Hi everyone,

I was looking through some of my old tutorial vids and I found this quickie that I came up with some time ago. It's not that great a trick but it's good for when your friends ask you to show them a trick and you can't be bothered pulling out your cards etc. I've used it many times in my classes when my students, knowing their teacher's a magician, have pestered to show them a trick.

So here goes:

1. Show a a silver coin and a copper coin on the table in front of you. For the purpose of this trick I'll assume the silver's on the right.
   
2. Tell your specs that you want to demonstrate how the hand is quicker than the eye etc. Put your right hand over the silver coin and your left over the copper. Slide them towards you, pick them off the table and close your hands, keeping them well apart.
   
3. Do a throwing motion and ask them where they think the silver coin is now. No matter what they say, open your hands to show that everything is where it should be.
   
4. Put the coins back on to the table.
   
5. You'll now go through the same motions as in step 2, only this time do the lap vanish*
   
6. Repeat step 3, have them guess which hand holds which coin, then open both hands to show they've vanished.
   
7. 'Expose' the vanish by saying, "But you know what magicians do - they hide it up their sleeve...." Pivot your body to the right and with your left hand reach over to your right shoulder while saying, "Here let me bring it out from up there."
   
8. While attention is focused on your left hand the right hand drops down in a perfectly natural position and picks up the two coins.
   
9. Now pivot your body to the left while reaching up with your loaded right hand to the left shoulder. Accompany this by a patter to the effect of, "Well, if it's not up this sleeve it must be up the other sleeve."
   
10. Pretend to pull a coin out of your sleeve/arm and display the copper coin. Keep the silver coin fingerpalmed.
    
11. Say something like, "The copper coin went up my sleeve but the silver coin went into my pocket, so if I'll just leave the copper coin here...."
    
12. Pretend to throw the copper coin into your left hand, do the Bobo switch, thus retaining the copper coin in your right while the left holds the silver coin.
    
13. Reach into your pocket (this looks better if you reach into your shirt pocket), and bring out the copper coin.
    
14. Look confused. Say, "If the copper coin is in my pocket, that must mean that the silver is right over here." Open your left hand to display the silver coin.

Like I said, it's not an earthshattering effect but it's pretty cool as a quickie. I've just provided the basic patter, use your imagination to really sell the effect.

I'd like to see your comments.

Cheers,

Eli (meilechl)

The lap vanish is when you pretend to pick up any small object by covering it with your fingers, sliding it towards you and picking it up. What you actually do, is when your fingers reach the edge of the table, let the object drop into your lap. Pretend to pick it up while following it with your eyes. Rub your fingers and slowly open them to show the object has vanished. With minimal practice it will become one of your strongest illusions.

Pretty cool routine. I'm getting big into coins now, so I might give this one a try.