talkmagic.co.uk

Cheers magicdiscoman

Michael Ammar, in his book - 'the magic of Michael Ammar', has some great advice on the handling of the cig/pencil through coin - handling etc.
(ok I know that's a little off the topic but I just wanted to add my 2 cents worth)

you can buy this great effect at http://www.magictricks.co.uk/prodshow.asp?code=18
this one uses a £1 and a 1p so you don't have to explain why you have a euros in your pocket, I find not using our own currency always has the audience wondering (and asking) why? It raises questions that you don't need. I also use the cig thru coin and still find it a good one off - use rolled up bank notes or a pencil - you can hand out the pencil afterwards - rather than cigs for a more PC performance. A simple switch still makes the cig thru coin a damn fine illusion. After handing out the pencil you can always make the £1 vanish - without giving too much away - TT can be built very effectively into this routine.

Yeah, the proper Eddie Gibson coin uniques are available in all sorts of varieties, £1/1p, £2/10p, 10p/2p as well as in euros and dollars (I think) the picture on the link shows how well made they are as even at that size you can only just spot a discrepancy on the 1p and it doesn't loot like anything more than an artifact in the image.

The simple answer is that they are as good as each other, as you can spend them (by mistake...been there once too often especially when my wife is looking for change) as if they were real coins.

I think have I missed the point to the question ??

The original question was which was the better trick, but it has wandered off a little since pretty much everybody decided that coin unique was the one they would choose.

just to wander further off subject i'll just say coin unique and raven

Hi,

If I might just raise a topic from the dead momentarily...

I don't have any experience with gaffed coins...yet. In fact I'm waiting for 3 different Johnson sets to arrive from the Warehouse so next month I should be in a better position to express an opinion.

I would like people's opinion on whether cheap brand names are actually so bad after all. Whenever I ask whether one make or another is better or worse, I only receive replies (at different forums) about Great Renowned Craftmen who make beautiful objects. These coin producers no doubt do produce some fantastic props, but I can't afford to pay so much at the moment.

When quality is discussed, are we usually talking about realistic-looking coins, or the general "fit"? Does anyone have any good experiences with Tango, Sasco, etc?

I don't have too much experience with coins either but in my general experience from the one's that I have seen, you get what you pay for!

I think that this is where having a local well stocked magic shop is a bonus because you can see and sometimes handle before you buy. When buying online, this forum is invaluable for getting the low down on products but I always remember that 'one man's perception of quality is another's idea of tat'.

It could be as simle as deciding where and how you are going to use what you buy and then make up your mind if extra quality counts. However, when buying something that I want to, or expect to last for a fair few years and won't fall to pieces when used frequently, then I think we're back to where I started - you get what you pay for!

Only you can decide if you think that a product is worth the price. (If you're buying over the counter then don't forget to barter)!

Unfortunately here in Madrid the magic shops are neither abundant (there are two) or well-stocked. They are small and don't have what I want. And they are also very expensive, owing to the fact that there are only two of them! (For example, Cardtoon, which I have finally ordered from eBay, costs around 30 euros here. Dollars and pounds are usually translated directly into euros, however unfair that is.)

If it were not for these forums I'd be lost, though so few members have any experience with euro gaffs that it doesn't help much anyway, unfortunately.

I happened to buy and Eddie Gibson coin unique today - the £1/1p version. Very happy and the quality is superb.

On enquiring about the £2 and 10p versions I was told that Eddie is no longer producing these and only the £1 version will now be available. Apparently, the £2 version had problems with the build and a high number fell apart and the Royal Mint changed the formula of the 2p coin that was used with the 10p version and it didn't then work as well.

Just thought that I'd pass this on.

I am trying to get a good eBay deal on a 1 pound/1 p Coin Unique (I am outbid every week but some day soon...). The euro version is excellent.

Was the pound used as shiny and new as the euros in this item? Now I've worn off the shine but it was far too conspicuous at first.

The only problem with shell sets like this is the noise they make when they hit the table or another coin or themselves: a tinny "clack" rather than a straight "ting." But it's also true that most people just aren't aware what coins sound like, so I have never been caught.

The same can be said about magnetic/steel core coins. Most people have no idea which coins should or shouldn't be attracted by a magnet. If you made a pound coin dance on a table with a magnet few would be surprised.

The pound wasn't a shiney new one and I can't say that the 'clunk' of the coin was noticeable either