I am sorry. I just found this thread. Lex Zaleta, who used to be an excellent demonstrator at an older brick and mortar magic shop in Pennsylvania, wrote a trilogy of fantastic pamphlet style books on actual improvements in handling of a number of beginner tricks, that we all have or had. The books are titled, A Demonstrator’s Dream, Part 1,2 and 3. In Part 2, he shares a fabulous presentation for the Adams or Royal Magic Block - a routine that will fool those who own this effect. He starts with a real penny and dime having everything, including the block, examined at the beginning of the effect (This is one part that definitely fools), and then shows both of his hands absolutely empty, which they really are. Then he places both coins in his one hand, closing the hand into a fist, turning the fist back up. He next asks a spectator to think of one of the coins. The penny is next removed from the closed fist and placed on the back of the closed hand. He then taps the penny with the block and instantly changes the penny to the dime! He then immediately opens his hand and the penny is there-an extremely surprising and non plussing transposition. Everything can immediately be examined again.

He made an entertaining Houdini - type effect (sub trunk) out of just a clever puzzle. One of the problems with the Magic Block, as sold, is being dirty after changing the penny to the dime. Spectators want to examine the block immediately and they cannot. This routine totally eliminates the problem and lifts the effect from simply a clever change to an amazing, unexplainable transposition! Sadly, this trilogy has been long out of print and is extremely hard to find. Every magician should have these books.

The old Adams penny to dime trick! Yes! And Nickel To Penny To Dime! I now use The Raven. Borrow a penny, give away a dime!

Doug