Chinese Money Trick
By Silent Mora

I BELIEVE this to be one of the most surprising tricks with money that a magician can do when the audience is close up. The moves produce one series of astonishing effects after another until the climax is reached. Laughter and surprise are provoked among those who have not seen it before. Even if you have seen it you will enjoy the looks of astonishment on the faces of the rest of the crowd.

You will need three coins. The top coin in the illustration is hard to get. It is a Chinese coin about one hundred years old. The middle coin is 17th century Japanese, I believe. There are lots to be had. The lower coin is 6th Dynasty Chinese and almost impossible to find. Real ones are expensive, but there are some good imitations, which sell for about six dollars. If you are a mechanic, you can make your own money from brass and cut in the background with acid. An engraver can do this for you. If you have the patience to "get up" this trick, you will have something few magicians have ever seen. It takes a great amount of skill, but is well worth all the time you can devote to it. You can buy two of the coins from a collector of rare money, but you may have to make the other coin which. because of its shape, is called "man-money."

The basis of this effect is the vanish of a coin in the fold of your trousers. I invented the move accidentally many years ago when I was with Nate Leipzig. He vanished a coin from a trouser fold using an elastic. I worked out a reverse fold to the one he used. Leipzig said: "Mora, that's another new one." It has since been described in many books without credit to me.

In this one, you pull up the leg of the left trouser a little bit and fold the material down. This is done with both hands. Now place the coin in the fold with the right hand. The audience sees the coin against the pants, but they do not see the fingers of the right hand continue to slide the coin under the fold to the last two fingers resting on the trouser. Press the fold flat with the thumb and fingers of both hands and, in this action, the right hand has a chance to palm the coin. Once the coin is palmed, straighten out the fold, open it up, and the coin has vanished. With a little practice you can do this easily.

Now for the complete sequence. Produce the round coin from someone's lapel. Vanish it from the pants fold. Produce it where you will. Apparently bend the coin between your hands. Give it to a spectator, ask him to try and bend it. As all eyes are on him, steal the oval coin from your pocket with your left hand. Take the round coin back, bend it again. Say: "Never catch it by the extreme -end, for you are liable to get it out of shape." Bring your hands together. The round coin is at your right fingertips, the oval coin is concealed in your left hand. Conceal the round coin in your right hand and bring the oval coin into view. Pass it out to be inspected.

Meanwhile get rid of the round coin in your right coat pocket and pick up the long coin. Turn your body away for an instant to hide this action. Take back the oval coin. Your left hand holds the long coin secretly by the middle fingers at the top joints and the base of the thumb. Say "Now, the most difficult part of this trick is to get it back in shape. You pull on the sides but not too much or you will get it completely out of shape." Bring the man- money into view, still pulling on it. They will howl when they see this one.