I'm looking for an elegant way to one-handedly transition a C/S coin from left hand fingertips [a la typical 3 fly display] to left hand french drop position. Obviously, I cannot show the reverse side of the coin.

I'd like to keep the coin perpendicular to the floor [i.e. face to the audience] if possible, and my hands are at chest height throughout the rest of the routine.

This is a move I need to make several times [not always with a C/S], so I'd like it to be as natural looking as possible.

I'm finding this very elusive!

Any thoughts?

I guess just putting the coin in the other hand is not elegant. You could do a fingertip muscle pass than just get it in the french drop position with one hand.

... the other hand is busy displaying other coins.

Currently I'm kind of pinching the coin with index and second finger, thumb below, then rotating the hand into the spellbound position. But it looks awkward, and too showy. There must be another way....

I've run into that need also... Once method that I came up with was to drop the coin from fingertips to flat in the face up palm. Then I dig my thumbnail under the coin and slide it up until my thumb pad can get on top of the now vertical coin in spellbound position.

A showier way to do it is using a move that I saw Roger Klause do when he does Soliel et Lune. I don't know the name of but the gist is to apparently show both sides of the coin from fingertip display to palm up display. It looks like you have a coin at fingertip and flip it around your finger to show both sides and it lands in your face up palm. Then proceed as in above...

Another method I use is a bit more balanc-y but once the knack is acquired it's very sweet. Start with the coin at extreme fingertips as if you were going to do a Ramsay vanish. With the thumb behind the coin pull down and back a bit which will lever the top edge of the coin towards you. As this happens you slide your thumb up and over the edge of the coin and once secure I let go with all fingers except the middle finger and thumb pad as the same time as I rotate my hand palm down. Once the knack is gotten it's actually a very smooth flourish that gives the coin a very light airy feeling.

Heres a link showing what it looks like..
http://drop.io/lithyem/asset/vid00012-avi

If either of those seem worthwhile to you, I'd be happy to detail some nuances...
-Michael

Turn the hand inwards and palm down, allowing the coin to lie on the tips of the fingers. Place your thumb on the edge of the coin, the fingertips on the opposite ends, and turn the hand palm up with the coin in spellbound position.

Michael (Lithyem)'s method is quick and efficient, makes a non-moment out of the transfer. You can make it less of a balancing act by bringing the tip of your second finger behind the coin, so that there's no chance of the coin falling. The coin is held by the first and third fingers pulling inwards, and the second finger pushing outwards. Once the thumb has a grip on the coin, the second fingertip keeps going and slips out from behind the coin.

Michael (Rubinstein)'s handling is slightly less flourishy, and some may prefer it for that reason.

Amazing how many choices there are for something this simple.

Michael, that's totally elegant – why didn't I think of that?? Thanks for your input everyone!

I'm glad it helped!!

Just thought I'd share the effect I'm working on, while we're all here...

Performer withdraws two silver coins from his/her pocket, and displays at the fingertips, while explaining that tradition is an important aspect of conjuring. To demonstrate, s/he will use two very traditional silver coins...

Displaying one coin rotating in each hand, our hero describes the conjuring tradition whereby coins are enabled to travel invisibly from one hand to the other. Left hand's coin is then transferred to the right hand, and with a small flourish, it jumps back invisibly to the left hand.

As the performer then visibly transfers the right hand's coin to join the left coin, s/he explains another tradition – the spectator's – in that another coin is suspected to be "enabling" the effect. Eyeing the "empty" right hand, and with a wink, the performer reveals – yes, another coin... but a COPPER coin, which is rotated at the right fingertips!

This leads to a confession of a very secret tradition – that copper coins REPEL silver coins, hence causing the silver coins to leap from hand to hand. This said, the two silvers are put back with the copper coin into the right hand. With a gesture, one silver coin again appears at the left fingertips. The right hand is left with one silver and the copper... Voila! The fingers can open here to show only the three coins at the fingertips.

As the left hand silver coin is returned to the right fingertips to join the other silver and the copper coin, it's now offered that SCIENCE would state that if there are TWO silver coins and ONE copper, then the silver coins would repel the copper. With another simple gesture, the COPPER coin is seen to appear at the left fingertips, leaving the two silvers in the right hand.

Not to be outdone, the power of magic is again invoked, and it is explained that by simply caressing the silver coins across the face of the copper, the "polarity" of the copper can be reversed, causing it to ATTRACT the silver coins. At once, the left hand is shown to contain the copper AND a silver coin, while the right is now shown to hold a single silver. Again, the fingers open for a clean display of only the three coins.

Science once more reasserts itself here, and states that all magic is bosch as the single right hand silver is rotated, then placed alongside the left hand's silver and copper. It is now stated that SCIENCE DEMANDS that copper REPELS silver. Immediately, a silver jumps back to the right fingertips! Another clean display of all three coins, as the right hand;s coin is again rotated at the fingertips.

Finally acknowledging the might of science and the futility of conjuring, the performer places the right hand's single coin into the left hand's fingers. The left hand's two coins, both copper and silver, are then taken by the right hand and waved over the now closed left fist. Lo, the hand is opened and the coin is GONE, brother! A demonstration of the TOTAL power of copper to repel silver completely from the picture.

The copper coin is taken by the left fingertips, mirroring thee right hand with the silver. The performer emphasizes again: copper repels silver. Again the right hand places its silver coin within the left fingers, the copper coin is taken by the right fingers and waved over the left fist... which is opened, and again shown empty!

Passing the now lone copper coin to the left fingertips, the right hand reaches to the pocket from where it produces the repelled silver coins. All is now offered to the scientists in the crowd, to experiment with at their leisure.

THE END

This is my first go at putting together something that is [I hope!] original. The wise out there can no doubt follow what's going on when, and also the nature of the items required to achieve it!

I've purposely buried it in this thread, hoping for some discreet comments from those whose opinions I truly value. You know who you are! But any comments are welcome!

Rutabaga - very very interesting. I'm looking forward to working through this routine tomorrow when my eyes are open. This sounds fantastic! Very nice work
Michael

Michael, I'd love to know how you get on with it. It has a really nice flow once you get into it, with a bit of back and forward towards the end, before the [typical Hanging Coins type] vanishes. I really play up the science v magic parts, with science claiming victory at the end, although of course magic has the last laugh, eh?!

I suspect someone more adept at body movement than I could really make this sing...

I've tried to be as clear and succinct as possible in this description, but let me know if there are any areas that need clarified!

Rutabaga - I have not had a chance to work through it yet but I did discover a gem in the move I mentioned above... you can do it and also keep a coin in fingerpalm without any problems at all. Was just a nice find while playing around with some c/s effects.

Hi Rutabaga,
There is indeed a nice flow to it, which is as you know an important factor of deception. I really liked it, did place it in my hands, displaced teh process from laterally to back and forth towards the audience and started writing a different script for it that matches one of my persona and generates a conflict with suspense with its ultimate magical solution.

Congratulations and thanks for sharing it.

Michael... you're right! That's going straight into how I'm working it! Thanks for the insight. I'm glad folk are finding some things of value here!