For some routines you can hide behind a procedure and hope folks are intrigued.

John Ramsay was a genial person who demonstrated his sense of humor in his magic. For this routine you simply must draw them in with the opening production and have a sufficiently engaging manner as to make the repetition of the middle into something fun for the audience. There's also been some sidebar discussions about borrowing the hat and loading in some chocolate coins at the end.

I say life is too short to waste on a routine like this (sorry to be so harsh). I will say that it is a good practice routine, but not a good performance routine. An interesting procedural exercise to learn and maybe somewhere adapt a principle within it. But why spend the energy on a so-so routine when you could put your energy into something else and destroy your audience (see Dan's cylinder routine to see what I'm talking about). I realize there may be an exception and someone one day may knock my socks off with this routine, but for now, put your energies into something else, for the love of Pete (whoever he is).

I think I can understand the issues people have with the routine, and would just like to add that I enjoy the image of the hat and the concept of having the coins appear in it after some magic. It doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense (although at least, unlike The Portable Hole, you actually send the coins into the hat magically, rather than do the IMHO illogical thing of having the coins appear under the hole for no reason except that they do...), but I like the picture. The magician, the hat, and the coins has a nice sort of theatricality about it. It seems to me like it could work on a stage, whereas the cylinder and coins might be a little harder to make fill the space. Maybe. Anyways I like it! And I do think the problems people mention are valid.

It's worth working with, I think, and the point about making the middle section work through character or comedy is probably right on.

-Travis

A few years ago I have seen Reed Mcclintock performed his routine "Coins without a hat" on the floor with an ashtray.

The lay audience was impressed by this routine, and magicians too.

I think it is a good plot, even if it is illogical, but a lot of things are not logical in magic.

Like the portable hole from David ROTH the plot is the same with Tony Slydini's routine where 4 paper balls traveled from his hands to a box or a hat on the table.

In the tarbell you also have a routien with one cup and 3 balls from Senator CRANDALL, he performed the routine with the cup mouth up, and the effect is the same for the audience.

I remember the Fred KAPS'lectures notes wher he wrote that it is the same for the audience to produce 4 thimbles, 4 coins, 4 balls etc... what is importanbt is the plot and I think it is very difficult in magic tu und"erstand well the plot and not to loose oneself in an horrible trick.

That why I like and love the John CARNEY work.

Excuse me, e lot of words on the net, but I love magic