I went to see my accountant last week (he makes doing my Schedule C a breeze). Since he knows I have the pitch business on the side, I always bring a magic trick to show him every year when we sit down to do the tax return.

This year I brought a Coin Slide, preloaded with a nickel. I told him it was a "Magic Bank," and was "fully insured" by the FDIC, but could do things that regular banks could never do. I put a penny in the slide, said the magic words, and of course it changed into a nickel (earning interest on all deposits). Then I put a penny in the slide, tails up, said the magic words and the bank "corrected" the deposit by having the coin appear heads up. Finally, I did a simple false transfer of a penny, then made it "vanish" and reappear in the slide (my version of Internet banking!).

Now this guy is smart as a whip, but said he was totally flabbergasted by the trick and had no idea how it was done (and I'm pretty sure he wasn't just being polite). I showed him how the slide worked and taught him the false transfer, using a simple Finger Palm. He was amazed that it was so simple. I told him that most good magic tricks are simple, they are just dressed up with patter and good misdirection.

So it's really just a matter of having confidence, good technique and a smart presentation. With these, you can fry an intelligent person's mind with a 75-cent trick like the Coin Slide, which is actually older than the hills. As I left, he said to me "Wait until my wife sees this!" SETH

Great story! Thanks for sharing it.

Mark.

Man! Seth, if the Coin Slide is like the Money Paddle and YOU can do it, you're better than I. I have the one you sent me WITH the instructions AND watched a guy do it on You Tube and STILL don't understand it. But then, I'm NOT a magician!

Jon

Jon, the Coin Slide is entirely mechanical, no sleight of hand required. If you can tell left from right, you can do it. However, I did juice the trick up a bit with a little sleight of hand, as noted above, by adding a simple false transfer with an easy finger palm. But it's not necessary in order to perform the trick. It's a cute trick, the price is right, and you can pack a few dozen in a very small space. It's good for the kids that aren't quite ready for the Svengali Deck and can't handle the Money Paddle, but who want another trick in addition to the Magic Worm. Most of them are familiar with a "piggy bank," and so they understand and like the idea of a "Magic Bank." Both Robbins and Loftus carry it; click HERE for more info.

The Money Paddle does require some sleight of hand, but it's really not difficult. The main thing is practicing in front of a mirror to make sure that you are coordinating the two movements properly and have the timing down pat. In my experience, the main mistake people make is not holding it properly, which prevents them from doing the move correctly (or not at all). Most people want to hold the paddle perpendicular to the body, when it should be parallel, so the paddle will turn over with a turn of the wrist.

But done correctly, the false move is totally invisible, even at close range when people are looking right at it. The fact that you can produce three coins in succession, then a dollar bill, and still produce the "mirror" as a kicker, always impresses and mystifies. Also packs small, plays big, and the price is right for a pitch item. Just don't store the coins on the demo paddle between shows, because the coins cause the rubber bands to rot, for some reason. Click HERE for more info. SETH