Magical Originalities
Ernest E. Noakes
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About CoinsBEFORE describing the few tricks with coins that I have selected for explanation, it would be as well to mention that the coins most useful for coin tricks and manipulation are the "T. Nelson Downs Palming Coin, 1904." These coins are the same size as a penny, milled edge, plated on white-metal, and were designed by me expressly for coin work. They can be obtained from the leading magical dealers. No coin has been more carefully thought out and manufactured than these coins.
A useful piece of apparatus is the coin wand. In 1901 I patented a wand for producing whole coins that could be rung, and no other coin wand can produce a coin that will permit of "ringing." My wand (Patent No. 11901) not only can be used for coins, but also cards, balls, etc. The wand is a length of brass tubing, slotted along its entire length the width of a stout pin. One end is threaded to receive a knob, and the other end is provided with a spring clip, and the whole plated. The coins to be produced are prepared by fixing the end of an ordinary stout pin to one side of the coin, near the edge. To be quite sure of the pin being reliable, a hole must be drilled in the coin, the pin put through, riveted in, and then soldered. Unless the hole is soldered the coin will not ring when produced.
The usual method of working is to load three or four coins on to the wand and screw the knob on. It is then placed upon the table so that the load is not seen. After having caught several coins in the usual way, the performer notices a coin just out of his reach, so picking up the wand, with his hand covering the coins, he pushes the wand through his closed hand a few times-holding the coins still-and then when the knob end comes up to the coins he simply releases one coin, which travels down the wand by the pin-head in the slot, and is arrested at the point by the spring clip. The coin remains there until taken off by performer, who openly throws it down to prove it quite genuine. The thickness of the wand is 3/16 inch, and the length anything from a foot to 18 inches or more.
The other coins are released as required, and to produce the coin a slight dropping, circular sweep is all that is necessary. Another way to work the effect is to do away with the knob, and show the "metal stick"; and by having a prepared coin palmed, and others handy to get at, the performer can palm on the coins as needed, and get some interesting results. A few years ago a cheap wand was placed upon the market for producing "whole coins." This was also made of 3/16 inch brass tube, but the coins had to be prepared with a spring clip soldered on, and the back of the coins could not be shown or "rung," nor could they be laid down anywhere in safety.
The effect of production was similar to my original wand, in fact it was made up to look as near like mine as possible, being the same diameter. This cheap wand can easily be made up, as the method of stopping the coin is to slightly enlarge the end. The clip on the coin permits it to slide freely along the stem until it reaches the enlarged end, and the performer forcibly pulls the coin off anti allows the audience to see the front of the coin only. The coin is then dropped into something that hides the fact of it being faked.
The only faked coin for manipulating I shall mention is one I first made use of about fourteen years ago. Any coin can be prepared. The points in favour of faking a coin in this way will appeal to all who are "manipulators" of coins. A piece of fine wire has the ends turned up to form two small eyes, and the length of the finished fake should be about three-quarters of the coin to be used; the fake soldered on to the coin with the eyes standing up. A piece of fine flesh-coloured silk is threaded through the eyes, and a loop made about an inch long. When the loop is placed over the middle finger, the coin will hang at the back of the hand when the hand is held up, fingers apart. To show back and front of the hand a slight throw of the coin causes it to travel along the silk (instead of the silk having to turn round against the finger, which acts as a brake).
The method is well worth testing, as it is just the little difference between the silk having to move round the finger, as in most fakes, and the smooth wire running round the loosened silk which renders the movement of the coin imperceptible.
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