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BORROWED AND MARKED COIN IN UNPREPARED LEMON
An Original Combination by Ellis Stanyon
Performer first hands an ordinary lemon for examination. Receiving back the lemon he, without changing it, places it in full view upon the top of some object, such as a water bottle.
While the lemon is being examined and to save time, the performer's assistant obtains the loan of a coin, duly marked by its owner who is further requested to drop it into a common matchbox of the slide and cover variety. The assistant, having closed the box, shakes same to prove coin still inside it (the fact); he then places it in full view upon the bottom of an upturned tumbler.
The assistant now goes off but returns immediately with a plate upon which is a table knife. Performer takes the knife and, having shown both sides of the blade, proceeds to cut open the lemon--the borrowed and marked coin is found in the center of the lemon and is forthwith (not changed) handed back to its owner. The matchbox is found empty.
EXPLANATION: All the objects employed are of the most ordinary description, with the exception of the matchbox, which is slightly prepared by removing the LOWER HALF of the wood (not the paper) at one end. The coin, duly placed in the box, the assistant closes same and, while holding it with thumb at one end and fingers at the other, shakes it up and down to prove presence of the coin--very convincing--then, in the act of transferring the box from one hand to the other, he allows the coin to slide out into the now-otherwise-empty hand; he then places the EMPTY box on the tumbler and goes off to bring on the plate and knife.
During his temporary absence, however, he sticks the coin onto the LEFT-HAND side of the blade--looking at the back of the knife--on to a tiny bit of wax placed on the blade in readiness, at a point within an inch of the handle.
Taking up the knife IN HIS LEFT HAND, the performer holds it downwards in front of his body, showing the plain side. He then turns the point of the blade upwards and to rest obliquely across his chest, presumably showing the opposite side, but in reality, due to the fingers having imparted a half turn to the blade, THE SAME SIDE IS SHOWN; this movement, which should be repeated several times, is very deceptive.
The performer now, having transferred the knife to his right hand, and while standing with his right side towards the audience, cuts open the lemon on the plate, using the forepart of the knife blade; eventually he draws the whole of the blade through the cut and, in doing so, dislodges the coin with his left thumb.
The performer than removes coin on the point of the knife and hands it to his assistant who, having dried it on a cloth, taking the opportunity to remove any adhering wax, hands it back to its owner. Meantime the performer shows the matchbox to be empty, thus bringing the trick to a conclusion.
N. B.--The trick may be worked without an assistant, as the performer, having secured secret possession of the coin, may readily and secretly attach it to the knife as required, under cover of his body and in the act of going to the rear of the room to bring forward the plate with the knife upon it.
The match-box vanish, together with this method of using an ordinary table knife (of course wide enough to completely hide the coin) for this purpose, also the entire combination, are my own.
A mechanical knife, i.e., one with a metal clip soldered on one side to hold the coin, was formerly used for the purpose, but this has long since been relegated to the shades.
Now, for the next number, Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm going to present to you a young man whom I am sure you will like for his originality. His name is not as well known as Thurston or Blackstone; but he's young yet, and if we give him a little more time, he's going to be way up there with the big shots. He's full of ideas and when he gets one he puts it into practice instead of getting an idea and then promptly forgetting it, as most of us do. He's a swell kid and I'm going to present to you now, Brandon, the Magician. Play him on, George.
BRANDON, THE MAGICIAN, SPEAKING: How are you, boys? Here's a new one I thought you might like. When you were a kid you no doubt remember of having played "Crack the Whip." The one on the end usually "cracked" the ground and received a bloody lip or nose in the play (?). I assure you that in the trick I am about to describe, the climax holds no such disastrous element; on the contrary, it is a quite pleasing and mystifying one. I trust I have aroused your interest and attention in a way that will make you relish the following (would I be taking a liberty in saying) original invention. Next