Hey there,
I'm working on a coin effect, which is kinda funny because well, I don't really "do" coin tricks. Nevertheless...I'm hoping for some pointers:
EFFECT:
A coin vanishes from the hands and re-appears within the folds of a banknote placed inside a card case before the trick began.
THEME/PRESENTATION:
Gambling/Cheating. I offer to play for money...and even supply the money! A banknote is shown, folded and placed inside the card case as the "pot". Bill Malone's spec cuts the aces effect follows, which is presented as cutting for a high card - and of course the result is a tie. I offer a simpler alternative and borrow a coin. The rules are outlined: heads I win, tails you lose. This hardly seems fair, so I offer to reverse the rules: heads you win, tails I lose. Commenting that the only way for me to win now is if neither turned up, the coin is seen to have vanished...only to be found in the winnings, in the card case.
METHOD:
Predictably easy. Coin is borrowed, spun in the air and tossed into the other hand (demo of technique). The actions are repeated, but a fake transfer is employed, leaving the coin one joint up from finger palm. The hand is shown palm towards the audience in a pointing action (underlining a patter line) and comes back to wave over the closed fist of the other hand, during which action the coin is transferred to thumb clip so that the fingers may be spread (I struggle with classic palm - tendon damage). The fist is opened and the hand is shown empty front and back. Meanwhile the coin is dropped to fingertip rest and loaded under the card case on the table using a standard matrix load and display, hiding the coin. The note inside was folded in the standard way to secretly remove an item from within - it is slid out with the coin travelling behind it, and the coin is subsequently loaded into the note in the course of unfolding it, using the secret flap.
ALTERNATIVE HANDLING:
Same as above, but the coin is made to "vanish" by picking up the card box, briefly showing it front and back, and tapping it on the fist. This gets rid of some of the palming technique and may make the effect more logical. Also loads the coin on more of an offbeat.
So there it is...here's where I'm struggling. First of all, I'm struggling to fit the reappearance of the coin into my presentation..."and so the only way I could win is to have neither...*coin vanishes*...and mysteriously it ends up in the card case, in the banknote, cool eh?" Hmmm...so either a nice link in or a new presentation is required.
I like the presentation because it gives me a reason to demonstrate the actions fairly. Plus, I would anticipate a greater level of conviction in the audience's mind that the coin really is where I say it is if it is put into this kind of context.
Finally though...is the effect actually any good? Is it worth the effort to tidy up, practise, and perform?
Any suggestions, comments and critisisms are most welcome.
Cheers,
David
I'm working on a coin effect, which is kinda funny because well, I don't really "do" coin tricks. Nevertheless...I'm hoping for some pointers:
EFFECT:
A coin vanishes from the hands and re-appears within the folds of a banknote placed inside a card case before the trick began.
THEME/PRESENTATION:
Gambling/Cheating. I offer to play for money...and even supply the money! A banknote is shown, folded and placed inside the card case as the "pot". Bill Malone's spec cuts the aces effect follows, which is presented as cutting for a high card - and of course the result is a tie. I offer a simpler alternative and borrow a coin. The rules are outlined: heads I win, tails you lose. This hardly seems fair, so I offer to reverse the rules: heads you win, tails I lose. Commenting that the only way for me to win now is if neither turned up, the coin is seen to have vanished...only to be found in the winnings, in the card case.
METHOD:
Predictably easy. Coin is borrowed, spun in the air and tossed into the other hand (demo of technique). The actions are repeated, but a fake transfer is employed, leaving the coin one joint up from finger palm. The hand is shown palm towards the audience in a pointing action (underlining a patter line) and comes back to wave over the closed fist of the other hand, during which action the coin is transferred to thumb clip so that the fingers may be spread (I struggle with classic palm - tendon damage). The fist is opened and the hand is shown empty front and back. Meanwhile the coin is dropped to fingertip rest and loaded under the card case on the table using a standard matrix load and display, hiding the coin. The note inside was folded in the standard way to secretly remove an item from within - it is slid out with the coin travelling behind it, and the coin is subsequently loaded into the note in the course of unfolding it, using the secret flap.
ALTERNATIVE HANDLING:
Same as above, but the coin is made to "vanish" by picking up the card box, briefly showing it front and back, and tapping it on the fist. This gets rid of some of the palming technique and may make the effect more logical. Also loads the coin on more of an offbeat.
So there it is...here's where I'm struggling. First of all, I'm struggling to fit the reappearance of the coin into my presentation..."and so the only way I could win is to have neither...*coin vanishes*...and mysteriously it ends up in the card case, in the banknote, cool eh?" Hmmm...so either a nice link in or a new presentation is required.
I like the presentation because it gives me a reason to demonstrate the actions fairly. Plus, I would anticipate a greater level of conviction in the audience's mind that the coin really is where I say it is if it is put into this kind of context.
Finally though...is the effect actually any good? Is it worth the effort to tidy up, practise, and perform?
Any suggestions, comments and critisisms are most welcome.
Cheers,
David
