Since this coin is carried buy most or all magicians, is it really a gimmick .i say no:
what is your take and explain..
vinny

Are you asking about a c/s coin?

If so, I would say yes.....and oh what fun you can have with one, two or 3 of them.


Harris
somewhere in Ishtar

I have to disagree. I would imagine anything that you can't hand out to a spec for complete examination would have to fall under the category of a "gaff". Most Coin Magicians own a shell and would not hand that out for the very same reason. I guess my opinion is "if you can hand it out and it gives away a major part of how the effect was possible ie. C/S spellbound change then hand out the C/S coin. It has to be considered a gaff and treated accordingly".

same would hold true with a double backer card or many other card gaffs card magicians use regularly.

I would also say it is of more importance, what one does with it, thanit's name.


Harris
still 2 old to know it all....

Oh the coin could be handed out //.....then taken right back , andit could be handed out with a bunch of other coins.
both sides can be shown in a casual manner. my point is that well all carry this is iour pockets and I never treat it as a gaff. I think it depends on ones mind set......

Yes it is a gimmick...here is a defintion

Full Definition of GIMMICK
1a : a mechanical device for secretly and dishonestly controlling gambling apparatus b : an ingenious or novel mechanical device : gadget
2a : an important feature that is not immediately apparent : catch
b : an ingenious and usually new scheme or angle
c : a trick or device used to attract business or attention


Some gimmicks can be handed out...The key is it is an unknown device that casues you to trick or fool or amaze the audience. even if you show the c/s to them when you are done it is still a gimmick.

This thread reminds me of my early days in coin magic.

I was known as someone who wouldn't use a gimmick/gaff.

Then I rang in one, and got lots of strange looks from magic friends. This was back in the 70's.

Harris
now and zen I get it right

Here is a example .. one of my pet routines
called california split http://youtu.be/ZjQYYFz_taE
vinny

ps once I hand the gaff coin out for examination it doesn't IMHO play like a gaff or gimmick

TM316 wrote

Full Definition of GIMMICK
1a : a mechanical device for secretly and dishonestly controlling gambling apparatus b : an ingenious or novel mechanical device : gadget
2a : an important feature that is not immediately apparent : catch
b : an ingenious and usually new scheme or angle
c : a trick or device used to attract business or attention

my def....
a it is not mechanical
b thcoin is handed out and it is fused together this takes the faffout of the question
it is not a new shceme or angle the coin is exactly what it is fused
cthis is not a devise to attract attention

You're right, it's an ordinary coin....I'll give you two quarters for that half dollar. What? You want that coin back? Here, have a dollar bill.

I'm with Jon. You guys are trying to defy logic. I don't care what you call it. It is what it is and its not what's not, and what it's not is an ordinary coin. Why do people feel so strongly that they "won't use gaffs" that they will pull a magic trick on themselves, in order to use one.

I agree with Jon and Joshua

Can we get a clear definition of "gimmick" first? Can we get a definition of "gaff" as well to avoid confusion?

I think it was on a David Roth DVD where he defines things thusly:
-a prop is something seen and fully comprehended by the audience (a coin, for instance)
-a gaff is something seen but not fully comprehended by the audience (a c/s coin, a shell, etc.)
-a gimmick is not seen by the audience (a pull, a holdout, etc.)

Roth is partially wrong. Gaffs are props. Coins are also props. A gaff is a type of prop, really.

His description of gaffs and gimmicks is correct.

In the context of the routine you posted, it is not a gaff/gimmick. However, since pretty much every other routine using it uses it as a gaff, I would call it a gaff coin.
Most magicians carry a TT on them, but that is most definitely still a gimmick!

When I first started coin magic, I never would have dreamed of using gaffs, but my view changed when I started to view an extra coin as a gaff. You could basically do Roth's shelled coins across with an extra coin instead, using lots of TP/GP and the concept behind the trick would be exactly the same - there is a little something they don't know about. (Sorry if that's going off topic; it's just something I've been pondering)

Okay, how about I give you a quarter for that mostly hollow one?

It's a prop in the show and might also be gaffed, and so act as the gimmick in a trick.

YES A shell is A Gaff!!!

It is a gaff, but not a gimmick.

Here's the difference between the two, as defined by T.A. Waters in his excellent book "Encyclopedia of Magic and Magicians":

A gaff is a common object that has been physically altered in some secret way to bring about a magical goal; e.g., a stripper deck

A gimmick as a secret device never seen by the audience, which contributes to a magical effect; e.g., a reel.

A C/S coin is definitely a common object that has been physically altered in a secret way to bring about a magical goal... thus meeting his definition of a gaff.

Jim

It is a galf for sure.
A tt is a gimmick.
Todd

But... Does it matter?.