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Can anyone give me a review or point me to a review already done on hopping halves?

Hey, Gerbil. You could have used the search function - but no big deal. Actually, you also could have looked in the review index, but since that's not regularly updated I can see why you might not have.

Anyway - here are two reviews of the Hopping Half:

http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic4205.php

This doesn't sound like a genuine article - but rather the gold and silver version sold on Penguin. This CAN work - but it's not the greatest quality.

http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=58

This sounds like the real deal.

Here's my two cents on the effect:

Difficulty: 2-3 - You need to practice to keep the routine flowing and to make sure nothing accidentally happens to get you discovered (the core of this effect relies on preventing the coins from "talking") With enough practice it's smooth and the effect is amazing.

Overall - Excellent effect. Can give your audience the impression that you are an expert sleight of hand magician without all of that pesky sleight of hand

If you're seriously looking into this - I must advise that you spend the extra money and buy a Johnson version. Tango I've heard NOTHING but bad things from, and the Sasco version sacrifices quality with one of the coins. Johnson is the best of the affordable versions, but it's not cheap.

If you're REALLY serious - there are a few custom designed ones that are worth every penny (and trust me, they'll run you many of them). Check into Lassen, Kueppers and Schoolcraft coins.

http://www.roykueppers.com/ - Roy Kueppers Coins - Probably the most reasonable of the three. I've heard these are great quality. Kueppers has been making tons of magic props and gaffs for a while, and the stuff is quality work.

http://www.schoolcraftprecisionmagic.com/ - Jamie Schoolcraft - More expensive but the quality REALLY shows. What I truly love about these (and the Lassen coins) are that you can get rare coins done up as well. Precision made - excellent quality. Very pricey, though.

http://www.toddlassen.com/ - Todd Lassen - These are the most expensive. You can get the rare coins from this as well - like Morgan Dollar Hopping Halves. Incredible work - but you pay a lot for the quality.

Personally, these three look to have amazing products. However, I wouldn't suggest something like this unless you are a working professional. And by that, I mean a highly paid working professional. The Johnson Products are INCREDIBLY well made, so you're not buying a piece of junk when you get it. They also have a lifetime warranty, so if something goes bad, they'll replace it without a hassle - which is good.

There you go. Hope this helps you on your search. Excellent effect and if you get it, you won't be disappointed.

I'd thoroughly recommend this one and I have the Sun and Moon version with the old English penny and the quarter dollar. There's a 2p/10p version out now that I'm also going to buy shortly.

A great trick and I'd rate as a 2 with the moves not being difficult to master.

Hope that this helps make up your mind.