Spider Coin Vanish – Paul Ingram
This is a handling for the vanish of a single coin. However, unlike the well-known spider vanish by Marlow, including all subsequent handlings, this vanish is totally unique. In fact, there is nothing quite like it in the entire realm of coin magic!. This vanish was conceived approximately seven years ago and is totally original to myself. I have demonstrated the vanish to most of the worlds top magicians including David Roth, Daryl, Michael Ammar, Gary Kurtz and many more. There first comment was always “Do that again”. I’m quite proud to say they were all fooled badly. I have been intending to publish the vanish for the past seven years before someone else steals the idea. I was glad to publish it in the Griffin first for the benefit of all who wish to adopt its use.
Effect: A coin is tossed from one hand into the other and is then held in a tight fist. The other hand is waved over the fist and is clearly empty. However, when the fist is opened the coin has vanished.
So far everything seems pretty standard, but read on…………….
Note: I am left handed and so the routine will be described as such.
I use dollar coins for my coin routines which, in my small hands look pretty large. Use any coin you like and begin by displaying it on the palm up left hand.
The coin is apparently tossed onto the waiting right hand however, this is where the deception begins. As the left hand turns palm down to apparently tip the coin into the right hand, it retains the coin in classic palm. Under cover of the palm down left hand the palm up right hand closes into a fist and at the same time extends its little finger. Still under cover of the left hand the coin is deposited and balanced atop the extended right hand pinkie finger.
To aid in covering this moment and to provide a little more time to balance the coin the body swings a quarter turn to the right so that the left side of the body is now facing the spectator. By now the coin should be balanced upon the extended right hand pinkie under cover of the palm down left hand. To ensure that your angles are correct, your right hand turns slightly inward towards the body and the extended pinkie is pointed directly at the spectators face. The left hand moves back and opens its fingers widely in a spider – like fashion. If you have your angles correct, the spectator should be able to view your right hand fist through the open fingers of your left hand. However, he will not be able to see the extended pinkie which is supporting the balanced coin behind the palm area of the left hand.
The left hand is moved in a pulsating fashion back and forth towards the spectator a few centimetres at a time. During this pulsating movement the fingers are opened widely and then closed partially. It is this movement, with the hand held widely open that makes the vanish so deceptive. The spectator is compelled to believe that the coin is in the right hand because nothing could possibly be held in the left hand. Technically, the coin is still in the right hand however, unknown to the spectator it is being balanced upon the right hand pinkie finger.
The coin must now be stolen back into the left hand classic palm position in order to show that the coin has vanished from the right hand. This is achieved under cover of the pulsating movement of the left hand. As the left hand moves inward towards the right hand during one of the pulsating movements it classic palms the coin. This is aided by the right hand pinkie which presses the coin into the left hand classic palm. Obviously, there must be no hesitation during this palm procedure. After the left hand has the coin palmed it withdraws back and drops downward slightly. This brings the right hand first into full view. The right hand fist is opened to reveal that the coin has vanished !
Comments: If you study coin magic at all, you can now understand why this vanish is totally unique and unlike anything else. Where the inspiration for the handling came from I do not know. Obviously, this vanish is for a one-on-one type situation however, I often perform this vanish at the table and let the other spectators view what is going on. The spectator to whom you are performing the vanish will be baffled and also curious as to why the other spectators are laughing. This does reveal the method but the viewing spectators will not be able to recreate the vanish for themselves due to the technical skill requirements.
As mentioned earlier, the deceptiveness of the vanish lies in the fact that nothing could be concealed in the left hand due to its completely open-wide state. This forces the spectator to assume the coin must still be inside the right hand fist. Only nearing the end of the vanish is the coin actually stolen and palmed into the left hand. After the vanish is revealed I finish off by performing a hand washing action which displays both hands empty. This is a very deceptive had-washing technique which I based on a similar procedure of John Bannons’. I will not try to describe it here but if you wish to learn it, please ask me personally.
I can imagine that this vanish might read quite improbable and maybe unbelievable however, I have performed this vanish thousands of times and still do. If you are in any doubts at all, then ask me if we meet and I will perform it for you upon a seconds notice.
Auto Triumph – Sam Dalal
This effect was earlier marketed by Electro Fun. Readers are welcome to make up a set, (using the fake decks advertised in this issue). Commercial manufacturing rights are reserved by Electro Fun.
Effect :– Spectator selects a Card from a pack, notes it and returns it to the pack. Performer shuffles the pack, and mixes it up, some Cards face up, and some Cards face down, in an effort to totally lose the selected card. Cards are Ribbon spread and shown totally mixed. Performer gives the pack a Magic snap and Ribbon spreads the Cards once again. All the Cards have magically turned around, except for one Card which is the selected Card. You can also use two or three selected Cards for larger audience participation.
This trick pack version created and routined by Sam Dalal is a purely mechanical version of ‘TRIUMPH’ originally described by Dai Vernon in the ‘STARS OF MAGIC.’
The deck required consists of 26 double back Cards, and 26 ordinary Cards. Set up the 26 double back Cards on top of the Deck, and the 26 ordinary Cards face down at the bottom of the Deck. It would help if the Cards are bent before putting the two halves together, one half concave, and the other half convex. This leaves a slight gap or bridge between the two different halves, allowing you to differentiate one half from the other by touch or feel.
Routine and Performance
1) Remove the Deck from the case.Casually spread the Deck back up between both hands, saying you have a Deck of Cards.
2) With your right hand push the top half of the spread, and transfer the fan to the right hand. In the process close the double back cards into a stack, so their faces won’t show when you display the face of the deck.
3) Turn the fan in the right hand faces to audience. If the top half is held squared, and the bottom half well spread out, it will appear exactly as if you are showing the faces of a full pack of Cards.
4) Explain that most magicians have a Card selected, then returned to the pack, where it is shuffled in and lost in the pack. For them the easy part is getting the selected Card lost, and the difficult part is finding the Card. For you it is the other way around, – finding a selected Card is very easy, and the hard part is losing it in the pack.
5) Choose your spectator Volunteer, (or Volunteers). Tell them you are going to fan the pack face up, and ask each of them to select a Card freely. As the trick is to lose the Card, and not find it, it doesn’t matter if you and everyone else in the audience has a look at the Card, – in fact that would help !
6) Turn the squared Deck face up in your hands, and ask the spectator to pick a Card. Start pushing off the Cards slowly and deliberately one at a time from your left hand to your right. Spreading the Cards slowly, ensures that a spectator will pick a Card before you have spread out half the Deck, which is what you want. If you are having more than one Card selected, square up the Deck and repeat the process with the second and third spectator.
7) Selected Cards are face up at this stage. Emphasise that the Volunteers and all the spectators remember these Cards. If you like, you could have the Volunteers sign the faces of these Cards as well.
8) Turn the Deck face down, and hold it well squared in your left hand. Have the Volunteers also turn their Cards face down. With your right hand riffle the narrow edge of the pack away from you, asking the spectators to push in their Cards anywhere they like. Only the top half of the Deck is riffled, forcing the spectators to replace their Cards in the top half of the Deck, comprising of double back Cards.
9) Repeat if more than one Card has been selected. The Cards returned are pushed into the Deck which is well squared.
10) State that you are now going to mix the Deck up topsy turvy, so that the selected Cards are thoroughly lost. Hold the pack face down in your left hand, and deal off about half a dozen Cards face down on to the table. Now turn the Deck face up, and deal off a few Cards face up on top of the face down Cards.Repeat this, dealing off a few Cards face down, and a few face up till you have finished dealing the entire Deck.
Since you started with the face down Cards, you should end with the face up Cards. It is necessary that the last lot of face down Cards you deal completes the double back Cards. If the Cards are bridged at this point, it is easy to tell by feel.
Alternatively you can count the face down Cards mentally as you deal them. There are 26 double back Cards, plus the spectators’ selected Cards in the top half. If one Card was selected, this would make a total of 27 Cards, and so on. You can deal off five bunches of fours, one of three, and one of four, face down, and you will have dealt out the 27 Cards correctly.
11) At this stage you have a topsy turvy deck before you, and everyone can see that the face up and face down Cards are thoroughly mixed. Comment to the effect that you are making a very genuine effort to lose the selected Cards.
12) Gather the Deck up, square it, and riffle the narrow end, – your Magic snap. Now turn the Deck face down, and spread it in a wide arc before you.
All the Cards will be face down, except for the selected Cards. Push out the selected Cards from the spread, asking the Volunteers to verify that these are indeed their selected Cards.
Square up the rest of the Deck, flashing both sides of the Deck, which will show a normal face and back, take back the selected Cards, replace them in the deck, and collect your applause.
Bulls Eye !— Magician Someeran
Performer shows one Red and three Green Chips to the spectators. He requests one of the spectators to arrange the four chips in a row. He can place the Red Chip in any position of the row (i.e., 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th) he likes.
Performer cuts open an envelope and takes out a prediction, which is a paper strip with four circles printed on it. Three of the circles are Green and one is Red. Spectators find that the prediction is correct, because the position of the Red chip and the position of the Red circle are exactly the same.
To perform the trick you need three Green Chips, one Red Chip and one strip of paper with FIVE circles printed on it. Second Circle from the left is Red and the remaining four are Green as illustrated (Fig. 1). You also need one envelope of such a size, so that the paper strip just fits inside it. Insert the prediction inside the envelope and seal it. Give a small pencil mark on the left side of the envelope.
If you study Fig.2, you will find two dotted lines (A an B) on the envelope. You have to cut open the envelope with a pair of scissors either along the ‘A’ or along the ‘B’ line, according to the position of the Red Chip.
Now, follow the instructions given below :
(A) If the Red Chip is in the FIRST position, cut along ‘A’ line, discard the cut portion with the extra circle inside. Don’t draw any special attention on it, just crumple it and throw it away. Keep the opening of the envelope to your left and bring out the prediction. You will find that the Red circle is in the first position.
(B) If the Red Chip is in the SECOND position, cut along ‘B’ line. Discard the cut portion. Keep the opening to your right, and bring the prediction out.
(C) If the Red Chip is in the THIRD position, cut along ‘B’ line, reverse the envelope to bring the opening to your left, take out the prediction.
(D) If the Red Chip is in the FOURTH position, cut along ‘A’ line, reverse the envelope to bring the opening to your right and take the prediction out.
Though the description is a bit long, the working is extremely simple. You can understand the left and right of the envelope from the small pencil mark.
It is preferable not to draw any lines on the envelope. Just cut a portion slightly bigger than the size of the circle. Of course, if you cannot depend on your judgement, then you can draw two lines lightly by pencil, so that only you can see them.
Examinable Astro Glass – Soumya Deb
Insert a rope magnet at one end of a Magic Wand. Palm a magnetic metal disc in your hand.
Place an examined plastic glass on the disc, hidden in your palm.
Put the magnet side of the wand inside the glass and touch the bottom of the glass with it.
The magnet will attract the disc. Remove your hand from under the glass.
Now you are holding the top end of the wand and the glass is suspending from it.
Finally, palm the disc and hand over the wand and glass for examination.