talkmagic.co.uk

Hi guys,

I'm just reading through Bobos Modern Coin Magic and I was wondering what the general consensus was as to the best coin to use for performing?

In the book, there are lots of references to dollar/ half dollar coins, but I'm not sure what the sterling equivalent is, or if there even is one.

Is there a good site I could purchase dollar/ half dollar coins?

Sorry that this is such a basic question!

Thanks!

cards4magic.co.uk have a coin section...

as for "best", just try some out..see which fit your hand best for you...one member of this forum, dat - I'm pretty sure he can classic palm a jumbo £2 in his hand...

there is no Current coin in circulation that matches the half dollar.
Old Half crowns, are a good substitute.

you might try practicing with 2p coins.( although you should actually practice with lots of different coins, if your after Impromptu stuff )



or buy in some american coins.

Thanks for the link.

I'll probably order a couple of different coins to see how I get on with them, but doubt I'll be able to palm a jumbo £2 coin though!

Why not? Palming jumbo coins is as easy as hell.

i was just messing about saying that dat has massive hands...

and if anyone can classic palm a jumbo coin, i'd like to see it...(or rather, not see it)...but i suppose it depends on how you define "jumbo" (phnar)...

I prefer half crowns. They look familar to many people and sound and feel right when handling.

I found a jar of old coins at a car boot and after a touch of brasso they came up fine.

Try ebay, at the moment the going price is 99p each but I'm sure if you contact one of the dealers on there they can do you a better price if you buy 10 or more.

Rich

how about Poker chips?
so easy to muscle pass

I started with 2p coins because I always have a jar full of them, but 50p and £2 are easier. I just then went on from there and practiced with all the others. When performing I now tend to use 50p if I have the choice, as I'm lazy and go for the easy option and they look better/bigger

I'd recommend against poker chips unless you're specifically practicing the muscle pass, as the position it ends up in when you do a classic palm is slightly different to a normal sized coin, so I'm not convinced it'd help build up your muscle memory

£2 coins are probably closest to half dollars (heavy though) if you want something which is currently in circulation for impromptu stuff. They sell flippers & shells etc for these, I'm currently trying to get hold of a jumbo one.

Russ

2p are a good coin to start with, they're a nice size and they've got good sharp edges which can make things easier. Once you've got 2p down to a tea then start having a play with other coins. Just about any coin is workable once you've got the nack.

Cheers for the responses!

I've opted for some half dollars on the basis that if I use sterling, I'll spend it!

I've tried using 2p coins, but they seem a bit too small at the moment. I think once I get used to performing with half dollars and my technique improves I'll be able to move on to other denomination.

Most online magic shops sell half dollars and there's always loads on ebay. Average price is about £1.50 approx, but by the time you've added postage it can be another quid on top. Combining postage with other magic purchases is the best way to keep the price down I guess. Half crowns are much cheaper but slightly bigger, thicker and heavier. Old english pennies are practically the same size as half dollars and are thankfully dirt cheap on ebay (I got a dozen for under £2 the other week). Exactly the same size as penny's but more exotic are British West African penny's - these also have a nice hole in the centre, very handy for The Charming Chinese Challenge and so on. However, they are getting quite pricey at the minute at about £5 a go!! Much better value is the British East African 10 cents coin - identical in size to its western cousin and has an equally charming design on the face - they are also far, far cheaper on ebay(a bag of assorted BEA coins goes for about £6 and includes about eight 10 cent coins, five 5 cents and a few one cents). Going up in size, I bought some excellent (and cheap) replica morgan dollars for very little cash (will try and find the site if anyone interested), and some good luck chinese coins of dollar size (again, loads on ebay - mine were 2 for a fiver). If the image uploads ok then the ones in the photo are as follows, clockwise from top left:

British West African Penny(front), Morgan Dollar, Chinese Dragon Coin, 3 British East African 10 Cents(front), British East African 10 Cents(back) English Penny, Half Dollar, British West African Penny(back). Hope this gives you an idea of what's out there.

I think we are missing a massive set of coins in general circulation that the rest of the world takes for granted, namely the euro.
as many of you will know iv'e used chinese coins here in the uk with no problems and have had sets special made, so unless your doing a specific "lend me a coin" trick why not consider using euros.
they are available in practicaly all the flavours, split, expanded, flipped and super atractive and if we eventual go over to the euro then your already set.

I personaly carry around 8 dollars in the case my split came with since finding one gimick that replaced several and will eventualy go for a euro version and when I did have gimmicked uk coins, which iv'e always found overly expensive, iv'e kept them in a pouch designed for holding memory cards seperate from my regular coins and have never had any one question why I pulled out a coin wallet to get some coins.

daleshrimpton wrote:there is no Current coin in circulation that matches the half dollar.
Old Half crowns, are a good substitute.

i was told a penny was same as half dollar, is that wrong?