Ok So it was 3:00 A.M. When I say It!

Hi guys, I am wondering if this deep dish ] varies in ease or versatility compared to the regular expanded shell. Does anyone have an answer? By the way... this is (a copy of my first post. I am happy to be apart of the Café! What a grat community to be a part of.
Cheers everyone!
-Billy

A couple of things:

I've seen the Shell Shocked routine, and I like it very much. While Swadling manufactures many excellent gimmicks, his coin gimmicks are not on par. I've seen and handled the deep dish Morgan shell and coins, and I feel that the shell is probably too deep. Because the milled edge covers practically the whole coin, it doesn't match the regular coins and there's a distortion which is noticeable, although not so much when looking down on the coins.
I know opinions will vary, this is just mine.

I really like my deep dish ], though there is a bit of distortion but I imagine that is a natural occurance when stretching a coin. It covers amazingly well, and lifts off easily. I got a 1901 ] where as my other coins are all 1883-1898. So not too happy there but really pleased with everything else... Does anyone have an ,18__ ] that the would like to trade for my 1901? Also, are Jaimie's shells as nice or nicer than than swadlings. Is there full coverage? Thanks!
:-)

Since my 2014 post, and in addition to my Morgan set, I've acquired a half dollar set of the Swadling/Mason "Shell Shocked" coins, featuring the "Super Dish" "[".
There was mention here about 'distortion'. I will say that there is some minor distortion on the halfs that isn't as noticeable on the dollars. And even so, it's a minor thing. It's not the face of the coins that is noticeable. It's the side, along the milled edge. It's a slightly different sheen/shade than the other coins. I think that has to do with the effect the expansion process has on the coin. And it seems to be most prominent in the silver sets. Looking at the stack of coins along their edges, with one of the coins nested in the "[", there may be a slight color distortion, (the [ is going to be 'shinier' or have a different sheen to it, even when the faces of the coins pretty much match the [). You've got to realize that it's been expanded and re-milled...so I believe that's to be expected and considering how minor it is, I find it acceptable.
In my Coins Across routine, I show the sides of the coins; but only briefly...and I don't point out that you're looking at the sides. ...Just that there are four coins. The sides just happen to be visible at one point in the process I employ to display them. Even though we, the magicians, notice these things; the spectators never will. Kind of like that old saying about thumb tips not needing to match skin tone...old coins are going to age and tarnish and wear different than other old coins. It's okay if they're not perfect. You don't want there to be such a stark difference that your spectators can follow one specific coin; but a little difference in appearance/wear/patina is okay. Remember, you are intimately familiar with those coins...but your spectators are not ever going to be, particularly when they're in motion. You notice minor nuances - they don't.

Now, personally, I've managed the slight sheen difference of the dollar sized Super Dish well - to where it has become my favorite set, even more than my Dean's Set. I have a safe full of silver dollars. I simply chose to replace one of the coins in the set with one that had a milled edge that more closely matched the [. BAM! Aesthetic concern, (which wasn't a problem - just a personal preference due to my own OCD kicking in), has been managed. Like I said before, the dollar set didn't show that distortion as much as the smaller, half dollars. I think that's probably logical. Not being a machinist or coin gaff creator, I can't say for sure, but it seems logical to me that a dollar [ will turn out better, having more surface area to work with when making those alterations.

Anyhow...the half dollar set isn't a problem for me, because, unlike the dollar set, the halfs I use aren't tarnished. They're all shiny. I know that isn't what most magicians like. ...But it eliminates the slight sheen/distortion issue on the edge of the [. Besides, I got the half dollars to try to use so that it's easier for female spectators to hold all four at the end of my routine than it is for them to close their hand around four silver dollars. Turns out that I've worked with dollars for so long now that half dollars are awkward for me; so this set will only come out of the safe when needed.

But Bob Swadling puts out an amazing, quality product and the coverage on the Super Dish, (available, as far as I know, only in the "Shell Shocked" set), is unsurpassed in any expanded [ I've seen on the market. Heck, it's better than any UN-expanded [ I have! In fact, I have a Swadling regular expanded [ from several years ago, that has better coverage than any other regular expanded [ I've owned or seen. I prefer his expanded [ to all my other expanded [s and I prefer his "Shell Shocked" "Deep Dish" to even my un-expanded sets! My un-expanded sets have become my 'back-ups', (and I have a few REALLY good ones by other custom, quality craftsmen), and my Shell Shocked set is what I use for paid gigs.

Basically, what I'm trying to say here is: Don't let the mention of 'distortion' keep you from getting the Shell Shocked set from Bob Swadling and Mark Mason. It's a quality set, any 'distortion' is logical considering what the coin goes through and not likely to be noticed by any spectator short of Rain Man; and I think you'll be blown away by the coverage the [ provides.

Oh...and one more thing: Not only is the coverage so good that I can show my Deep Dish from the side with a nested coin without worry of detection...but I can show the BACK of the nested coin and the [ still can't be seen. It doesn't bounce around, but it doesn't stick. It fits perfectly. And that's the case with both the dollar and the half dollar set; so I have to assume that my acquisition of such a good "[" wasn't a fluke. How many [s, expanded or un-expanded, can be shown top, sides and from behind, without worry of detection? Not many. This is a well-made prop.

You are spot on Bendy! Thanks for your clear and concise review. I love my Swadlings deep dish:-)