My friend (who's not a magician) had the good idea of having the hole in the Chinese coins vanish (so its just a flat circle of metal with painting on it) after the trick is over. I love this idea but I wanted your oppinions on this. Do you think this ending would be a good idea to perform or would it just be overkill and ruin the whole trick? (and please state why you think so if possible)

It all depends on the presentation.

As to the lucky coins and ribbon... there are some nice websites that show you how it can look.

Wouldn't that be a kicker? I think that presentation would be fine, as well as make it unique and yours... unless someone else is doing it.

Bad ending. It's called gilding the lily. Better ending, one that I have been working on for awhile now, to have the coins vanish and reappear on the ribbon. Makes more sense and isn't anti-climatic.

Maybe starting with two slugs (painted disks) and a chinese coin then duplicating the hole or transferring it to the disks would make sense. You would end with three chinese coins and the ability to carry on with the routine.

I have a lot of work on this routine and less is more. Focus on the why and your reactions will increase.

Jason's right about the better kicker ending. Unless you started with three blank disks (like washers) and turned them into the chinese coins one at a time in the very beginning I really don't think there's much to add to the routine. It simply speaks for itself in my opinion.

Jonathan, I'm curious about being pointed in the right direction to find those websites. Thank you much,

David,

I think its a nice idea, you know like when you do a chop cup or cup and ball routine, then at the end show that the cup is solid.

may play better with magicians than lay audiences, play with it, see what your lay friends think.

How to: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&i......on+coins

a good skill to acquire.

Yes it is ODD to take coins off the ribbons.

If it brought money, it certainly would be a good skill to acquire...do you think it works? I bet if you believe it, it will. Thanks Jonathan for the information once again.

I find it interesting that no one has hit this up for a presentation idea.


(I'm sure they have, obivously Jon has, but with something like that out there, I mean you have your patter almost written for you if you do a little study of Feng shui.)

VERY GOOD THOUGHT. I like that idea very much. There's the answer to the "why in the world would you be carring that around?" question...NICE. Thank you also.

The routine is all set up to allow the magician to produce and offer a very nice gift to the household.

The script is all set... and seems obvious. The challenge, it seems, is to be thoughtful in addition to charming.

No Ron Bauer here, but I do recognize a ready made script sometimes when I seen one.

Just as a potential reference:
I believe it was Paul Diamond who used to sell a coin set ala Chinatown Quarter (half, etc) where the kicker finish was the hole in the Chinese coin became "healed" and the half dollar wound-up with the hole in the center.

Is Paul still in business?

Julie,

I would suggest you take it out and try it both ways.
As a nearly normal magician who shops at hardware stores you might find something in the washer department.

This nearly normal guy patters about "brain washers".

I must add I do not do this or any other ring on our off a ribbon/rope. Back in the 70's, a small ring and rope routines were popular. (the ring was more like a small linking ring than a finger ring)

The chinese coins I use, are the old Sterling Realistic Chinese Coin. Some of mine came from wonderful Ben Stone in Springfield. Somewhere I have the papers that they were from the "Bobo Collection".


Perhaps A whack in the side of the head,(book title) or other such book might help your creativity. The Artist Way,(by Julia Cameron) is also IMHO good since it gets one(me) to put pen to paper.

Currently I am reading a book written in 2002. Perhaps by Carney. At the end of every chapter he suggest things to think and write about. One suggestion I liked was to write down "bad" magic plots. When freed up not to fall into the perfectionist trap, one(me) might fall into something wonderful.

Enjoy the journey.


Just my two Chinese Coins worth.

Harris Deutsch

I sometimes perform an ending similar to the one mentionned.
I begin the trick by telling that I'll remove the coins from the ribbon without any of its ends passing trought the holes, which is impossible.
I finish the routine by wrapping up the 3 coins into the ribbon (rolling it aroung them) and I say, as a sudden idea: "I told you this thing was impossible, and it really is because there is neither ends, nor holes" and I give them the bunch of coins-and-ribbon. When they "open" it, the ribbon is a circle and the coins doesn't have any holes on it.
Jonathan.