Does everyone out there use the routines that come with the copper silver brass gimmics and hopping halves, if not who has the best routines for using these gaffs?

For copper-silver-brass, I am working on learning a routine by Yuji Wada that appeared in Genii magaizine. It uses the gimmick to good effect and adds a beginning and middle to the routine.

Jason

which issue of geni?

Compared to the classic routines that are possible with the component parts, i.e. the Sun and Moon, Shell Coins across, Presto Chango, copper/silver transposition, Coins through glass, Coins through the table, Photographic coins, John Kennedy's Translocation, Ammar's "Shadow coins",Tommy Wonder's "Counterfeiter's Spellbound", and many, many more, the suggested routine for "Hopping Halves" is an extremely unambitious application of the props. It's the basic premise that seems flawed, the effect is just not that impressive, nor inherently any more entertaining than a rousing game of "Guess which hand".

Doc Eason has a csb routine on his video tapes.

Gary Kurtz has a video titled "Let's Get Furious", volume #1. It shows a good rountine for csb. The name of the rountine is "Trio in Three".

"Doc Eason's Bar Magic" video, volume 3 has it labeled as "Copper/Silver/Brass Transposition".

I made up a rountine myself using both Hopping Halves and csb coins.

I have lots of stuff With A C.S.B. Set!(stop me when you see one you Like ) One of my top 5 gaffs! And A routine With the Hoping Half where You start out with real Coins And then ring in the Gaff!

Best David Neighbors
The Coinjurer

Foreign Exchange is Jim Lewis's handling and appears on his Million Dollar Mysteries video. It includes what is (to me) the most astounding visual change you can do with the CSB set.

The routine is beautifully constructed so you start and end clean, the props pass through the spectators' hands, and there is no use of the pocket.

The routine uses a coin purse, with two of the transpositions occuring between hand and purse. This is good because it isolates the change/transpo, thereby eliminating the confusion that so often plagues c/s routines (i.e., the spectator sort of forgets which coin was where).

I've studied just about every other routine out there, but haven't been persuaded to switch from Jim Lewis's handling.

Cheers,
Jerry

My understanding is that the Million Dollar Mysteries video is no longer available.

James uses a wonderful three-coin spellbound to start his routine, but it is not explained on the video. This is followed by the Foreign Exchange routine Jerry mentions.

John Bannon's Mystery on the (Aztec) Orient Express in Smoke and Mirrors is another good routine, and it includes John's handling of James Lewis' first silver-to-copper-and-brass change; in my opinion John's is the better of the two.

Just a bit of Clarity, Gary Kurtz' routine "Trio in three" does not use a CSB gimmick. It uses the Connie Hayden gimmick.
That being said it is a wonderful routine and a staple of my table to table sets.
Jason

I prefer James Lewis' method. Did Bannon's routine before I knew Lewis'. It is also well structured, but starting with the gaffs, as John does, without the audience having checked them doesn't seem logical.
When magicians ask if there is a problem with using exotic/foreign coins I always defend that with a no. That is if you hand the coins out before you begin...
I think the transpositions in CSB are so striking to laymen that if you do not hand them out first you're balancing on the edge of "too perfect".
It is a simple matter though, to hand out the normal coins, ring in the gaff and go into Bannon's routine.

Still James Lewis',routine is my favorite. Very clever and lean.

I, too, like Lewis' routine. I simply prefer Bannon's handling of the first transposition--you get two magical moments rather than just one.

In my view, you don't get two magical moments -- in fact you may get no magical moments -- if you use the Bannon handling of Jim Lewis's move.

That's because after the Bannon change, when the hands separate, the right hand is kept clenched, making the audience wonder what he has in his hand. (Bannon is setting up a sucker ploy). The audience is thinking they caught the magician somehow -- but this dilutes the magical moment. Finally, when the right hand is shown empty and they realize they didn't catch you, that first magical moment is long gone. All the audience is left with is, "Huh?"

So there may be two moments, but I don't believe they are magical moments.

In Jim Lewis's original handling, which he created, it's BOOM! one silver coin visibly changes into two foreign coins and the hands are immediately seen to be otherwise empty. That's magic.

By the way, Million Dollar Mysteries is still available; check Joe Stevens or MagicSmith.

Cheers,
Jerry