Introduction: The Simplest Coin Vanish
My dad used to fool me with this when I was younger. I've always enjoyed it, and now you can too! This vanish works really well with coins and other small objects. It's easy to do and looks very convincing. It's really fun to do on your drunk friends when you're sitting in Denny's at 3 in the morning. Blows their minds!!!
I've included a full description with pictures on how to do this. I know you guys don't like videos, but it's kind of hard to follow without seeing it done, so I made a video of it as well:
Check out the next steps for the explanation. Have fun with this!
Step 1: What Will Happen
I've done this with a door key, a usb stick, and other small things, but coins work the best.
If you didn't watch the video, this is how it will look. You place a coin on the table. Next, you will cover it with your hand and rub it in circles. After a few seconds, you will lift up your hand and show that you've rubbed the coin out of existence!!!
Step 2: How It's Done!
It's really easy to do actually.
Place the coin on the table about 8-12 inches in front of you. Next, place you hand over the coin so that your fingertips cover the coin. At this point, you begin to rub the coin on the table in a circular direction.
The trick is, that as your hand moves towards you, your press down on the coin so that it moves back. As your hand is moving forward, you do not press on the coin. The coin will move from your fingertips, to your palm, to the back of your hand, and finally to your wrist.
I'm sure you've realized that this will move the coin further and further back =)
Once the coin is at the ledge, simply drop it into your lap!
IMPORTANT: at this point, don't just open your hand and show it is gone. It looks better if you keep making circles, but smaller, and moving it closer to the center of the table. This way, they do not associate the coin going off the table with your trick.
As you lift up your hand, lift from the palm to your fingertips to give the illusion that it has disappeared from your fingertips.
Viloa! You're magic!!!
9 Comments
16 years ago on Introduction
Magicians everywhere will hate you for revealing their secrets. But it's okay because everyone on Instructables will love you.
Reply 16 years ago on Introduction
That such a good point you raise though. Some of the instructables for tricks are the same one's I see magician's selling themselves for a living. The coin through soda can is a good example. It's by Wayne Houchin and he's a really talented guy. But it's kind of hard to follow your passion and make a living doing so if people are revealing it over the internet. Maybe it breeds better magicians, maybe it just spoils the trick for everyone else. Anyone else have any thoughts on this? For myself, I wouldn't reveal a trick that I couldn't figure out myself or possibly "belonged" to someone else.
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
I go the "penn and teller" route. you can completely reveal the trick to something, and it's still quite magical. look up their "cups and balls". they do it with clear cups and tell you what's going on and you're still lost within the first five seconds. I do a simple vanish with a card sometimes. I've become so good at it, that when I reveal the secret to people, they still can't figure it out. I can show them the sleight of hand, but they still don't get it. I think it's more that people don't want to know the trick: people want there to be magic in the world, so they create it, even when it's not there. watch "the prestige". it's an awesome movie.
15 years ago on Introduction
awesome i impressed my dad!
16 years ago on Introduction
that was bad ass
Reply 16 years ago on Introduction
...the coin makes a scratching noise on the table whenever i do it, and when i try and move the quarter back towards my wrist, people know what i'm doing...they can also tell when i've dropped it off the table because the scratching has also stopped :( good instructable, though.
Reply 16 years ago on Introduction
Two things to help you out there. 1 - In regards to people being able to hear the coin, there are two things I do to limit this as a distraction. First, make sure the coin is facing heads down. This will present less area to the table, therefore less friction and less noise. Second, employ a little misdirection. Don't tell them anything until you start making circles. This way, they'll focus on listening to you instead of the noise the coin makes. 2 - Getting it off the table inconspicuously is the hardest part. The faster you can get it off the better. I like to start close to myself, drop the coin asap, then move circles closer to the watcher before i reveal (also, it's good to lift your hand from the back to the fingertips), in this way, they do not associate the edge of the table with the trick. Another way around this is to not actually drop the coin off the table until the very end. Move it the wrist, then to underneath the forearm. This will keep your hand away from the edge. You can drop it off as you lift your hand up and slide your forearm back.
16 years ago on Introduction
You want to subtly test the table top first. My desk at work makes one heck of a noise as I slide a coin across it.
Reply 16 years ago on Introduction
Very true. I like to talk while i'm doing the trick so that way they stay focused on the sound of my voice rather than the sound on the table. It also helps if you do it on the tail's side of the coin