Another thing that I am quickly learning is that there is a noise issue with coins that has to be overcome as well. This issue is adding to the hours of practice. Not so much with sponge balls.

Partially. I was responding to a statement about knowing what people think after they walk away, and, by extension, what they might say later if asked.

Certainly, spontaneous reactions and comments can be vital in appraising how much one appreciates what has occurred.
These might even suggest that they find the effect astonishing. But, is the conclusion the desired ,"must be magic?"

"being fooled" is not a desirable result. Asking a person what they thought or experienced after observing an effect may not reflect with they actually felt on an emotional level.

They may tell you what you wish to hear or mask their vulnerability in some way. What if the applauded because they were glad you were finally finished?

Several notable authors have written about developing your intuition and selecting effects appropriate to a particular audience. Worth a read.

Profound thoughts, wwhokie1. As I do not find sponge balls (in their hands) to be very magical I should not do them, and don't.

I don't find a lot of coin effects very magical either, so I don't do them. It is not a matter of "presentation" but whether or not the object used stands in the way of an experience of real magic. ( so that is what magic looks like)

I repeat my suggestion that one should focus on learning sleights and methods for small object, and leave the decision of "which one" to the setting and audience.

The moment you focus on the unique attributes of an object as the basis of the magic you risk missing the best effects possible.

By analogy, heating up a TV dinner is easier than baking a scratch cake. For me only the cake is "cooking." The other is food mechanics.
Any amount of oo's and ah's over the TV dinner will still not make it cooking.

I wonder if any adult finds either sponge balls or coins "magical." My guess is that absolutely everyone knows it's sleight of hand, and even if they don't see the moves, they know the moves are happening. They may be thrilled and surprised, but I can't imagine anyone is fooled by them. Or linking rings, or cups and balls, or sawing a woman in half, etc., etc., etc. I think people do coins and sponge balls for the easy impossibility of the effects, and do not expect anyone to think it is magical. We are way too sophisticated a society for something so simple -- and something we all grew up seeing -- to be seen as magical. Among the simple tricks that can be done, NFW may be seen as magical, but coins are not. What child in America has not had some uncle produce a coin from his ear?

There is a big difference between "being fooled" and having an experience of magic. The difference is whether the observer feels any need to resolve the puzzle of mystery,
or can just file the warm-fuzzies away in a memory box with other inexplicable phenomenon.

You are in for real delight when you first produce the conditions in which the spectator converts astonishment to magic in their mind.
It has nothing to do with sophistication -- our brain is wired for magic. Get a copy of "Magic of Mind" with articles by famous magicians on the subject. Talk to McBride.

Our job is not to demonstrate impossible things, create puzzles or fool people. Our art is to create the conditions in which they accept that no other solution is possible except magic.
It is process that occurs "below rational thought" in the orbital sub-cortex and limbic systems. They will not remember how Uncle Fred produced a coin,
but can return to the sense of awe and wonder they experienced the first time.

"something we all grew up seeing" -- means (to me) that you have never seen a good magic performance. If you do not KNOW it is possible to create this condition, then you never will.

Does this mean that you do "real magic?" NO! It means that you demonstrate what magic would look like if it were real. The spectator completes the process because they want to believe in magic.

They may go away saying to their spouse, "I can figure out how it is done," but inside they prefer not knowing over destroying the illusion that they personally can conquer death or fearsome obstacles in life.

Wait until after ten years they describe an effect you never did at all -- something better and more magical than any effect you have mastered.

You never "do magic" -- you allow it to occur.

As an example from "Magic of MInd"

"When we begin in magic, we are fascinated by method. Although possessed of a budding desire to share the experience of magic 􏰙􏰄􏰅􏰈􏰆with others,
􏰆 􏰙􏰉􏰆at first we do magic primarily for ourselves, to satisfy our desire for power and control, and fill the􏰁􏰑􏰊􏰆 appetite for secret knowledge.
Eventually, if we are fortunate, we learn to serve the audience’s needs as a way to serve our own,
transcending our self-absorption and transforming the use of magic as a bludgeon into the use of magic as a gift of experience."

Jamy Ian Swiss
􏱆􏰋􏰏􏰍􏰆􏰘􏰋􏰂􏰆􏰥􏰙􏰄􏰃􏰃􏰎􏰆􏰨􏰳􏰋􏰇􏰇􏰃􏰆􏰕􏰉􏰊􏰃􏰑􏰃􏰆􏰥􏰡􏰄􏰌􏰌􏰎􏰪

Coins are great because you can pretty much always do an impromptu performance. You might want to try learning some sleights that can be applied to both and learn them in parallel.

Sponge balls are better and easier to control bybeginner, I think coins are hard works and need plenty of time to practice.

About the two above messages: I had a friend -a Pro- he walked into a Night Club for a week long gig- all he had was a small lunchbox size case - the Club Mgr. said NO WAY- my friend said, just try me for tonight- He went on with 'only' coins-spongeballs-cards-cigerets(you can use tootsyrolls)- after the performance he got a months gig at TOP Money. SIMPLE. Ralph(russo)Rousseau

To answer the OP from another beginner point of view (roughly 4 months training) I prefer to use coins as they are more challenging. They make noise, slip, flash, etc. more than the balls, and as such they give me a better feeling when I feel that the sleight is slowly being acquired.
But the balls are amazing tools, and more "rewarding" because they are easier to manage. But that's a personal idiosyncrasy, not a general fact.
I would suggest doing both.

As to the question "which is more magical" I'm really not sure either have an intrinsic magical value. It depends on the routine, the presentation and such. As much as I love coin magic, a coin across is a sleight of hand display to me, not a real magical performance. But so are most of C&B routines I've seen. On the contrary a well-managed two balls routine can feel magical, as can for instance David Roth's "The Funnel" routine.

It depends on the magician, I believe.

Then again, it's just my opinion.

I would agree on starting with slights that work for most small objects....like getting comfortable with finger palms and a perfecting oen of the many transfer-style vanishes.

I'd only add one other consideration; as has been pointed out, you can certainly work on both simultaneously . However, if it really is an "either-or" decision for you I would lean toward coin work for a more theatrical reason. Everyone is familiar with coins. They make assumptions about how normal they are...they are the quintessential "every day" object and therefore make great props for magic. That is less true for coins out of circulations (like half dollars and Eisenhower dollars), which theatrically speaking need more justification, but they still are reacted to as more familiar than sponge balls.

Sponge balls are not looked at the same way....they are somewhat unusual - don't exist in the day-to-day world, and are obviously a prop. That doesn't mean they basic sponge ball effect is not amazing to an audience, but it takes a bit more work to give a premise and point to their use. So if you are going to approach one or the other first, I'd go with the wider variety of material coins gives you - especially in impromptu magic - and go with sponge ball work second.

Don't overthink this. Do both.

I find for spectators, IN GENERAL, men prefer coins, women and children prefer sponges.

Gaffs, props etc is really irrelevant. Once you are using anything beyond a quarter the coin is suspect. Seriously, who walks around with Morgan dollars in their pocket, or even Kennedy halves.

All spectators with half a brain will recognize it is sleight of hand, be it sponges or coins. (That's why gaffed coins are fantastic, in moderation!) Yes, I try to keep the illusion of magic, but seriously, we are only fooling ourselves.