“You see things; and you say ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and say ‘Why not?’”
George Bernard Shaw

I could never show my Dad a coin magic effect without a story from him about another similar magic effect seen years ago. One amazing part of those with dementia is the clarity of some memories while those we wish they would recall are lost or confused. He was never confused or less than certain about magic effects. Perhaps this is because what we remember is not what actually happened – just a memory chosen by us that resonates with the creative spirit within. He loved magic. He never performed a trick. Anyway …

Dad had played a lot of poker in his youth, sending more money home to Mom from winnings than his meager Navy check during WWII. He was amused by the way people played with their chips – real tells and pretend ones. Apparently many would do magic tricks with their chips, or flourishes or stunts of some sort. Dad was never concerned with how they accomplished these minor miracles, focusing instead on why and when they performed them. A couple he related:

Lonzo was continuously moving his piles of chips from one place to another. In the process he would leave two single chips on the table about a foot apart. After clearing his throat loudly, Lanzo would cover these chips with his flat palms. When he lifted them again both chips would be under one hand and the other completely empty.

Gary liked to spin chips on the table to see how long they would. Suddenly he would slap his hand down on the chip. When revealed the chip on the table was a different color from the one spun a moment before.

Phil carefully stacked his chips by color as most did, but also in equal piles. He would lift the entire stack in his fingers and allow the chips to fall back down one at a time with a riffling sound as if counting.
One time he had a red chip at the bottom of a white stack maybe six high. He did his riffle thing and the red chip was now second from the bottom. His hands were open and empty in a shrug.
He repeated the riffling and the chip moved up one position. He took a sip from his beer and then repeated the riffle. Up another spot in the pile. Every time his hands were shown palm up and innocent.
Finally, the red chip was on top and he removed it to shift to a stack of red chips.

I took these stories for magic effects as a challenge and figured out how to perform each one. I did not search the Internet for similar effects or review books or DVD’s.
If I had the NY Coin Series I might find explanations but that was not important to me. I had fun. I may never perform these effects in public as I don’t play poker.
But, some of what I learned during this creative exercise caused me to modify other coin routines I have done for years.

Did I discover some new principle or move or slight? I doubt it? But some are new to me.
Are these effects original? No, they were inspired by what came before.
Did I create something? Absolutely!

I share this story to illustrate that every effect you experience can be the seed of some creative adventure. Even a poor performance or video demonstration of a magic move or effect can stimulate musing.
In contrast, a good performance in which I can “be there,” can form a lifetime memory. A story is somewhere in between.
Try one of the “Dad effects” described above. Role-play the effect in your mind and follow. You will be glad you did.