I have never used the $100 bill switch alot, because I just could not see past the illogical aspect of the routine.

You borrow a small denomination from someone, magically turn it into a $100.00 bill, then , illogically, after you have multiplied the money for the spectator, you inevitably turn the hundred back into a piddly litlle one dollar bill and hand it back to the spectator.

Not the nicest of things to do.
Seems more logical to me, to start with a large bill then make it shrink, then grow back, then hand it to the specator.


What are your thoughts on this ?

I think you are right, although I have never been a fan of bill switches. Mostly because it seemd stupid to have it change, then have to change it back.

I think Jeff Ezell had a great idea (although it has been done before I saw him do it first). To start with a blank piece of paper and change it into a bill.

It opens up the door for many LOGICAL presentations.

Chris

I think the whole attraction to a bill switch is that it teases the spectator just a bit. When I first had the bill switch performed on me the magician asked if I had a twenty dollar bill. I was hesitant at first but he persuaded me to hand it over. He then asked me what 20 times five was (as he folded the bill five times). I replied 100. He then showed me that my twenty had turned into a one hundred dollar bill. The magician asked if I wanted to keep it and as I went to grab it he said, "No? Okay." And then changed it back to the twenty.

If he had started with a blank piece of paper it surely wouldn't have had the same effect because the paper was not mine and therefore had no value to ME.

As for the shrinking of the money, I still don't feel the effect would be the same because who would want "less" money?

IMHO the Mis-made bill is the only one that makes sense in this context.

The first magician I saw do a bill transformation was Doug Henning. He framed the routine nicely, he'd to borrow a dollar bill, then offer to buy the bill from the owner for two dollars. In case anything happened to the bill, the owner was covered and made 100% profit.

The bill now belonged to Henning who promptly turned it into a $100 bill and pocketed it.

After I saw Dan Garret do his Bill switch routine at a lecture I have never gone back(good thing since someone stole my 100 dollar bill too )

It is a great routine, where you have a spectator rip up their own money(priceless laughter), then you restore it into a torn mis-made bill.

Then you take back the torn bill and fix it, only the bill you hand back is really ripped and fixed with tape!

While it is true this isn't so much a bill switch as a ripped and restored bill type routine, it never fails to get great reactions, it makes complete sense, and if you were so inclined, you could do it with 5 dollar bills and expect to get quiet a bit of tips with that bill. I think it is partly due to the fact that once the specatator has ripped up the bill they are less connected with it, and the fact that the final bill is only taped instills a sense that it is worthless. and the fact that it is in your hands helps...

Also the bigger the bill, the funnier the ripping part is, although if you want to make a mismade 5 or 10, you will have to buy a whole sheet which can be expensive($5 is the most I've done). The good part is you can salvage most of the sheet and use as real money.

I also like the plot a lot more, as changing the value of the money creates a lot of logical problems, while doing it this way is very justified and logical.

Wow! This thread is just starting, and allready my head is swimming with new presentational ideas!

WellDaffydoug -
if you like bill switch routines check this thread out:

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......3&33

Sure got my Imagine running...
Jack.

Taking a five and turning it into a one and a pile of quarters is cute.

I've used the bill switch when I get a tip.

Up in canada, are lowest bill is the 5 so when I get one of those for a job well done I tell them that I love it when I get bills for a tip, then use Richard Sanders visi-bill to turn it into a 20.

They don't ask for it back, (they gave it to me for a tip), and the old saying it takes money to make money would really apply to this effect.

Also, you don't have to change it back to the five. So the switch makes sense.

I may have posted this elsewhere, but it is worth mentioning again. Several years ago, the story was circulating that a magician had borrowed a one dollar bill and changed it into a hundred. The spectator would not return the hundred to him.

So he took it to court. Even after he explained how the trick worked to the judge, he lost the case. Perhaps the judge's reasoning was that the magician said he would change the spec's bill into a hundred.

Three lessons. Don't make promises you can't keep. Don't give the spectator your hundred. Don't expose.

Better idea. Borrow a twenty or a hundred. Change it to a one. Then change it back. You won't ever lose a bill that way.

When I saw Roger Klause do it the first time, he changed a 1 into a 20. It was quite effective -- perfect work in his hands.

Daffydoug,
I always felt the same way as you, about the bill switch, until recently. I have been using this routine to great success, for about a year, now.

Show an empty purse, and a reason for showing it. Toss it on the table. Borrow a large bill($5 or more). Have it marked for identification. Change it to a one dollar bill. Thank them for their time. Bow and say goodbye. Milk this moment. After spectator sweats for a short time, show that the bill is now in the purse, which has been in full view. Have spectator unfold it and show his mark.
I love this routine, and after putting the bill switch on the backburner for a long time, it is now a regular in my repertoire.

Eric Grossman

At the end of a perpetual coins routine/misers dream I end by changing my one dollar bill into a hundred. It's also kept me out of court.

John Carney's Logical Bill (found on the Coin Classics, Vol 1 video) is a great coin effect that culminates in a bill switch for its climax. You use your own bill so there's no danger of the spectator claiming it for their own.

A good presentational approach is this: When you borrow the bill, tell the spectator,"I promise no harm will come to your bill. I give you my word that I will return this bill in the exact condition I borrowed it. Fair enough?". Then do the switch, and act like you are going to give the $100 bill to the spectator, then retract your hand and say,"But wait just a second, I said I would return your bill in the exact same condition, and it wasn't a hundred when you loaned it to me, was it?". The spectators will insist that it is OK and they will "accept" the bill in its changed condition. Then say,"Oh no, I am a man (or woman) of my word. All I have to do is fold it four times and it returns to its exact original condition". This presentation works really well, and it adds a little comedy without making the spectator look foolish.

Another presentation for paying gigs is to change a one to a five and let the spectator keep the five. This creates a really strong impression on the audience.

By the way, the first presentation I gave above will also keep you out of court.

People will sue for anything theses days!

A great line for the in the pocket switch... You ask, "Is this the bill you GAVE ME?" When they answer, "Yes." You put the bill in your pocket and say, "Thanks, I'll have it back next Thursday."

This gets a mild laugh, but covers the work. You switch in your pocket on the laugh and bring out the other bill.

The first magician I saw do a bill transformation was Doug Henning. He framed the routine nicely, he'd to borrow a dollar bill, then offer to buy the bill from the owner for two dollars. In case anything happened to the bill, the owner was covered and made 100% profit

A great presentation if you can afford to lose a buck on every performance! Another way to do it would be to borrow a 10 or 20 dollar bill and change it into 2 5's or 10's...hand them to the spectator and go on to your next miracle!

Mike

That's nothing.

Steve Cohen borrows a spectator's bill, changes it into a hundred ... and gives 'em the hundred.

Oh!!! That sounds really good! Ha! I guess I'm going to have to go and re-learn bill switches now.

Chris

Yeah, But his show costs $50 per person