Han Ping Chien with coin and card.

[Roy McIlwee]

Am toying with the idea of producing the final coin of a four coin/four card matrix by reaching for the last coin in a hanging coin position and dropping it onto the three coins on the table ala Han Ping Chien. You simply drop the forth coin from the left hand after performing the Dingle pick-up move.It appears you have produced the final coin and tossed it onto the other three. Has anyone seen this or any variation of this move printed anywhere? Thank you, Roy McIlwee.

[Guest]

Can't be sure, but I think Jay Sankey came up with something like that years ago...

Steven Youell

[Matthew Field]

The move is on Jay's"Coin Magic" video (highly recommended, by the way) as well as in one of his books. Jay uses it in an amazingly clean "Coins Across" routine. He rolls the coin across his right fingers and apparently drops it on the table, really dropping a coin from his left hand (in Han Ping Chien position) as he draws the right hand coin back into his fist. He's set for the appoearance of the next coin.

Wotta guy.

Matt Field

[Roy McIlwee]

Steven and Matt, Thanks for the feedback on the move.Using the term Han Ping Chien may be a little misleading.It's really a toss of the imaginary coin from the hanging coin position on the right to the three coins on the table. The coin just materialises mid flight from right to left as you drop the coin in left hand to join the other three. Try this: Cover four coins with a card in upper left position of a matrix position. Do Dingle pick up move to pick up card and one coin, reach to right to grab imaginary coin which has been put into hanging coin position. Toss imaginary coin onto three coins on table and drop the coin held in left hand to simulate the "gathering". I guess it's more of a "long distance" Han Ping Chien!! LOL Good Luck to all, Roy McIlwee, Scranton, Penna.

[Bill Wheeler]

John Kennedy had marketed a routine that had a move very similar to what you had described. I believe it was called "The Invisible Matrix" which was itself a version of Paul Harris's "Free Flight" (Kennedy's routine used a gaffed card).

I don't really know if Harris did the move you describe ... its been a while since I even looked at that routine...but this might provide some help as far as crediting.

[Denis Behr]

Michael Rubinstein put some coin and card moves on Volume 4 of an older video series ("Coin Technique", Holzer Magic Video (the same producer than the 3-volume set "Card Technique" featuring magic and gambling sleights demonstrated by Andy Edmller and Sepp Holzer)) and I think (not sure) that a Han Ping Chien with card and coin is included there.

[Roy McIlwee]

Bill, In Paul Harris's "Free Flight",all the action occurs "on" the close up mat. The move I'm working on happens a foot "above" the close up mat. The effect is that you are reaching with your right hand to "pluck" an invisible coin from "hanging coin position" on your right and tossing it onto the three coin that are on the close up mat on your left. To try the move, place four half dollars on the table to your left. Cover these with a card. Do the Dingle pick up move and hold the card and coin approximately one foot above the remaining three coins. Now you reach with you right hand to "pluck" the invisble coin hanging to your right approx. one foot above the mat. Your right hand moves toward your left hand turning palm up and appears to toss the coin onto the three on the table but you release the left hand coin dropping it onto the three on the table to simulate the final coin "gathering" to join its three mates. I should mention that the "hanging coin" has been placed there earlier in the effect for a very logical reason, but I don't want to get into that now. The move itself is done in a very bouncy, unrushed pace. The move looks very magical when done with the proper timing. It looks like the coin materialises in midflight. Would love to hear some feedback on this idea. Roy McIlwee, Scranton, Pa.

[Pete Biro]

Charlie Miller did a similar move, in that the coin was released several inches above the table and "struck" by the other hand coming down.

[Richard Kaufman]

The notion of doing Han Ping Chien "in the air," so to speak, is the original manner of performing it. In other words, secretly releasing the coin or coins from a closed fist while it is held ABOVE the table, is the original manner in which Han Ping Chien himself taught the move to David P. Abbott, and it is so recorded (with photographs so there is no ambiguity about it) in "David P. Abbott's Mysteries," which was written in 1911 (I think).
All this business about having the hands on the table is either someone else's variation, or the result of Vernon and Slydini incorrectly learning the move from someone who kept their hands on the table.

[Pete Biro]

table, "Moving it out of the way" as you leave the coins...

Right or wrong... Slydini sure fooled the bejezus out of millions! :eek:

[Pete Biro]

:eek: :eek: Ooops... some lines vanished.

Shouda sed sumpin like...

Slydini "preached" the hand on the table and "moving" it out of the way leaving the coins.

OK now patch the two messages...
:o :o

[Carl Mercurio]

You know, Richard, I've always done the move the way you describe it and magicians are always facinated because they've never seen it done this way....

[Sean Macfarlane]

Thats they its taught in COINMAGIC ( above the table ) isn't it Richard. In the Geoff Latta section.

[Sean Macfarlane]

I meant, thats the way it was taught in COINMAGIC by Geoff Latta

[Mike Rubinstein]

Back in 1982, I put out a book called Intermediate and Advanced Coin Technique. There is a move in that book called Card Ping Chien, where a Han Ping Chien move is done from a coin held above the table behind a card. As mentioned earlier, it is on the 1985 Master Coin Technique tape series, now re-released by L&L as the Encyclopedia of Coin Sleights. Tom Gagnon independently came up with basically the same move.

[David Acer]

One of the most interesting (and least known) applications for the Hang Ping Chien move I've ever seen is a routine Jay Sankey and Richard Sanders published in an issue of New Directions years ago. A card is chosen, then the remainder of the deck is returned to its case. The case is surrounded longitudinally by a rubber band and held in left-hand dealing position. The selection is held face down on the right palm, then suddenly slapped down on the table, whereupon it is seen to have changed into the deck. The band is removed from the case, revealing but one card inside - the spectator's selection.

[Guest]

Sounds sweet, David, and the methodology is obvious from your description, although I think the hold-out, shim card, remote-activated electromagnet, and strobe light may be beyond the means of most amateurs on a restricted magic budget. ;-)

[mike cookman]

I'm scared of Hang Ping Chien moves. The Gallo Pitch is fun, though.

[Yves Tourigny]

Right you are David, it is certainly one of the most unusual use I have seen and it is a goodie.

Yves Tourigny