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I am thinking about getting a cig or pencil thru quarter, this is a gaffed coin I thought I would never want or use until recently, I just got a coin penetration box where 3 coins are placed in a box in concaved circles, then covered with paper, then impaled clear thru the coins, paper is removed coins are intact, this is done with normal coins. i picked this up for 3.00 US currency, it also came with a mini wand and is a great price for a strong effect. it's called wand through coins, I got mine from daytonamagic.com, anyway this gave me the idea to follow this trick up with impaling a coin out in the open not using the box at all, so I'm going to need that cig thru coin gaffed coin. when i looked into this purchase I had an option of a 1 sided or two sided coin, now I find myself almost embarrasingly having to ask whats the difference? do one sided coins only open one way and a two sided coin can open from either way? the two are the same price so if this is the case wouldn't everyone prefer the two sided?
if somone could clear this up for me it would be appreciated thanks in advance.

Could you not just use a pen from a 'Pen Thru Bill'? Seems to me that if you're using genuine coins for the first trick it makes sense to keep using them. I just gave it a try with a 50p and works fine, though admittedly there's going to be a little more handling to work on when removing the pen from the coin than there is if you were using a note/card etc. but can't see it being much of an issue. And of course you can then give them their coin straight back and while they prod and poke it you've got your cover to ready your pen into an examinable one.

a good suggestion thank you for that, but I'm using a sword to impale the coins so it becomes a metal thru metal illusion and although the first effect can use all normal coins, I can have a stooge give me the third borrowed coin so all seems normal, or I can really borrow all three and simply switch one in and out at the right moments. I want to stay with the metal thru metal concept so the pen idea doesn't appeal to me for this one. back to the original question, can someone tell me the difference in the one sided and two sided coin I do appreciate the suggestion and I could use a pen instead, but I want to use my fancy sword lol

Hi Seymour.

The one sided version of the gimmick is a sort of sh**l, and can only be viewed from the front by the audience. The two sided one works slightly differently and can be shown more freely (both sides).

There are other options with this aswell. David williamson has some nice work on this which would work well in your routine - it uses a gimmick you make yourself and you can use a coin from the last effect - probably won't work with a small sword though. Jay Sankeys Smashed could be adapted also. One of the best cig through coins I've seen used a simple coin with a hole - just routined very well.

The small sword you use will have to have at least part of it the same width as the opening in the gimmick, otherwise its just going to look like a sword sticking out of a hole.


Jim.

jim ferguson wrote:Hi Seymour.

The one sided version of the gimmick is a sort of sh**l, and can only be viewed from the front by the audience. The two sided one works slightly differently and can be shown more freely (both sides).

There are other options with this aswell. David williamson has some nice work on this which would work well in your routine - it uses a gimmick you make yourself and you can use a coin from the last effect - probably won't work with a small sword though. Jay Sankeys Smashed could be adapted also. One of the best cig through coins I've seen used a simple coin with a hole - just routined very well.

The small sword you use will have to have at least part of it the same width as the opening in the gimmick, otherwise its just going to look like a sword sticking out of a hole.


Jim.

I second this. I've tried the coins with the fancy gimmicks and they really are not worth the cost. Well they are especially if you purchase a good one. The maching alone would cost a fortune. But what I mean is I've had the best time with a simple coin with a hole in it. Can be seen from both sides, and you never have to worry about mechanical failures. And at around 9.00 Canadian it is way cheaper than the others.

thank you both for that input it was very useful indeed, much appreciated

I've done Cig thru Coin since the mid-70s and probably used every method going, including a simple coin I drilled a hole through (a.k.a. the original).

The Johnson Gimmick (one sided) is an excellent piece or reliable business and the one I actually prefer working with in that it's not that difficult to switch back to the borrowed coin. However, I have used the Sterling (2 sided) gimmick and it offers one huge advantage -- the ability to flip it to show the opposite side, as soon as the cigarette is removed.

The routine I ultimately developed via the help of a friend, also used an expanded shell with a hole in it and a Chinese Coin; the routine being "inspired" as the result of an L.A. Times article that had a nice 4 x 3 color photo of the Johnson Coin. . . full rear gaff exposure.

There is one other gaffed coin of which I believe fewer than a dozen exist world wide. They were made by a jeweler in the L.A. area and given as gifts to a handful of special friends. I had the honor of playing with one of them. You can actually allow a spectator to hold this coin and watch from the back side of the coin as the cigarette is pushed in and through. These pieces use 8 different coins to make and are slightly thicker (when the gimmick is triggered) than a normal coin. I'd heard of one being sold off a year or two back; it went for over $10,000.00 But it is an option should you wish to track one down

Craig Browning wrote: an expanded shell with a hole in it

Now that is very clever indeed. I've just had a muck about with the gimmick and a coin (its just a regular one, no hole) and can see how this could be very deceptive and clean looking. Great thinking Craig.

Jim