practice everywhere.

One of the best features of coin magic is that it can be performed just about anywhere. In fact, you can practice moving a coin in and out of a range of palms and concealments, without even having to take your hand out of your jacket or coat pocket.

Start right away with the Classic Palm.

It’s one of the hardest to master, but it’s also the king of all coin moves. The sooner you start work on the Classic palm the better. Dan Watkins has produced a great free guide to a good classic palm here.

Palm – Pass- Vanish.

The ideal first set of sleights to focus on would be one from each of the categories of coin magic. We suggest choosing the classic palm, then a good pass, such as the shuttle pass, and finally a decent vanish like the retention of vision vanish. By choosing just one move from each of these categories of sleights, you work on just three sleights at a time. Because each is from a different category of sleights, you can combine them together to create a number of full routines.

Transfers and Transitions.

It’s also important to work on how you get into and out of each move. Once a coin has been vanished, you will want to move it over to another concealment, and this transfer needs to be undetectable. In the example of the retention of vision vanish, the coin will be in a specific position after the vanish has taken place. Practice how you go into classic palm from that position.

Use a cyclical one coin routine for practice.

There are several cyclical one coin routines in print that use the core moves and run through a series of productions and vanishes. David Roth teaches some excellent one coin work in his books and DVD’s. Once you have a few moves, choose a routine that you can drill and practice it every day. The routine repeats endlessly, so there is no sense of a start or ending. These routines tend to cause people to practice much more as there is an automatic flow into running through it ‘just one more time’

Slow motion as you go through the moves.

Fast is not deceptive in sleight of hand. It’s confusing and suspicious. IN practice, it’s also the quickest way to make very little progress. Your goal is to teach your fingers the movements and touch needed for each move.

The slower you go, when running through the moves, the more you can check that each movement is perfect. Don’t make any deliberate effort to speed up. Speed will happen over time on its own.

When to use a mirror and when not to.

Mirror work in coin magic IS needed to check that your angles are correct and that a placement is exactly where it should be. However, once you have that move perfected in front of a mirror, you will need to start practicing without one. There is a danger that you will become dependent on the visual feedback the mirror gives you, and will not have confidence that a sleight looked correct unless you are able to see the move happen yourself. Make sure you practice in front of a mirror at first. Once you have the placement and angles, it’s time to practice it ‘blind’.

Don’t hide the action.

Most coin work requires you to hold a coin at the fingertips and manipulate it. A common mistake that beginners face, it that they tend to put too many fingers in the way. The fingers that are not holding the coin could hide all the actions. This might look fine from their viewpoint (behind the trick), but for the spectators, it’s confusing and suspicious. Any unused fingers need to be out the way of the action. If your hands are palm down, whenever possible, the palms should be visible to show there is nothing hiding in your hands. Your fingers should be just a little apart. A hand that looks as if it could conceal something is often thought to BE concealing something, even though you may know it’s totally innocent.

Watch your eyes are not giving it away.

It’s so hard to stop the truth from showing in your eyes. Especially if, you are used to only practicing in front of a mirror. Many beginners find that they half close their eyes when performing a sleight. It’s almost as if they don’t want to see that the move has happened. That, if they can’t see it, the spectators won’t be able to see it either. Moving away from mirror practice to rehearsal will help remove this tendency.

Image courtesy of Jin Thai

Make Learning Coin Tricks Easy – 10 Quick Coin Magic Tips

by Merchant of Magic 3 Comments

Colin writes: Coin magic really interests me from an “immediate and no set up” perspective, and I have Bobo’s coin magic book (from you) but those primary conceals, etc, are a nightmare to learn, any ideas?

It’s a sad fact that so many magic beginners are put off from trying to learn coin magic. They find the learning curve at the beginning far too hard to deal with. Most magic coin tricks that don’t rely on gimmicked coins force you to face up to a big scary monster called ‘sleight of hand’. With so many magic tricks available that have special devices (called: gimmicks), It’s never been easier to bury your head in the sand and pretend that sleight of hand doesn’t exist.

What’s wrong with that? Well, it means you have to be a consumer, of other people magic.

Learning to master at least some of those core moves is an incredibly valuable way to use your practice time. Being able to perform a few killer tricks, just with the coins in your pocket means:

Freedom from being dependent on expensive props and gimmicks.
You can perform at a moments notice, wherever you are.
The ability to borrow objects (the coins) from a spectator and create magic with them.
You gain a set of utility moves that allow you to create your own unique routines.
Gaining more balance in your range of tricks.

Here are a 10 quick tips that will help you speed up the learning process:

Choose the right coins.

If you are in the UK, then a good coin to start with, is the UK 2p coin. It is easy to palm, quite small and has a sharp and defined edge that makes it easy to grip. For a larger coin, go for the UK £2 coin as it has a good size and edge. The downside with the £2 coin is its thickness and weight, which can slow down progress. The 2 Euro coin is also a good choice, and for magicians in the US, the half dollar is the most popular choice.

Commit to practice everywhere.

One of the best features of coin magic is that it can be performed just about anywhere. In fact, you can practice moving a coin in and out of a range of palms and concealment, without even having to take your hand out of your pocket.

Start right away with the Classic Palm.

It’s one of the hardest to master, but it’s also the king of all coin moves. The sooner you start work on the Classic palm the better.

Palm – Pass – Vanish.

It’s also important to work on how you get into and out of each move. Once a coin has been vanished, you will want to move it over to another concealment, and this transfer needs to be undetectable. In the example of the retention of vision vanish, the coin will be in a specific position after the vanish has taken place. Work on how you can go into the classic palm from that position.

Use a cyclical one coin routine for practice.

There are several cyclical one coin routines in print that use the core moves and run through a series of productions and vanishes. David Roth teaches some excellent one coin work in his books and DVD’s. Once you have a few moves, choose a routine that you can drill and practice it every day. The routine repeats endlessly, so there is no sense of a start or end. These routines tend to cause people to practice much more as there is an automatic flow into running through it ‘just one more time’

Slow motion as you go through the moves.

Fast is not deceptive in sleight of hand. It’s confusing and suspicious. It’s the quickest way to make very little progress. Your goal is to teach your fingers the movements and touch needed for each move.

The slower you go, when running through the moves, the more you can check that each movement is perfect. Don’t make any deliberate effort to speed up. Speed will happen over time on its own.

When to use a mirror and when not to.

Mirror work in coin magic IS needed to check that your angles are correct and that a placement is exactly where it should be. However, once you have that move perfected in front of a mirror, you will need to start practicing without one. There is a danger that you will become dependent on the visual feedback the mirror gives you, and will not have confidence that a sleight looked correct unless you are able to see the move happen yourself. Make sure you practice your magic in front of a mirror, then once you have the placement and angles, it’s time to practice it ‘blind’.

Don’t hide the action.

Most coin work requires you to hold a coin at the fingertips and manipulate it. A common mistake that beginners face, it’s that they tend to put too many fingers in the way. The fingers that are not holding the coin may be hiding all the action. This might look fine from their viewpoint (behind the trick), but for the spectators, it’s confusing and suspicious. Any fingers that are not being used need to be out the way of the action. If your hands are palm down, whenever possible, the palms should be visible to show there is nothing hiding in your hands. Your fingers should be just slightly apart. A hand that looks as if it could conceal something is often thought to BE concealing something, even though you may know it’s totally innocent.

Watch your eyes are not giving it away.