|
|
MiNiM Regular user New Zealand 111 Posts |
Hi,
I've been using New Zealand fifty cent coins for most of my coin work (silver,same size as US half)with old copper NZ pennies for colour changes (just a tiny bit smaller), though these haven't been in circulation since about 1967 so they look a little odd. I've been thinking about changing to using NZ $2 coins - they're the size of a US quarter, and gold (OK, brass)and using 20 cent coins, which are silver and a milimeter or two bigger - for the change (sorry about the pun.) Both of these coins are current and therefore natural to have in my pocket. What I'm trying to second guess, though, is should I go for the greater visibility of the half or the more impressive value of the $2? Thanks, Bill
He asked me if I liked card tricks. I said "No." He did three. (W. Somerset Maugham)
|
Peter Marucci Inner circle 5389 Posts |
If you can justify, in your story line, using the older, larger coins, then go with them.
If you can't, then you're probably better off using the newer and more familiar coins. But it really shouldn't make a whole lot of difference, using "strange" coins. I do a routine to a Bermuda-triangle theme, using Bermuda half-dollars (which are the same size as U.S. half dollars) and you can't get much more esoteric than that! However, given the coins available, you might be interested in my No-Gimmick Scotch and Soda, which appeared in my column in the Linking Ring a few years ago. While the patter is based on a North American theme, I have suggestions included for other countries. If you are (or anyone else is) interested in the routine (truly, NO gimmicks), then e-mail me and I'll be happy to send it to you, free of charge. cheers, Peter Marucci showtimecol@aol.com |
harris Inner circle Harris Deutsch 8812 Posts |
IMHO use what works for you.
I like Franklins, because of the sound as well as my hair that is diminishing ala Ben on the front of the coin. (People often comment that I look like George on the old Seinfield Show. Maybe I will use a Kentucky Fried Chicken Tub for my Misers dream. I also use coins in circulation. There is a great matrix using 4 different coins. I use penny, dime, nickle and quarter.(American Coins) Harris
Harris Deutsch aka dr laugh
drlaugh4u@gmail.com music, magic and marvelous toys http://magician.org/member/drlaugh4u |
Geoff Williams Special user St. Pete Beach, FL 617 Posts |
As for size, the routine might dictate that. I don't classic palm a quarter very well; halves are very easy for me.
If the audience is large, at a long banquet table and/or in poor lighting, you might prefer doing a routine using the larger coin (or maybe even a jumbo). The Takagi coins across routine (sorry, the exact name escapes me) is easiest with relatively small coins (such as US pennies or dimes). What it boils down to is the routine might dictate which coins you use. Otherwise, comfort and ease might dictate that. All things considered, color would probably be a last consideration (unless, of course, the routine deals with a color change or some similar mutation).
"Saját légpárnás tele van angolnák."
(Hungarian for "My hovercraft is full of eels") |
MiNiM Regular user New Zealand 111 Posts |
Hi guys,
Thanks for the advice. But what I'm really curious about is how impressed are people by the value of the coins we use as opposed to the size, or are they just meaningless props in our hands? Cheers, Bill
He asked me if I liked card tricks. I said "No." He did three. (W. Somerset Maugham)
|
Peter Marucci Inner circle 5389 Posts |
Unless the coin is of some spectacular value, I doubt that the spectators are impressed at all.
A couple of magicians of the past used high-value gold coins but that's rare today. (One finished a coin routine by producing a previously vanished gold double eagle; he used two coins but audiences never thought that he would have TWO coins of that value.) So, in the final analysis, go with what you can handle best because the audience looks on the coins as props, anyway -- no matter how common or exotic they may be. cheers, Peter Marucci showtimecol@aol.com |
Dan Watkins Inner circle PA 3028 Posts |
I use a solid gold coin in my routine King Midas Spellbound. I don't use it because it is an expensive coin, but rather I happened to have one, and the routine pretty much centers around the "Magical King Midas Gold Coin". For the routine I needed 4 distinctive colored coins, gold, silver, copper, and brass.
|
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Nothing up my sleeve... » » Size or Value? (0 Likes) |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.02 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |