How to Perform Coin Vanishes

Magicians like to use everyday objects such as coins to perform.

Learning magic with coins allows you to perform in almost every setting, since coins are such widely available props. Many different sleight of hand techniques and effects are possible with coins. One of the easiest is the coin vanish. To vanish a coin, you only need knowledge of one simple sleight called the "finger palm." Once you learn the finger palm, you can vanish almost any small object using this method.

Instructions

The Finger Palm

1. Open your dominant hand palm-up with your fingers together. Place the coin inside of your hand on the third phalanx of the ring and middle fingers. Curl these two fingers slightly until the coin is gripped between them.

2. Turn your hand over. Curl the rest of your fingers so that your hand looks relaxed and natural. If the coin falls out, readjust it and try again. That is the finger palm, one of the easiest and most effective concealment methods in coin magic.

3. Practice holding the coin in a relaxed position with your hand palm up, then turning it over and concealing into finger palm very quickly and naturally.

Performing the Vanish

1. Borrow a coin from a spectator. Place the coin in your dominant hand and cup your opposite hand. Dump the coin into your cupped hand.

2. Display the coin a second time to the spectator and place it in your dominant hand again. This passing back and forth motion conditions the spectator to believe that your actions are what they appear.

3. Hold the coin in finger palm and cup your opposite hand. Mimic the action of dumping the coin in your cupped hand, but keep it concealed in finger palm. Close your cupped hand immediately.

4. Hold your closed hand in front of your spectator and slowly rub your fingers together and open your hand. The coin has seemingly vanished.

5. Close your empty hand again and hold it in front of the spectator palm up. Wave the hand with the concealed coin over the closed hand. As you wave it, open the fingers of the closed hand slightly. Drop the palmed coin into your hand. Open your hand to show the coin has reappeared.

Tips & Warnings

• Although it seems obvious that a small coin would be easier to hide, that is not necessarily true. Depending on the size of your hands, a medium to large sized coin may be easier to handle.

References

• "Expert Coin Magic"; David Roth; 1987