talkmagic.co.uk

A folding coin is quite different from a bite-out coin, as a folding coin generally has two folds.

Personally, I find the 'bite-out' coin trick to be far too obvious in performance, as too is the 'tearing coin'. I'm not suggesting that these tricks are not worthy of performing, and I've often been asked 'can you do that thing the bloke on telly does where he bites a coin???'. Well, yes, I can, but unless they seriously believe I've got titanium plated, diamond edge teeth, I'm afraid it's a little bit of a gag rather than magic.

The quality of these items varies dramatically in proportion to their price. I have 10p, 50p, half-dollar and 50 cent coins in various guises. For instance, the quality of cut, whether the cut is 'profile', i.e. it follows the engraving on the coin and is less conspicuous, or whether it's laser-cut.

The best i've found so far are from emagictricks.co.uk, although they are all of a decent enough quality.

The advantages of a folding 10p over a folding 50p, in my opionion, is that when doing 'coin in bottle' routines (which are the only reason I see these coins having any use in real performance) you have a better chance of getting a 10p out of smaller bottles. Plus the fact that when I've performed this trick at weddings and things, people are usually more likely to have a 10p in their pocket, although I do carry the 50p with me just in case!

I agree that the 50p folding coin is better for biting... more of the coin is visible. Genuine bite-out coins, however, have an advantage over folding coins in that they are specifically designed to give the effect of having teeth-marks in them.

Folding coins have more of a wavy-line cut, and a biting coin has a stronger snap-back, so there's less flashing as the coin 'pops' back into place.

So if biting is your thing, check out a proper bite-out coin.

Tips
1: The more you uses these, the more rounded the cuts become, and after a while you'll quite clearly see the cuts in the coin. Replace them every now and then.

2: I've found that when doing coin-in-bottle, put TWO bands around the coin. The small bands are quite prone to snapping when the coin is jerked back out of the bottle, and a second band is an insurance policy!

3: Although these coins look quite convincingly normal, try not to let people burn them too much. Keep the edges pointing at the ceiling and floor, as the outer groove in the rim can give them away. Try and borrow a coin and switch between the two, if possible.

4: Don't store them for long periods with a band on... the band will perish and the coin will fail during your first couple of folds. Get a nice coin wallet and put a new band (or two!!!) on the coin just before each performance.

thanks for the tip about using two bands i will try it out

Midge

Apparently, Laurence at eMagictrics's bands are stronger now, so just use one if you buy them from him.

Good points - the folding variety are far superior. They also allow you to perform other effects.

And I sympathise with the 'mouthparts' being injured!!!

I believe strongly that this routine is much better done 'differently' than the well known version popularised by 'that bloke'.

Use your imagination (like Tom - hack up the broken bit - why not!)!!!

When performing the coin in the bottle effect what would you say is the best way of getting the coin out of the bottle after the effect, without smashing the bottle and without the audience working out whats goin on?

You need to position the coin so that a downward movement and sudden stop against the other hand will allow the coin to fold and make it's way out of the neck. A bit of practice is required to do this move effectively but not make it too obvious.

Two ways, and both require a huge amount of practice.

Technique 1: The real coin is finger palmed in the left hand, the right holds the bottle at its base. The left hand grips the bottle at the neck, right up at the opening, with the thumb and first finger at the hole itself, the middle, ring and little finger not touching the bottle at all (or, in a position that is immediately over the hole but extends beyond the bottle itself). In a semi-circular fashion, the bottle is brought upwards (left hand topwards, right hand bottomwards) and the hands exchange places (right hand still on the bottom of the bottle, but topwards and left bottomwards, the mouth of the bottle now pointing down) and quickly and hard stop the bottle's downward course. The coin will hit the neck, fold up and go into your left hand. You immediately drop the palmed coin, which will give the illusion that the coin blew right out of the bottle. Practice is required to get the timing down, but once you have it perfect, the illusion that the coin shot right out of the bottle is overwhelming.

Technique 2: The real coin is classic palmed in the right hand, the right hand again at the bottom of the bottle, the bottle sitting flush in the palm of the right hand. The left holds the bottle at the top, in a similar fashion to what is explained above. This time, rather than using the semicircular technique, you bring the bottle up very hard and stop (which, again, forces the coin out the neck and into the left hand, which grips it) and then down - as if you are trying to knock the coin out the bottom. The folded coin gripped in the left hand, bring the bottom of the bottle down on the coin in the right, to get a "clink" sound and show the coin resting on the right palm. If timed properly, the illusion is that the coin came right out of the bottom of the bottle and sits, now, on the right hand.

I'll say it again - practice, practice, practice.

Mike.

I used to think the bite out coin was too obvious - but I performed it once or twice and the reactions were legend. Since then I've performed it well over two hundred times - and I've been caught twice. Once because I
dropped the gimmick after the switch, and the other because I got a bit sloppy in ditching the gimmick.

Someone on a forum suggested the switch I use and it works extremely well. I have the real coin finger palmed and once I've done the bite and restoration (yep - I do it like David Blaine ) I throw it up in the air - but hold on to the gimmick and let the real coin go. Kind of like a flying Bobo switch or something - if there's a name for this please let me know.. All eyes are on the coin in the air and I casually ditch the gimmick in my pocket.

I've had a few fun experiences. Once I threw a bit enthusiastically and the coin landed in one of the spectators beer. Of course I took credit for that once I saw he wasn't goint to hit me.

There's this security complex close to where I live that is a great shortcut when I'm coming back from a certain shop. One day they wouldn't let me through. I said "will you let me through if I can bite this coin in half" - I eventually got let through.

I have great fun at the shops when whatever I've bought includes half of a R5 - eg R12.50. I'll give them a ten and then take out a R5 and bite it in half and offer R2,50.
It works well when it is unexpected. Even this morning I had a petrol attendand bring me a R5 to bit in half because he'd heard that i could do it.

I guess that doesn't really count as serious performance - but I really enjoy doing this kind of thing. Great way to meet new people etc. Most of the time it leads into doing a few other effects and all the while I'm gaining experience.

b.t.w. Shouldn't this be in the restricted area?

I thought that it should be in a restricted area too, but I just followed Tom's lead (sorry to point the finger, Tom! ).

Mike.

Aargh! - I lost my folding coin. That's the second one now. I really hope I haven't spent it
Got to learn how to make these..

Michael Jay wrote:Two ways, and both require a huge amount of practice.

I've only just got one of these, and was a bit worried about getting it stuck in the bottle, and using the old hammer to bottle routine to get it out....

Thanks for the advice, can't wait to get home and try it (yes I'm using valuable company time surfing the interweb)

Cheers
Rob

Reminds me of the time i was pracising Pen-atration on the old settee.
Blasted thing snapped orf and lost a bit of the bally 5p down the back of the damn thing never retrieved it either. who'd think settees would eat money i'd have thought it was a bit rich for their usual diet of fluff and magazines what what.

I want to get a folding coin to do 'coin in bottle' but I'm not sure of the routine. What can I get that can detail this for me?

Hi there,

Nicholas Einhorn has a great package - a special gimmick and a dvd with a great routine on. You'll still need a F.Coin - the gimmick is a fab way of loading the coin in the bottle, that fits logically with the story.

Just watch for his bottle vanish on the DVD - you won't believe your eyes!