Hi guys,
I was wondering if you have any good ideas about patter and effects that we can do with Chinatown half dollar?

Thank You

David Roth performs/explains 2 different routines on his "Expert Coin Magic Made Easy Vol. 9 - Copper/Silver coin and Expanded s***l".
By the way, this same video is also the 1st half of Roth's "Ultimate Coin Magic DVD Vol. 1"

One of the routines has several phases and uses a white pocket hankerchief.
The other routine is the same one (using the envelope with a window) that comes with the Johnson Chinatown Half when you buy it. Who manufactured the set you have?

Cheers, Wes

There is guy that post here named Mike Wild that has good routine in his Tavern magic manuscript.

Reed McClintock has a three fly using three different coins, it appears on his Coin Ovations DVD (called International Three Fly), this uses a CH, as well as a C/S.
It is quite a nice magician fooler, but for lay audiences may be a bit confusing. Worth checking out though.
Owen

Hmmm,
Sounds interesting...
sleightofhander, do you know where I can find that manuscript?
wespetty, the set that I have is manufactured by Johnson Products. I guess I have to take a look at that Roth video.

thanks guys

You can find my manuscript on my web site, or at lybrary.com & The Trickery's website.

The patter that I use for my "China Changed" routine is pretty stock. It's simply a "watch these coins do some amazing things..." type of premise, but the handling is very different from the classic variation. My routine is done in the hands, and into the spectator's hands, instead of using an envelope on a close-up pad.

Best,

Mike

Mike,
Thanks very much I'll take a look

cheers

You're welcome.

You may also want to take a close look at Bobo's MCM, specifically, the routines that utilize a "double-facer" or C/S coin. All of those effects can be done with the Chinatown Half set, and in most cases, can be done more convincingly because of the "hole" in the Chinese coin. It appears that the coins must be changing places... one has a hole and one doesn't, so what other explanation is there? They're less apt to suspect a trick coin using the Chinatown half... and more likely to suspect sleight of hand. However, if handled properly, they won't suspect either, and will be happy to have been entertained by good magic.

Mike

I apologize for not knowing a source, but Ken Brooke's instructions for the Chinatown Half are the best I've ever seen. I don't know if Steven's Magic has reissued it or not.

Later.....
sam

Steven,
Thank you very much for the info. I'll try to fetch the source of that.

cheers

Also worthy of note is Don Alan's routine as performed on the Ed Sullivan television show. Don used a fez and (I think) a lump of coal.

And then the mysterious visitor vanished from the bar, leaving a tip but no clue as to where the sugar packet went.

Meanwhile the shop opened and the employees met the new manager, a stranger from far away.

I never knew what the words on the coin meant, but they seem to bring luck.

Get a hold of Chuck Smith's lecture notes titled "What If?" He describes an invaluable moment--a gag, really--that allows you to introduce the "Chinese" coin in a funny, and lightly magical way.

If you've got one of those older Chinatown halves in which the "chinese" coin is obviously just a brass washer stamped with designs copied from a restaurant menu, it's better to own up to that instead of trying to pass the "coin" off as the genuine article.

There are two "standard" gags for coins with holes in them, and since no one has mentioned them yet, I'm not going to be the one to spoil things for you.

Ummm, Curtis... the piece of paper that accompanied the coin clearly stated that it's a replica of an authentic Chinese "Imperial Coin", and the Chinese letters mean all kinds of deep and meaningful things

I tend to believe everything I'm told... I think that makes me a more selective person

BTW, I wish the Schneider dragon coins came in half-dollar size, that would be sweet.

Mike

hum, I was looking for some chinese coins the other week and asked my girlfriend (who is from HK) which ones she liked. We looked at quite a number of magic shops (www) and she almost burst out laughing when she saw things like the Johnson coins, saying that they're the most fake looking thing on earth. Also, most of the chinese symbols on magic coins mean things like 'magic', 'miracle', 'wonder', 'magician', etc.
Real chinese coins on the other hand haven't had holes for quite a while now, and the ones that did usually had symbols saying things like 'luck', 'wealth', 'happiness' or names of chinese emperors on them.
But then these things are only of concern when you have a potential chinese spectator, everyone else shouldnt notice a difference ;-)

Roth's routine using the Chinatown half and the white handkerchief is easy but gets great reactions.

Brian,
In wich volume?

cheers

I'll second the recommendation for Mike Wild's Tavern Magic Manuscript. My Chinatown Half sat unused in a drawer until I bought TM. Now, I never leave home without it.

I Really have to bought that manuscript

I already answered this question at the beginning of your thread. Scroll back to the top.