So I have been playing around for coins across, and want to know if anyone has come up with the idea below, I am thinking of releasing an e-book of this full routine and some other variations of some card routines, let me know your thoughts?

So you are in the position of having three coins in the spectators hand and you still have the coin with the shell over it, you then place the shell coin in their hand and say would you like to have the fourth coin appear in their hand, now rather than carry on as per normal coin routines, you really take the coin with the shell back out their hand, you then place into a sort of French drop position and let the coin drop out of the shell into your right hand, then take the shell into the left and bring the shell up to eye level as this misdirection is taking place, you have ample opportunity to place the coin in right hand into purse palm, you now place the right hand over the three coins in specs hand and load the fourth coin like a sponge ball routine, closing their hand with yours, then vanish the fourth coin by whatever method you like

Any thoughts?

In the mid 90's, MAGIC magazine published a move called the Stealth Dump, a-la Jon Racherbaumer's column. Your move is quite different but still a bit similar in one aspect. I've been doing it for about 14 years.

In the Stealth Dump, you hold the shelled coin in french drop position above the other 3 that are resting on the open palm. As you dump these 3 from one hand to the other, to ostesibly hand them to the spectator, you allow the shelled coin to dump and join the other 3 in transit, retaining the shell in postion and then vanishing it via fav method.

In the routine you described, I don't see the reason to put the 4th coin into the spec's hand as you retrieve it afterwards. It would be more neat not to put the 4th coin in their hand. (S)He has 3 coins. The fourth one is in your hand. And boom, it travels.
The put/retrieve action is not useful and diminishes the simplicity and directness of the effect.

If the handling flows and the effect is well received, it seems to be a great idea!

You put the fourth coin in their hand, take it out, then secretly load it back? Why is this better than counting four coins into their hand and then asking them to give you the top one (actually the ])?

See Dingle's Silver Quick in The Complete Works Of Derek Dingle.

It seems you are adding a extra step try this... put all 4 coins in their hand + the [ now you say I will take one coin out, and you just take the [ out of their hand and tell them to close their hand. it about the same yours.. but minus a step.

that's the way I been doing it for a while.

When this came up before, one suggestion (I forget from whom) was that you ask the spectator to give you back the fourth coin, rather than taking it out yourself. They in fact unwittingly remove the [

WHAT? Let me get this straight, somewhere out there is a magician that actually thinks it's a good idea, above all other alternatives, to have the spectator remove the [. I call B.S. on that. I refuse to believe that it ever happened.

Oh, but it does happen and it's very effective. I initially thought it was too risky too, but after seeing it actually work, I get it. It's all in how you control your spec's actions.

I've seen too many spectators jokingly go straight to their pocket with a coin that I've just given them to hold onto. The capacity to control a spectator doesn't always compensate for their juvenile antics, especially if they think it's funny to those around them. There are far better ways to load the last coin than to risk exposure and damage to the ] & routine.

Hang on a minute guys, I wanted a clearer picture in the specs eyes, by removing the shell and coin wheich clearly shows three coins in their hand, the reason they have 4 and I take 1 back is under the disguise of a gag, by saying would you like to see all 4 coins in your hand, you then cleanly place the fourth (with shell) in their hand, under this laugh, you then take it back, basically this is a gag cody fisher uses in his coins across routine, turtle coins

David Roth's Shell coins across has used this method for years. The method he uses is actually much cleaner and clearer as well.

I can't vouch for it personally, but when it came up before (back in March), lots of folk, including some eminent ones, gave it the seal of approval.

Garrett Thomas has some AWESOME coin material in his new DVD's including what I consider the BEST coins accross routine ever! You can get them from L&L publishing or directly from Garrett with his autograph. His e-mail address is SammyB654@aol.com