Conspiracy Against Coin Magic

C

clarrus

Guest
I think the US Government, more specifically the Dept of Treasury, is secretly plotting against coin magic.

My reasoning is this. For the international folks a little explanation, our beloved government have released a little ways back quarters with 50 different backings. One for each state. 50 DIFFERENT TYPES OF QUARTERS!!!! Thus coin swap is going to be hard if the spectator has a state coin and you don't. It doesn't end there, the nickel has also gone through some changes. I believe there are around 3 different types of nickels.

They are working on paper money magic next. They are revamping all the bills. Somebody needs to stop this travesty. We are being oppressed!! Folks write to your congressmen.

Also, I am in the service and when I questioned my chain of command about this, they told me to be quiet or risk "elimination". I think by posting this I may have put myself in danger already......
 
adjones

adjones

Sep 3, 2007
2,562
0
Europe
I agree, I used to have quite a reputation for "bending quarters", but I soon realized that I couldn't borrow a quarter and perform the Closer if they handed me a state quarter. Oh well, nothing we can really do about it...
 
C

clarrus

Guest
Anarchy......complete and total anarchy.......

Althought I have a suggestion. Just provide your own contrast coin for them to inspect thoroughly and when they give you back your coin switch it with another. Switching your own coin, they will never suspect that.......

There are ways.....
 
S

Snorri

Sep 15, 2007
86
0
no it is not "illegal to bend or rip money.
It is illegal to print it, reprint it or fully deface it.
It is illegal to represent something as legal tender when it is not.
There are people out there taking $1 bills and bleaching them and then reprinting them as $5 bills and that is very illegal.
Bending a quarter does not deface it.
Writing on a bill does not deface it ...it adds ink to it but banks themselves write and stamp bills on a regular basis.
Making a bill into a mismade bille is actually not illegal because the whole bill is there just ina different form and can be sent to the mint for replacement with no penalty.

I understand that the mint is reprinting their old currency because it is being illegally coppied by forgery in other countries though with the falling value of the dollar i doubt it will last too long.
People worry too much about stuff that doesn't really matter to the performance of their magic. Stop worrying so much.
Later,
Snorri
 
D

Dex

Sep 18, 2007
60
0
33
North of France.
In Europe we have the same problem, all coins are different.

You just have to hope they don't note what kind of coin they are handing to you, it hasn't happened to me often, twice at most. (For the bitten coin)
 
N

NicholasT

Nov 24, 2007
32
0
Australia
That kind of sucks.

However, even if you had only one type of coin per denomination (like here in Australia), it's still not exactly clear-cut - what if the coin you've prepared for a switch is beautiful and shiny, but the coin they give you is old, battered and scratched? If there's a significant contrast, your spectators will notice it.

An easy solution is to only perform effects that allow you to borrow a coin and don't require a switch! Things like Sinful, Superman coin bend and even a simple coin vanish/reappear sequence are perfect for this.

Even then, though, some of those effects require the spectator have a coin of an exact value in order for the trick to work properly, and sometimes the spectator just won't have that coin on them. Murphy's Law.

This is pretty much why I avoid borrowing coins like the plague. Not only can it lead to all the aforementioned issues such as difference in coin condition and value, but some people just aren't comfortable with handing out money in the first place, and may be suspicious.

I usually perform with my own coins anyway, e.g. with coins across I produce my own coins, hand them to the spectators to check out, then go on with my routine. For effects where a dupe coin is used, I usually offer a handful of change with several of the value that I need them to choose, e.g. 10 cents, among the pile. I then subtly suggest that a 10 cent coin would be perfect for what I'm going to show them, and the presence of more than one of that particular value seems to make them feel like they have more choice.

Nick
 
Jakeh

Jakeh

Dec 17, 2007
1,291
2
31
Melbourne, Australia
Hawk-Eye said:
That kind of sucks.

However, even if you had only one type of coin per denomination (like here in Australia), it's still not exactly clear-cut - what if the coin you've prepared for a switch is beautiful and shiny, but the coin they give you is old, battered and scratched? If there's a significant contrast, your spectators will notice it.



Nick
Click to expand...

That's exactly right. In fact, just the other day it happened to me. I asked for 2 more coins so I could do a coin matrix and they noticed that the coins that were meant to be appearing didn't look the same as when they disappeared. It was kind of embarrassing.

So, I shall never borrow coins again if it involves switching or something similar to that.
 
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