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Lawrence O Inner circle French Riviera 6811 Posts |
What would become known in Stars Of Magic as Spellbound was not first published by the British genius Edward Victor in Magic Of The Hands but is reported in the magazine Mahatma by another British genius, WM. E. ROBINSON
A FEW COIN TRICKS. BY WM. E. ROBINSON. Nothing will repay the student of magic better than a few minutes practice every day with coins. Not applying himself to one size alone, but to the use of the penny, the quarter, the half and dollar as well. The artist who can handle the coins is never at loss to entertain his friends and without preparation. Of course it is advisable to obtain proficiency in pure skill, but there are many clever and ingenious little devices, the employment of which helps the conjurer's fame and are legitimate to use even by the skilled prestidigitateur. I will mention a few here, also the use they can be put to. The gold and silver coin.— A trick often performed by magicians of skill is the changing of a borrowed silver coin, generally a dollar to a twenty dollar gold piece. Of course we know this is accomplished by the exchange of coins. The conjurer having the gold coin concealed in his hand, and receiving the silver one, exchanges it by one of the many passes so well known. Now it is almost an utter impossibility to show the hands empty, as the coin would be seen, but by using a shell coin this little difficulty is easily overcome. Have a shell made to fit the silver coin you intend to borrow. Have the surface of its head up or showing the head, and have this surface gilded to represent a golden coin, leave the edges silver. Have this shell concealed in the right hand palm. Receive the silver coins in the right hand at finger tips, tail up, head down. Now place the silver coin in the left hand, as you do so you palm the silver coin into the golden shell, and then lower into left hand, which immediately closes upon it. If this has been followed out as directed, the silver coin with its golden shell is resting in left hand gold side up. In a short time open the left hand and show the gold coin ; move it up a little on to the finger tips, now close the hand again, this will turn the coin over so when the hand is again opened a silver coin is seen, again move the coin to finger tips, again close the hand, coin turn over with gold side up; now open the hand and show the gold coin. This you say you will present to the gentleman who was kind enough to loan you the silver coin. Pick up the coin in right hand, palm of hand up, silver side resting on finger tips, thumb on upper side on gold shell, in placing in gentleman's hand the conjurer's hand is turned over thus allowing the shell to be palmed, and silver coin to drop into spectator's hand. Upon which he is immediately told to close his hand or else he will loose it. Conjurer remarks, the gentleman was to slow and requests him to open his hand, when he is surprised to see the silver coin. If the conjurer wishes he can have the edge of the shell coin silver one half way around it's circumference, and the other half gold, and by careful manipulation he can always keep the correct edge facing his assistant, although to an ordinary observer the edge of coin is not given any attention, it is it's surface that commands his observation.
Magic is the art of emotionally sharing live impossible situations
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Jonathan Townsend Eternal Order Ossining, NY 27297 Posts |
Thanks Etienne, shows some folks were reading Scot and using the latest in available (machining and electroplating) technology. Interesting as it would have been easier to use a half rimmed shell but ... no, that conceptual step seems to have been a few years away.
Impressive update on the item from Scot's book. Also, notice the use of a borrowed coin.
...to all the coins I've dropped here
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Michael Rubinstein V.I.P. 4665 Posts |
Ettiene, what is the date of that reference? It seems to be the precedent of a double faced coin. Not the typical spellbound, but a slower transformation of a silver into a gold coin. My thought after reading that is that spellbound is the term associated with rubbing the face of the coin and causing it to change, as opposed to closing the hand around the coin, and opening it to reveal the change.
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Curtis Kam V.I.P. same as you, plus 3 and enough to make 3498 Posts |
I'm going to have to agree with Mike here, I think there's a significant distinction in effect between changing a coin while it's in view (as in a color change with cards) and what we see described here, which is, as the author says, an enhanced handling of "a trick often performed by magicians of skill" i.e. changing a borrowed silver coin to a gold piece. In other words, this William Robinson (and please confirm that this isn't Chung Ling Soo, or I'm going to have to rethink a bit of magical history) is not presenting a new effect here, but rather, a new way of performing an old effect.
It's fascinating that he suggests electroplating a shell of the silver coin, then makes no mention that this would suggest a transformation, rather than an exchange. (since the coin would presumably appear to be the same coin, only now golden) Rather, he seems more interested in the color of the edge of the coin. In this, he seems focused upon the method, and only accidentally happens to have stumbled upon a bit of presentational psychology that later authors would make much of. Thank you for pulling this up out of the tomes of Mahatma. In considering this, it occurs to me that this is the second good use of a gaff that we see produced from time-to-time, but for which we seldom find any use. That is, the shell with the opposite side of the coin printed inside of it. The benefit of such a gaff here would be that one could apparently show both sides of the gold coin. (or, now that I think of it, a third coin, as suggested by John Mendoza many years ago) There was a particularly good version of that gaff being shown around at the Symposium in Milan. As to the final change as the coin is placed in the specator's hand, Hofzinser had a lovely move for this. It started with the covered coin perched atop the performer's midddle finger, and the hands otherwise empty. It's hard to say for sure, but I don't think that's what the author is suggesting here.
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harris Inner circle Harris Deutsch 8812 Posts |
Ever since seeing Bejieng coins and the Goblet, I have been using Curtis 3 coin routine.
It has some beautiful changes. Yes I still do the regular spellbound techniques, but for formal shows or opportunities, I spruce (christmas tree) it up. Lately I have even been bringing in my okito box to the mix and having the silver coins end up in an "empty box", after the silver coins change to english penny's...for a third change of 3 coins. Oh what fun it is to play..... Will have more time with school being out for winter break. Harris palms of aluminum foil..for a lighter touch in coin magic
Harris Deutsch aka dr laugh
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Lawrence O Inner circle French Riviera 6811 Posts |
It was in Mahatma VOL. II. No VIII. New York, February, 1899 but, as Jon is underlining, the C/S coin was already in Scott's Discovery Of Whitchcraft
Magic is the art of emotionally sharing live impossible situations
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Curtis Kam V.I.P. same as you, plus 3 and enough to make 3498 Posts |
Harris,
That's really interesting, sort of the Goblet in a Box. I'll have to play with that idea, maybe I can lighten my prop case, or at least, I can do the Goblet anywhere I have the box. Thanks for your thoughts on that, Curtis
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Lawrence O Inner circle French Riviera 6811 Posts |
Leaving aside the choice of coins, this should -without the name SPELLBOUND- remind us of something and it predates Edward Victor's writings
FLORIN vs. PENNY.— by ELLIS STANYON. (in MAHATMA Vol II No IX New York March 1899) A series of passes in pure sleight of hand, creating a marvelous deception and requiring but little practice. Having palmed a penny in the right hand the performer obtains the loan of a florin, which he takes between the fingers and thumb (horizontally) of the left hand, held palm upwards. While showing the florin in this position he drops the penny to the position known as the finger palm, then passing the thumb of the right hand under and the fingers over the coin, the thumb palms the florin and leaves the penny in its place, thus producing a most deceptive change. Transferring the florin from the thumb to the finger palm, he repeats the pass; but this time instead of thumb palming the penny, he allows it to drop to the finger palm in left hand, the florin appearing in its place. N. B.—Owing to peculiar position of coins, both palms may now be shown empty. Taking the florin in the right hand, he repeats the pass with the left hand; this time finger palming the florin in the right hand. At this stage the palms are again shown empty. In conclusion the penny is thrown, visible several times, into the left hand, but it is finally kept back by the thumb palm, the florin being thrown instead. Now, while pulling back the left sleeve a little, the penny is dropped (secretly) into the breast pocket Jof the coat, and on the left hand being opened the penny will seem to have changed back into the florin.
Magic is the art of emotionally sharing live impossible situations
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