How to Make 4 Quarters Into a Dollar With a Magic Trick
In the magician's repertoire, coin tricks are common because it is surprisingly easy to hide a coin. Coins can be squeezed into different parts of the body, and they even can be stuck to the skin. With a simple "sleight of the hand," you can make four quarters change into a dollar. Of course, the quarters don’t actually morph into a dollar; instead, you swap the four quarters for a dollar bill, without the audience seeing the switch. This trick requires fast and dexterous fingers, an occasional distraction and maybe a a coat pocket or two.
Instructions
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1
Show four quarters to your audience, squeezing them together in a stack between your thumb and index finger.
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2
Squeeze a folded dollar bill in the palm of your other hand; do not allow your audience to see this dollar. Keep your knuckles facing the audience.
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Pretend that you are going to pass the four quarters into the hand with the dollar. Instead, quickly lower the index finger and thumb into your palm and squeeze the quarters. Do not accidentally drop the quarters. Make a grabbing motion with the hand that holds the dollar and pretend that you grabbed the four quarters.
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4
Make a fist, closing your hand tightly around the dollar. If you are fast, you may be able to slip the four quarters in the other hand into your pocket, freeing up that hand for something else.
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Blow on the fist with the dollar, or make hand motions as if you are casting a spell on what the audience believes to be four quarters. Open your hand to reveal the dollar instead.
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Tips & Warnings
Coin tricks typically involve hiding the coin from the audience, without making it obvious. If you have to cup your hand in an unnatural way to hide the coin, your audience will often notice what you are doing.
Practice so you can perform the trick without making any mistakes. A single mistake can ruin the audience's "suspension of disbelief."
Try to distract the audience when you can so that they are not paying close attention to what your hands are doing. Telling jokes or encouraging your audience to look somewhere else can decrease the chances the audience will see your sleight of hand.
Wear long, loose sleeves, which give you a place to hide the coin. In addition, wear clothing with many pockets to provide several places to slip objects.
With large groups, quarters may not be large enough for everyone to see. Magicians often use dollar coins, which are larger and easier to see. However, the audience is also more likely to see where you are hiding the coin.
References
- Photo Credit Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images
