What is your favorite coin trick without the table?

[Guest]

Most close-up magicians tend to act without sitting in case performing for large audiences.
(I think, however, real close-up miracles are suitable for only a group of small number of people, such as 4-5 spectators, like when doing table-hopping - ultimately just for 1 person only.)

Anyway my question is, what kind of coin magic do you choose when showing for a large audience (about 40 or 50), without table?
Three Fly? Hanging Coins?
And what do you select for a small audience, or for only a person?
Coins Across? Some Spellbound or Silver & Copper?
Angle is important when doing coin slights (like palming or stealing) for a large audience (ex, we can't back-palm coin - Deep back clip or Tenkai pinch are not suitable in such an occasion).
One spectator situation is normally less strict - that's one of reasons I think 1 person is ideal, because it allows some direct-method coin sleights, which are simply and visually very impressive. I would appreciate thoughts from other coin workers in this forum.

Y. Mutobe

[Mike Rubinstein]

Hi. My favorite effects, usually performed for a few people at a time,include my version of Spellbound. This starts as a production, followed by the change sequence, and ends with a vanish. At other times I do a three coin production and vanish sequence, and if I have a hankerchief, a routine that begins with Copper or Silver Extraction, followed by Silver Penetration (both right out of Bobo), climaxed by a copper and silver transposition in a spectator's hand. When I perform for larger groups I always have a table in front of me and perform more "formal" magic.

[Pete Biro]

No question that the copper silver in spectator's hand... I learned it from Frances Carlysle using a US Silver Dollar and a tiny US Copper Penny. You switch the Dollar for one of the jumbo copper pennys... and the effect is soooo strong.

Of course it is my personality that makes it so.... :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Jonathan Townsend]

Originally posted by Y.Mutobe:
...a large audience (about 40 or 50), without table?

In all fairness, this does seem to be moving coins into the parlor from closeup. Sure David's One Coin Routine works, and so does the U3Fly and the Gary Kurtz material. However, we really do need to put the focus back on entertaining...

If this were a vote, I would go for a borrowed coin (marked) winding up inside something nice held by someone from the audience. Get two folks up and then it becomes almost comedy.

[Randy Sager]

One of My favorite coin effects is Presto Chango I use Michael Skinner's handling.

Silver Copper brass is also a very good effect. There are several coin effects that can be done with out a table and done in a spectators hand. Yes I know the effects I mentioned are not done in spectators hand. But the question was favorite coin tricks with out a table.

[Guest]

Originally posted by Jonathan Townsend:
However, we really do need to put the focus back on entertaining...

Hi Mutobe-san!
Although I agree with Jonathan regarding entertainment (and Mutobe's comments about miracles tending to occur in small groups), the first trick I thought of plays incredibly well both in the parlor setting and table-hopping (and also creates one of my favorite moments in table-hopping--where the entertainment can extend beyond the space of the individual table, which I think other tables enjoy in a very voyeristic way), and that is Silk and Silver, ala the original transfers, rather than Kenner's "Cloth and Pence" (which I've never tried, and I have always been curious about). Curtis Kam has some nice motivation for the transfers that create the illusion (for yourself) that you're a cool coin guy and (for your audience) that you're entertaining.

[Jeff Eline]

I have enjoyed and received a very good response from Greg Wilson's 3/4 effect using, obviously, three quarters.

[Carl Mercurio]

For walkaround or even platform, I often do the coin to handkerchief from Bobo's (I forget the exact name of the effect). The spectator holds a hanky horizontally with one coin in it. A second coin is hidden in the folds. You vanish a coin and when the spectator lets go of one end of the hanky the coin in the folds "clinks" into the other coin in there. Also done with a borrowed ring and coin (see Vernon/Cervon videos).

Also for walkaround, I do a coins across sequence with two spectators holding their palms up to act as an impromtu table.

For stage, I'm currently working on a handling of the Kaps coins to glass routine from Rountined Manipulation. A lovely, well-balanced production of four silver dollars followed by a coins to glass sequence.

[Guest]

For a large group of people, Misers Dream is the first that comes to mind. No table required and through the sound, it is easily understood what you are doing by all (unless they are hearing impaired).

Close-up, my fav. would be "Tenkai Pennies". Ungimmicked, no table and impromptu. Another would be a simple prediction of how much change someone has in their pocket. (It still uses coins!)

PSIncerely Yours,
Paul Alberstat

[Jon Racherbaumer]

It's odd that no one so far has mentioned Ramsay's "Coins & Cylinder" routine. Perhaps a useful way to answer the ORIGINAL query (about staging a coin routine for large audiences)is to examine what magicians did in the past when almost all professionals worked onstage, not in close-up or parlor situations.

The Miser's Dream is clearly theatrical.
There are apparently only a few other routines that translate well (or easily) to the stage, providing theatrical sufficient omph in the process?

Or am I entirely off base?

[Jonathan Townsend]

Originally posted by Jon Racherbaumer:
..."Coins & Cylinder" routine...?...
Or am I entirely off base?

I would hope such a magicians puzzle would find and keep its place for audiences which might feel the surprise of the four coins being UNDER the sliver of cork.

On the other hand, thanks to the recent avaiability of "Diamond Vision" screens, one could do the 'four little beans' and get even more of a reaction than the original performances did. Imagine, if you will, in EXTREME closeup...

Y., you said no table but not no DiamondVision right :D

[sleightly]

A routine I use all the time in stand-up and strolling is my "Sweet Cents" which combines five or six smaller "tricks" to a larger piece. It is essentially a one coin flurry with intriguing factual information about pennies, transformations, vanishes, productions, interaction and candy...

It was published in MAGIC, May 2002 and more comprehensively on coinmagic.com...

For my version with bigger pictures, check out: http://www.absomagic.com/ajpsweetcents.html

ajp

[Guest]

My favorite standing parlor/stage coin trick is my version of Coins To Glass. I have performed it for audiences as big as 400, and the noisy arrival of the each coin in the glass makes it very suitable for stage. It was surprising to me, the first time that I did it on stage, that the audience would applaud the arrival of each coin; however, that continued in several other venues, so I can only conclude that I have constructed an effective routine.

I send FIVE coins, not four, "up the sleeve, across the shoulders, down the other sleeve, and into the glass." My routine is a blending of several sources: The second routine in Bobo's Modern Coin Magic, the Cards Up Sleeve and Coins To Pocket in Hay's Amateur Magician's Handbook, and a few touches of my own. There is both verbal and visual humor in the routine, and an unusual twist on coins 3 and 4. Finally, coin 5 has two different climaxes, one for parlor and one for stage. However, the routine has proven to be an audience favorite at my performances, and so it has become a signature piece for me.

Jon

[Guest]

I agree with the few who mentioned coins to glass, it plays well close-up or far away...not only do you have a visual element, but an audible one as well...plus i do a sequence were the spectators hold the coins so now I have audience particapation as well...3 very strong elements for good magic!

And no Jon, you are not wrong about Ramsay's "Coins and Cylinder". I use that close-up all the time (using half dollars) and for a parlour setting I use it as well (with silver dollars).

Another piece I use in both situations is (I believe it is Jack Chanins) is a continual production of coins from a hankerchief were you keep alternating right and left hands.

Two other effects I like to use are...Milt Korts two from four equals...(plays well close-up or platform), and Ramsay's 3 coins in a hat (I've only done this in parlour/platform style though)

Mike

[Jonathan Levey]

Originally posted by Jonathan Townsend:

Originally posted by Y.Mutobe:
[b]...a large audience (about 40 or 50), without table?

Sure David's One Coin Routine works, and so does the U3Fly and the Gary Kurtz material. .[/b]

Jonathan,
Im just wondering, when performing restaraunt or walk around, do you use Bob Kohler's U3Fly over your original version?
Thanks and regards,
Jonathan

[Jonathan Townsend]

Originally posted by Jonathan Rubel:
Jonathan, Im just wondering, (1)when performing restaraunt or (2)walk around, (3)do you use Bob Kohler's U3Fly...

To answer all three questions, no. :)

[Pete Biro]

The main item in the original post, most seem to have missed is the audience size.

Misers Dream
Chanin's coin productions
Fred Kaps coin productions (see his convention stage act)
Coins accross in glass

That should do.

[Doc Rogers]

For large audiences, Silk and Silver ( DaI Vernon routined by Bruce Cervon) or Cloth and Pence (Chris Kenworthy)

For a smaller group, Crowded Coins (R Paul Wilson's 3 Fly)

For 2-3 people, 3 Coins to spectator's hand (Roger Klaus)

For one person, Mr Clean Coins Across (Jay Sankey)

All of these are done standing. (I long for the good old days!)

[mike cookman]

I like Dean Dill's Coins, glass, and silk. It does require a table, but I thought I'd mention it, anyway. :)

[Jonathan Levey]

Originally posted by Steve Rogers:
For large audiences, Silk and Silver ( DaI Vernon routined by Bruce Cervon) or Cloth and Pence (Chris Kenworthy)

"Cloth and Pence" is great! A lot of work needed, but you are well rewarded with a great, visual stand-up coin routine...
It can be found in Chris Kenner's book (Totaly Out of Control)...
Regards,
Jonathan

[Charlie Chang]

A stand up coin routine for restaurant, walk around or social performances.

Wear a vest (waistcoat)? You will need one for this.

"Surely You Vest, Sir?"

Place a coin with an expanded shell over it in the right vest pocket and a matching coin in the left. The shell is towards your body.

Offer to show something interesting with three coins. reach into the right pocket and produce the coin (and shell), displaying it in french drop position (shell nearest the audience). The left hand now fishes the other coin out of the left pocket. As this happens, the coin falls out of the shell into right finger palm.

Notice that you only have two coins and two pockets - notice something in the air in front of you as you transfer the shell to the left hand, fanned to the right (in front) of the coin already there.

The right hand now plucks it's palmed coin from thin air and places it onto the fan in the left hand so that the shell is in the middle of the fan.

Take this fan of three coins in the right (also in a french drop type of display).

The left hand now apparently removes the coin nearest you (leftmost in the fan). Actually the coin is pushed into the shell.

The closed left hand raises to shoulder level as you clearly show the two coins in the right (raise the right hand to show both sides - so you need a GOOD shell).

turn to the left to blow on the left hand. As this happens, the right hand comes to rest over the left vest pocket.

The left hand rubs away the coin as the right releases the coin inside the shell so it falls into the left pocket.

Now display the two coins, taking one, then the other in the left hand so that the shell ends fanned to the LEFT and in FRONT of the real coin. Again, in a french drop type of display.

The right apparently takes the rear, rightmost coin, actually pushing it into the shell under cover of the right fingers.

Display the remaining coin in the left hand as before BUT let it fall onto the left fingers after doing so. The left hand now relaxes, the thumb pinching the edge of the coin against the edge of the left first finger. The right hand raises, you blow, and rub the right fingers as the left hand, now resting above the right pocket, palm towards your stomach, releases the coin into the right vest pocket.

Show the second coin gone. The left pretends to still hold a coin. I pretend to toss it from hand to hand before blowing and replacing it in the air, where I found it.

Three complete vanaishes that will work surrounded and RESETS instantly.

You will find the transfers from hand to hand awkward but the solution should occur to you if you toy with it (I prefer this to describing full finger positions into the wee small hours of the morning).

Happy Holidays.

[mike cookman]

Say, that's pretty cool, Paul. Thanks. Happy holidays to you.

[Doc Rogers]

Jonathon
Thank you for the Kenner (not Kenworthy) Pence and Cloth citation. I have been on my feet too long.
And Paul
Thank you for an early holiday gift and another Paul Wilson routine to work on.
Steve

[Guest]

Hi, Mutobe-san & everone:
Happy New Year!!
My favoriate coins trick without table (and also the one I do most) is Curtis Kam's Twisted Trio which can be found in Curtis Kam's book Deceptions in Paradise.
Recently, I enjoy doing Troy Hooser's verson of 3 fly (with flipper coin). It's very clean and visual. I got great reponse from lay audience

[Guest]

Also like to mention Copentro which is excellent for parlor or platform. Jules Lenier had a great routine, in which he only used one coin.

He would cover the shot glass with a tumbler, and then that with a silk scarf. He showed a coin and tossed it toward the glass. He removed the coin, reset everything, and did it again. The third time, he removed the silk and let the coin pass visibly into the glass.

Showing the coin by letting it drop from the shot glass into the tumbler, and letting the audience hear it as it is poured from glass to glass makes the whole thing play big like Miser's Dream. Doing the effect three times with the same coin seems to me more of a fooler and a better build of effect than the original four coin version. Plus, you have an extra coin production available should one of the attempts go bad.

[John Pezzullo]

Whit,

What a superb idea! I always knew that Jules Lenier had a fertile mind.

Regards,

John

[opie]

I like to work surrounded, like in a movie line. And, I like to use what I consider to be two of the strongest coin effects in the world--Coin that Falls Up (Muscle Pass) and Karate Coin.

I open with a comment or two about gravity being overcome in spots and a demonstration of the coin jumping up...Then, someone will invariable want to see the coin, so I hand it to them.....Upon the coin's return, I jam my finger through it, remove it, restore the hole, and quit....

opie

[Guest]

Ever try Gary Kurtz's Chinese/Silver Continuation? It's the perfect walkaround routine with coins...uses a silk, and has a production of two jumbo coins as a climax...easy to do...and very different..

[Guest]

I am in the process of learning Derek Dingle's "Silver Quick" from "The Complete Works of Derek Dingle". Coins travel one at a time from the magician's hand to a spectator's hand. A friend of mine has been performing this for years and it always gets a strong reponse.

[Richard Kaufman]

Dingle's "Silver Quick" is one of the few coin routines he has performed regularly in his work for laymen for the last 20 years. He handles it to perfection, including the difficult steals from the shell, and gets that coin in Purse Palm with no fumbling or fiddling. And, spectators FEEL that his hand is empty: you can't imagine the looks on their faces when the coin appears.
As good as spongeballs.

[Jim Riser]

When I was doing lots of shows about 20 years ago, I developed a platform/stage version of coin on rope. I used a large oriental looking brass coin with center hole, a shell to match, and still another coin on a Jack Miller type holdout. The weight of this heavy brass "coin" was perfect for the holdout.

I had two spectators up to examine the coin/rope and hold the ends of the nylon rope. With the gimmicks I made, it was possible to do the standard move of removing the shell from the rope (apparently the coin). During the comedy routine, the shell was openly pocketed and brought out again - actually the holdout duplicate coin was displayed and "placed" into the hand holding the rope. The duplicate was secretly "heldout" and all that was left was to display the coin returned to the rope tightly held by the spectators.

Since this was used as a quick "relaxer" effect to get the spectators at ease, I followed it up with a variation of Vernon's or Silent Mora's Balls and Net (I can not remember which basic routine I used any more). I like to keep the spectators up front long enough to have a good time. Anyway, the coin effect could be seen and appreciated by at least 250 people at one time. It packed small and played big - as did the balls and net.
Jim

[Guest]

Do you know the perfect hold out?
You can see it at
www.perfectholdout.com
a new tool

[Pete Biro]

Well, I would say Roger Klause's wife, Wanda's Quarter trick.

She put one into a slot machine at the WMS and took home $2,500.00 -- IRS, calling? :D :D

[Jim Snapp]

Hi;
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned 'Hanging Coins'. For this sized crowd, using silver dollars, it is the ideal effect. Perhaps R Paul Wilson's 3 Fly to produce three coins and then HC follows?
Jim Snapp, Mathemagician

[Jonathan Townsend]

Originally posted by Jim Snapp:
Hi;
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned 'Hanging Coins'. ...3 Fly to produce three coins and then ...

Jim, as it happens both the Ramsay Routine, the Kurz routine and both Bob Kohler's and my routines were mentioned above. Also the Roth one coin routine. All great for standup work.

[Guest]

For "Parlour Magic," I would have to say that it's a really smooth sucker vanish I've been working on. I make sure there is nowhere I could be hiding a coin. Then I cleanly display a single coin. I do a really clumsy, convoluted and unnatural retention. I show my left hand empty. I then make sure the spectators see the coin, haveing explained that if they see anything, I want to know. When someone yells out that they've seen the coin, I invite them forward. The entire time, my hands are far apart. I claim that I will hold my hands up above my head to ensure that everything stays "above suspicion." When my hands are up in the air, I blink at the audience and produce the coin from the left, closed fist. I show my right hand empty and transfer the coin to my right hand, pull my left hand away, and show the coin cleanly in my right hand. I bring my hands down and offer to bet him one dollar that the coin isn't in my right hand. I open the hand to show it empty, and tell him that I'll show him the left hand for free. I then tell the spectator to keep the money. Complete bafflement. I can use a marked coin and have it apear later, if I want. (Perhaps in a bread roll, if I'm performing the magic before a dinner...)

[Frank Starsinic]

I've been liking

Jay Sankey's "No Jacket Required".

4 coins are retrieved from your pocket, vanished from your hands and go back to your pocket.

[Guest]

I want to bring back a strong copper silver in my walk around set. I was using a variation by Michael Close from one of his Worker books.

I need to add one or two more phases.

[Guest]

For a crowd of more than 40, you are somewhat limited -- Miser's Dream, Coin Ladder, Coins to Glass, etc.
More than 80 years ago, Tommy Downs was filling whole theatres with this sort of thing (and his comedy routines, which nobody remembers anymore!).

For a close-up routine without a table, the one routine that I use regularly is my own No-Gimmick Scotch and Soda, which appeared in my Showtime column in the Linking Ring magazine a few years back.
(If anyone is interested in getting this routine, e-mail me and I'll happily send it off to you.)

The strong point about this routine is that the magic happens in the spectator's hands and nothing -- absolutely nothing -- is as strong as the magic happening in the spectator's hands.

cheers,
Peter Marucci
showtimecol@aol.com