Can anybody tell me if they think the Siver Eagle dollar coins would be ok for manipulation? They are an ounce of pure siver and, I believe, 1 3/4 inches in diameter, I know Morgan dollars, which are also 1 ounce of silver, are often used and are slightly smaller than Silver Eagles. On this basis, I assume the Silver Eagles must be at least as thin as the Morgan dollars, since they are the same weight, they are also beautiful coins. Please let me know what you guys think.

peter

What sort of manipulation. Several coin sleights require thin coins, and a large stock of tem.

I would imagine rollouts etc. would be very difficult with 1oz. coins.

It depends on what you are doing with the coins, but I think it would be very nice if you could come up with a routine involving these coins. Very visual!

I use some walking liberty 1 ouncers....and I love it.

Thanks Kevin and Astinus. I guess the Miser's Dream routine would be a good place to start! I think Silver Eagles are such a beautiful coin, I'd love to do something with them! Morgan's are about $35 to buy, but 2004 Silver Eagles are $9.75 and they look much nicer than manipulation coins! What do you guys think?

peter

Doing the miser dream. You can use real money if you go into the audience and pull coins from their ears and tie, etc.

They are great for coin rolls and spreads. But to use them to pluck from the air and throw in a container, why not use palming coins.

There is nothing wrong with using real money for one effect and palming coins for another. That is what Ron McMillian in his book Coin Manipulation discribes.

It seems you are really caught up in silver content, this has nothing with entertainment. None of the spectators will say, "A one once silver eagle plucked from the air".

If you are doing 3 fly, then these coins may help if they are worn down enough.

Bill

You are right, Bill, and I understand fully what you are saying. I guess the silver content is an added attraction for me, but they are beautiful coins too and would be nice to own. Another consideration is cost. Manipulation coins at $3.50 per coin are, well, worthless. I live in England, if you guys in the States doubled or trebled the price of everything you buy then you will understand how much things cost in England! For me, buying beautiful Siver Eagles at $9.75 is the equivalent of you guys buying manipulation coins at $3.50! Silver Eagles here cost $28. So, I'd rather buy coins of lasting value than coins that have no value, provided that there were no technical reasons why I couldn't use them for some or most manipulation routines. Bill, I respect your knowledge and advice and I often read your posts on other topics.

peter

The Silver Eagle is an absolutely beautiful coin. It is large and it reflects light well, which means that it is very visible. There is no good reason why it will not work for you as a manipulation coin for much of your coin work. Because of the thickness you will Downs Palm almost two-thirds less coins than dollar size palming coins. I get 3 palming coins in the space that one Silver Eagle takes.

They work as well as any dollar size coin for roll-downs or finger rolls.

Todd Lassen can make you any number of gimmicks (including the gimmick needed for U3F if you know the routine) in Silver Eagles.

I use Silver Eagle’s for a number of effects including a Three-Fly (U3F gimmick not made yet), coins to glass (stage work), the Wally Dean Misers Dream (in Bruce Elliott’s “The Classic Secrets of Magic”, coins through table, and a couple of Roth coin box routines (I have dollar size coin boxes), a matrix routine, and a number of others.

I wonder, is there a Euro coin that is about the same size? If I lived in Europe, I’d probably use Euros.

Harry

I really appreciate your comprehensive reply and, like you, I think Silver Eagles are gorgeous! I will certainly buy some now and use them where appropriate. The U3F looks really impressive and maybe it would be useful to know how much the gimmick would cost for Siver Eagles. Silver dollars in England have a romantic appeal and reminds people of the Wild West, which is why I was keen to use them in some way.
As for Euros, the biggest Euro coin is a 2 Euro piece which is only 1 inch in diameter, it's a nice coin which has a brass colored centre and a silver surround, here's a link http://www.euro.gov.uk

Regards

peter

Peter,

Thanks for the Euro coin link!

If you want to have gimmicks made for the Flying Eagle contact Todd Lassen. Todd has acquired some old British dollar sized “Crowns” and can make a nice C/S coin with Flying Eagle on one side and the Crown on the other or even a Scotch and Soda set from the Flying Eagle and Crown. The two make a nice contrast.

Here is a link to his web site:

http://www.toddlassen.com/test.htm

Harry

Thanks for your help, it's nice to know that beginners like me can get support and advice from experienced magicians. I have had a passion for magic since I was a kid and thanks to you guys I feel I can learn a great deal, become part of the magic community, and, uphold it's ethics and traditions that are fundermental to it's success. I am glad to be a part of the Magic Café! Incidently, Harry, I have ordered an uncirculated mint sealed roll of 20 Silver Eagles, I can't wait to handle them!

peter

Out of interest, where from?

Kevin

Here's the link http://www.SilverCoinsDirect.com

Thanks, they look nice! Have fun manipulating them, I'm tempted to order some...

Peter,

Great! You’ve got a good investment in magic props there. See if you can find a copy of Bruce Elliott’s “Classic Secrets of Magic”. It has Wally Dean’s version of the “Misers Dream” which is perhaps one of the best versions of the Misers Dream in print. It uses only 11 coins and people will swear that dozens were produced.

Also look for Danny Korem’s “Korem Without Limits”. It has a stage version of a "Coins to Glass" (coins across) that is very good. Plus it has a good explanation of a four-coin roll down (with photo illustrations!).

Have fun!