Show envelope empty and drop half dollar into it so that audience can see it go in. Coin comes to bottom

of envelope. Hold it there with thumb and fingers of left hand. Figure 40.

Seal flap of envelope. Now turn it on end and let coin slide down to slit corner. Hold coin there with right hand. Figure 41.

Turn envelope straight again and let coin SLIP OUT THROUGH SLIT IN ENVELOPE INTO RIGHT HAND and Finger Palm it. Figure 42.

Take envelope in left hand. Drop coin into upper left coat pocket or right trouser's pocket, as you have been taught to do, without letting audience see. You may have a pencil in one of your coat pockets and drop coin into pocket while reaching for pencil.

"I will just mark the envelope with my secret initials." Mark envelope and place pencil back in pocket.

"In reality, I should not have done that. I forgot that the gentleman marked his coin. Strange as it may seem, two magic marks on the same package oftentimes dissolve that which is within." Shake envelope and listen.

"It seems rather quiet within. Sir, your coin has kissed us goodbye." Tear up envelope into small pieces and drop on table.

NOTE: A ruse to use is to paste a piece of opaque paper, cut round the size of a half dollar, in the bottom of the envelope. After you have taken coin out, hold envelope up in front of a burning candle or match and show shadow of coin within (really the opaque paper). Set fire to envelope and let it burn, finally dropping the remains onto a plate. You have apparently burned the coin.

Another clever fake is to paint a disk the size of a half dollar with Chinese White water colors, such as are used by show card writers and artists, on the inside of a white envelope. Inside of envelope may be shown with nothing in it, but when envelope is held to light, the disk shows opaque and appears to be the coin. Paint disk so that it looks like coin is lying at bottom of envelope. With a manila envelope, use a paint to match made by mixing white, red, yellow, and a touch of black.

You may also work it this way. Hold envelope to light with coin in it before you slide coin out into your right hand. Have coin in middle of envelope at bottom when you do this. Take envelope away from light and let coin slide into hand. Hold envelope in left hand and let it burn, in the meantime disposing of coin in right hand. "But something tells me that it has not gone far." To gentleman holding the knotted handkerchief.

"Would you mind untying the handkerchief to see whether the gentleman's coin has in some mysterious way hidden itself inside the knot?"

Spectator unties the knot and finds the borrowed coin.

"Will you please give it to the gentleman who loaned it to me and let him identify it as his coin? Remember, I do not touch the half dollar myself. Is that your coin, Sir? Which goes to show that as you give so shalt thou receive."

Return borrowed handkerchief or use it for another experiment.

HOW TO VANISH A COIN BY WRAPPING IT IN A PIECE OF PAPER

These methods of vanishing a coin will prove helpful at times. The moves are natural and the effect is mystifying.

Method 1:

Take a piece of paper about five inches square,--newspaper or any opaque paper will do. Place coin a little above center of paper. Figure 43.

Fold up bottom edge of paper to within half an inch of the top edge. Figure 44.

Fold right side of paper over in front. Figure 45.

Then fold left side of paper over in front. Figure 46.

Fold top half-inch down in front. To all appearances, the half dollar is wrapped securely in the paper, but in reality the coin is in the rear partition with an opening at the top. Figures 47 (rear view) and 48 (front view). Turn paper over so that opening is downward and hold in right hand as in Figure 49.

If someone is near you, let him feel the coin in the paper. Then allow the coin to slide out into your right hand, Finger Palm it, and take paper in left hand. Now all that remains to be done is to get rid of the coin in one of your pockets and then tear the paper up. Or, if you desire, you may tear up the paper with the coin still Finger Palmed and then produce the coin from some suitable place.

Method 2:

Place coin in center of paper. Figure 50.

Fold up bottom third of paper to cover coin. Figure 51. Fold down top third. Figure 52.

Grip right end of paper with thumb and first and second fingers of right hand. Figure 53.

Fold over left third of paper, and as you do so, turn paper up to vertical position and let coin slip down from center of paper to bottom near right hand. Figure 54.

Now fold over bottom or right-hand third with coin in it. Figure 55.

As the coin is in the rear fold and near the end of the paper, it can be easily slipped out from opening into right hand in Finger Palm position. Figure 56.

Tear paper into small pieces or burn it.

3. THE PASSE COINS AND GLASSES

This is an excellent effect to work under artificial light and at such a distance from spectators that a fine black silk thread will not be visible.

EFFECT:

Two empty glass tumblers are freely shown. Into one five palming coins or half dollars are counted one at a time. Performer holds this glass in his left hand and the empty glass in his right hand. Upon his command, a coin leaves the left-hand glass and drops into the right one. The coins are then counted and only four remain in the left glass. Magician continues to pass the coins from the left glass to the right until all five have passed over.

PARAPHERNALIA:

1 -- Five Palming Coins, or half dollars.

2 -- A Special Palming Coin with small hole in it.

3 -- A spool of fine black silk thread.

4 -- Two glass tumblers.

5 -- A small black safety pin.

SECRET AND PATTER:

To Prepare:

Figure 57 shows how the magician looks as he performs this effect. There must be no unnaturalness to suggest in any way the preparation which you make for the experiment.

Now take the small safety pin and, through the hole in the end, tie one end of a piece of black silk thread. Pin the safety pin up under the left armpit onto your coat, slightly to the rear so that it will not be noticeable. Allow enough length on your thread to reach from the safety pin thus placed to the bottom of your left coat pocket. Then tie the free end of the thread through the hole in the Palming Coin. Then place coin in left coat pocket. Length of thread varies with different performers and experience will teach you the length of thread you can work with best. Figures 58 and 59.

To Perform:

Come forward and pick up the two glass tumblers from the table. Show glasses to be empty.

From your right coat pocket take five coins and count them, one at a time, into the left glass. As you do this, turn your left side away from audience.

Reach into left pocket with left hand and take out the coin on the thread. Finger Palm this coin, curling your fingers a little to conceal coin. Figure 60.

Pick up glass with coins between thumb and first finger of left hand. You will have no difficulty in doing this with coin Finger-Palmed in hand. Pour coins into empty right hand, then set glass down with right hand.

Drop coins into left hand on top of the threaded coin. Place them all at base of first finger and hold in place with left thumb. Figure 61.

Remove top coin. Curl second, third, and fourth fingers of left hand inward and place coin in Curled Finger Tip Palm position (Lesson 21, Figure 10). Do this quickly with the aid of your right hand, also using it as a screen. Figure 62.

Pick up empty glass at right-hand side. Hold it near the bottom between thumb and first finger of right hand. Show palm of hand freely. Figure 63.

"I use this glass so that you can see through it."

Talk to people on right as you say this and show the glass. Now turn toward left and, as you do so, perform a CHANGE OVER in this way: Place right hand, back toward audience, with glass in front of left hand. Under cover of this screen, straighten second and third fingers of left hand with coin and force coin into the palm of right hand. Palm coin in regular manner, gripping it by its edges. Figure 64.

Right hand continues in its movement to the left without a pause, and the audience is not aware that you have done anything unusual with it. Now say to the people on the left,

"That is, you can see through the glass, and NOT the trick."

Swing back to front. Now grip middle of glass with left thumb and forefinger and raise right hand to position shown in Figure 65.

This brings the palmed coin up above the glass.

Release hold on glass with left hand and bring glass over to your right side. Keep back of right hand toward audience.

"As I said once before, I have five coins. I shall count them again, one at a time, into the glass. One-twothree-four - five."

Count the coins out of your left hand, dropping the threaded one last as the fifth coin into the glass. Thread comes up over top of glass on side nearest you.

Pick up glass with left hand over the top of it, getting thread between second and third fingers. Let thread fall over back of hand to bottom edge of sleeve. Figure 66.

Glass must be held at such distance from the body to allow enough slack in thread so that coin will remain at the bottom.

Hold the two glasses about three feet apart in position shown in Figure 57.

"Now, watch. Five coins in this glass and none in the one over here. I'll pass one across. One - two - three, Go!"

Shake the left-hand glass up and then down for a few inches. At the same time, move the glass far enough from the body to make the thread taut and to pull the threaded coin up into Finger Palm position. Keep thread taut to hold coin in position. Figure 67.

Turn and look at right-hand glass. Let the Palmed coin fall from right hand into glass. The effect is, of course, that one coin has gone from the glass on the left to the one on the right.

Set right-hand glass on table and reach over, taking left-hand glass at the middle with right hand. Move left hand from top of glass to bottom, now holding it between thumb and first finger. Hold threaded coin firmly in Finger Palm grip. Now pour coins into right hand.

Set glass on table and count coins, one at a time, into left hand again on top of threaded coin. Be sure to conceal this coin until it is covered with another.

"One - two - three - four. One coin has passed over into the other glass."

Under cover of right hand, adjust the coins as you did before, placing one in Curled Finger Tip Palm position. Pick up right-hand glass.

"If this glass were made of tin, you couldn't have seen the half dollar pass over."

Perform the CHANGE OVER now by bringing glass in front of left hand and forcing coin into palm of right hand.

"That's the advantage of glass."

Bring glass back to right side and hold ready to release coin from palm of hand.

Drop coins, one at a time, from left hand into other glass. The threaded coin goes in last as the fourth coin.

"One - two - three - four."

Show left hand empty. Bring thread up through fingers again and pick up glass at top.

"It's funny what happens when I talk to the coins in Persian. Alley - oop!"

Shake glass up and down. drawing thread taut and thus getting threaded coin into Finger Palm position again in left hand. Look at right-hand glass and let palmed coin fall into glass from right hand.

"Another coin has passed over."

Set right-hand glass on table, then pour coins into right hand as before. Set left-hand glass on table and count the three coins into left hand, placing coins on top of threaded one.

"One - two - three."

Under cover of right hand, push the uppermost coin into Curled Finger Tip Palm position and then force it into Palm position in right hand. Let right hand drop to side as you count the three coins in left hand into the left-hand glass again.

"One - two - three."

Pick up glass in left hand again as before, with thread adjusted. Then pick up right glass.

"In case I should forget how to talk Persian, I have learned how to talk Chinese to the coins. Sprechen Sie Deutsch?"

Shake glass up and down, drawing thread taut and forcing coin into left hand. Then let palmed coin fall from right hand into glass.

"There goes another. If you look close enough, you can see them jump over."

Repeat routine of pouring coins from left glass into right hand and then counting them back into left hand.

"One - two."

Do the CHANGE OVER and palm top coin in right hand as before. Count the TWO coins in left hand into glass. Then pick up left glass with thread in position and right glass in right hand.

"Parley voo Fransay?"

Shake glass and coin comes up into left hand.

"Wee - wee."

Drop coin from right hand into right glass.

"So that leaves us with ONE coin in this glass."

Pour the one coin into right hand. Hold coin up at finger tips as in Figure 67A. Set glass on table. Pretend to take coin with left hand. When it is screened with left hand, let it fall into Palm position in right hand. Figure 67B.

Carry left hand away as though holding coin. Then open hand and show threaded coin. The audience, of course, thinks that this is the coin which you took out of the glass.

"I shall drop the last coin into the glass."

Drop threaded coin into left-hand glass with thread in position between fingers. Pick up right-hand glass with right hand.

"Now watch the last coin closely. Alley - oop!"

Shake glass and cause coin to come up into hand, leaving the glass empty.

"Alley - ga - zam!"

Let coin fall from right hand into right glass.

Set right-hand glass on table, then show left-hand glass empty and set it also on table.

"Traveling this way is better than street cars."

Pick up right-hand glass and pour coins into empty glass. As you do this, turn right side toward audience. This gives you a chance to drop threaded coin into left coat pocket and thus dispose of the evidence.

NOTE: For closer work, a human hair may be used instead of the thread. Experiment with a long hair, graciously given to you by some lady friend who still retains her long tresses.

4. THE PASSE COINS FROM HAND TO HAND

An especially good effect for close work and entirely impromptu so that you may perform it at the dinner table, at your club, or while entertaining at a party.

EFFECT:

Magician shows four coins in his left hand. His right hand is empty. He then closes both hands and reopens them to show three coins in his left hand and one in his right. Performer continues to close the open his hands, each time showing one less coin in his left hand and one more in his right, until all four coins have passed over into his right hand.

PARAPHERNALIA:

1 -- Four. Palming Coins.

2 -- A Palming Coin Shell.

This shell fits over a Palming Coin without changing the appearance of the coin at all. When shell is on coin, it looks like one coin. When shell is taken off coin, it looks like you hold two coins.

This shell has many uses in the vanishing and producing of a coin. As it has the appearance of a coin, the audience believes it to be a coin. Precaution must be taken, however, not to let audience see back of shell.

SECRET AND PATTER:

To Perform:

Have a table in front of you on which to lay coins as occasion requires.

Have the four coins in your right hand. Over one of the coins have the shell.

"This experiment is done with four coins. I think it was originally founded cm that famous axiom, 'You have the money, but can you keep it?'

Anyway, keep your eyes on the four coins."

Count coins one at a time into the left hand. Hold them spread out over fingers with thumb on top. Have coin with shell on top with front of shell exposed. Show coins to spectators. Figure 68.

Show right hand empty.

Take coins in right hand again and then lay three of them on left hand, one at a time, in position shown in Figure 69. Retain coin with shell in right hand with shell uppermost.

Let coin rest on second and third fingers of right hand. Grip edge of shell between thumb and first finger. Raise thumb and forefinger, thus lifting the shell free from the coin. Figure 70.

Place shell with other coins on left hand and retain fourth coin by Palming it in right hand. Audience believes that you placed four coins on left hand. Figure 71.

Close both hands, and in doing so, allow shell to slip over top coin in left hand. Hold hands about two feet apart. Figure 72.

"It is difficult for money to stay in one place. First, I have it, then you have it, and then someone else gets it. For instance, I have four coins in my left hand."

Open left hand to show only THREE coins. The placing of the shell over one coin eliminates a coin.

"That is, I did have four coins until the money began to circulate, and now I have only three."

With the left hand count the coins onto the table, one at a time, in a row. Put the coin with shell down first as Number One. Figure 73.

"And it seems, the other has circulated over to my right hand." Place coin from right hand down on table also.

Pick up the three coins which you placed on table with your left hand, this time taking them up with right hand. Place them one at a time on left palm again. When you pick up coin with shell, however, place in right hand again as described above (Figure 70). Then place shell in left hand as a coin and retain the coin Finger Palmed in right hand.

"I place the three coins back in my left hand, and pick up the other again in my right hand."

Pick up coin on table with right hand. Be careful to keep Palmed coin concealed while you take coin from table. Now close both hands again as before. The shell slips down over uppermost coin again, leaving two coins in left hand.

"Note carefully, and perhaps you will see the next one pass over—that is, you will see if you have psychic eyes."

Open left hand and show two coins.

"It went. And so now we have--one, two."

Count coins onto table again, placing coin with shell down first as Number One. Open right hand.

"And over here—two coins."

Lay coins from right hand on table in a row.

Pick up with right hand the two coins placed down by left. Place one coin in left hand. Then Palm out coin from shell as before, retaining it in right hand, and place shell in left hand as second coin.

Pick up the other two coins with left hand.

Close hands and let shell cover remaining coin in left hand

"Now we have a fifty-fifty game—two in my left hand and two in my right. That is, that is what we had before another one slipped away."

Open left hand and show single coin. Open right hand and show three coins. Count them out onto the table.

"One - two - three."

Cover coin in left hand with right hand and lift off shell, carrying it away in right hand. Audience does not suspect anything for they saw one coin in left hand and still see one. Now hold up coin and look at both sides. "For this last one I take extra precautions."

Reach into right coat pocket. Leave shell there and bring out right hand as though holding a pinch of salt in fingers.

"I put a little salt on his tail..."

Pretend to sprinkle salt on coin. Now apparently secure coin in left hand by closing hand. In reality, Thumb Palm the coin in right hand and close empty left hand.

"And keep him by his lonesome over here."

Motion to left hand. Allow Thumb Palmed coin to slip to Finger Palm position. Then pick up the three coins from table with right hand and close your hand over them. "I guess the salt wasn't strong enough." Open left hand and show coin gone.

"This one, too, has left, and we find it over here with the others." Count coins out onto table with right hand.

"One - two - three - four."

NOTE: Coins may now be handled and shown freely as the shell has been disposed of.

5. THE PHANTOM COIN

The shell coin offers many interesting variations in Coin Magic. It may be introduced into Coin Sleights with excellent results.

Here are two good effects, using the shell:

Take two coins, one covered with the shell. Show coins freely and show hands empty. To all appearances place both coins in left hand, but in reality place one coin and the shell, retaining the other coin Finger Palmed in right hand (as you did in the preceding effect). Figure 74.

Call attention again to the TWO coins in left hand. Turn back of hand to audience and slip shell over coin in left hand. Now expose palm of hand and show ONE coin. Figure 75.

Now reach down behind your knee and produce coin from right hand, or from left elbow. The effect is that the coin vanished from left hand and appeared again at another place.

Another effect is this one, in which you show a coin and the shell as TWO coins. Place them in left hand as in Figure 74. Show them freely, then cover coins with right fingers, pretending to carry one away. In this move slip shell over coin as in Figure 75. Then vanish imaginary coin from right hand, and show hand empty.

Now pick up coin with shell in right hand and vanish by Thumb Palming method. Drop coin into upper coat pocket.

Open left hand and show that coin has vanished.

If you wish to produce the coins again, do not drop coin with shell into pocket. Keep in right hand and produce it from behind knee as one coin. Place it in left hand, retaining shell in right hand, and produce shell from left elbow as second coin. Place shell also in left hand as coin.

LESSON 24

Eggs! Eggs! You are going to learn Egg Effects in the next lesson. I believe you are ready now for these interesting effects and so here are two mighty good ones with lots of good fun in them.

1 -- Humpty Dumpty Outdone. A spectator places a real egg into a handkerchief. He then is asked to feel of it through the handkerchief and to squeeze it hard with his hand. The egg breaks. Magician asks spectator to take egg out of handkerchief. Spectator is, of course, reluctant to do this because of the mess caused by a broken egg. He finally does, however, and takes the egg out whole as it was in the beginning.

2 -- A small cloth bag is shown empty and is given to a boy to hold. A girl is given a handkerchief to hold by its four corners. Magician drops an egg into the handkerchief. Suddenly this egg vanishes and appears in the bag which the boy holds. Then mysteriously this egg vanishes from the bag. Magician looks for it in the boy's coat and instead produces a pair of lady's stockings and other laugh-provoking articles. Finally the egg is found to have returned to the bag.

TARBELL SYSTEM, INCORPORATED, Chicago