What is a flipper coin??
Most magically yours,
WR

It is a gaffed coin. Troy Hooser's DesTROYers book has a lot of info on it. Garrett Thomas' new video "Any Questions" is supposed to have flipper coin work as well.

Just a side note: If you buy the Johnson flipper, it also comes with a magnetic half with a metal-lined blue-backed bicycle card for around $30. Quality of coins (Kennedy clads) are very good.

Regards,
Tony

Garrett Thompson's work with the flipper is freaking awesome!!!

I saw his work at the ibm convention this year and just freaking wow!!!

His video looks awesome too!!!

he does his ring thing on the video too....you must check it out.

What is the Garrett Thompson Video called?
I can't find it at my dealers.
Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks

Garretts video is called "Any Questions"
I saw this yesterday. It is a great video.
His finger ring trick is incredible looking. Although a 'knack' thing. He does do some Flipper Coin work and gives a great tip on how to open it up. I was more impressed with his Cig. Thru Quarter switch. And this killer flourish where a coin rolled down his arm like a basketball!
This video is definately worth buying.

Chad

Mike, you are probably looking for the wrong name, his last name is Thomas not Thompson. As I said in my first post, his video is "Any Questions".

Garrett is a maniac. The coin roll down the arm is something only a madman would attempt, and only a lunatic would perfect, (a lot like Michael Moshen's stuff)and that's not all of it.

The coin purse routine is excellent, and the Ring Thing is a real crowd-gatherer.

But the part that gets me is:

a)he told me he had come up with a way to do my "twist" switch without all the hard work and practice, and then

b)he fooled me with it.

That's the cig thru quarter switch, and that's only the beginning.

He is a very dangerous man and I think his flipper work would be extremely hazardous to your health. Proceed with caution.

I've never seen a Johnson product adverstised as the Flipper coin. I'm not sure what a Flipper coin is, but is this what you're talking about? Here's the ad:

"This effect is stunning. Two clear drinking glasses, a playing card and two Half Dollars are shown. The card is placed on the mouth of one glass and the second glass is set on top of the card. Both Halves are dropped into the upper glass and when they hit the card one coin passes through the card and falls into the bottom glass! The coins are dumped on the table and you have a clean finish."

Garrett is awesome. I saw him at the convention also.

Yes part of the gaffs on that trick is the Johnson flipper coin. I don't think Johnson markets it separately; you gotta buy that set.

My friend Wesley James stated it best:

What every coin worker should know about the "Flipper Coin" but never made the effort to ask:

I suspect we have all read and heard a great deal of late about the supposed "Flipper Coin," including on this board. Some go on at length about how well Todd Lassen makes them, others laud the ingeniousness of Troy Hooser's applications. I don't disagree, Todd's work is exceptional and Troy's applications include some clever ideas. I do take exception to the complete lack or acknowledgment of the inventor of the coin, without whom neither Todd nor Troy would likely be garnering praise.

Recently, during a phone conversation, David Roth and I were lamenting this matter. We both recalled that a number of years ago a coin for all intents and purposes identical to what is referred to as a "Flipper Coin" had been sold. We agreed it had been offered under a very different name, however, "The Swadling Coin." We decided to contact Swadling, who is still alive and quite well, to ascertain the history of the idea. I obtained a phone number for Mr. Swadling, whom I had only met on one occasion, and provided it to David who phoned him.

The result of that conversation, as reported to me, make the history rather straight forward and quite short, despite Josh Jay's published statement to the effect that he could not determine the origins. While the core concept can be found in Greater Magic and was later explored by David Roth (beginning on page 52 of his book "Expert Coin Magic"), the current implementation of the idea, as embodied in the "Flipper Coin," dates back less than 35 years. However often one reads statements suggesting its origins are lost in time, Bob Swadling created the concept of the coin, and a fair number of applications for it, in 1970. Soon thereafter, he began demonstrating and selling the coins in his lectures and allowed Ken Brooke to sell them as well. As I recall, the product Swadling sold was quite well made and beautifully packaged. That is the surprisingly short history of the gimmick cavalierly referred to as the "Flipper Coin."

I do not suggest Todd Lassen's craftsmanship is any less exceptional, nor that all the applications of the coin developed by Troy Hooser, Garrett Thomas or any of the others who have recently rediscovered the utility of the Swadling Coin were developed or even considered by Bob Swadling, though many were. What is relevant is that the man who shared the fruits of his creative mind, who provided the groundwork for the applications being rediscovered by today's coin workers and who constructed and sold a fair number of well-made, very useable coins implementing his idea is being ignored by those who are simply too lazy or indifferent to research the history of this seminal tool. As a result, many are reinventing ideas which already have older, better solutions. Through failure to investigate the history, they allow themselves the ego-gratification of falsely claiming their ideas as new but slow the progress of further development. Thus, those of us who are serious about the craft we practice in our magic are harmed by the indolence and self-serving ignorance of those who fail to meet their obligations to the community from which they seek acknowledgment. We can best encourage a change in this attitude by deploring such behavior and scorning those that embrace it.

I've written it before but none of us will get rich by sharing our ideas with the magic fraternity. None of us will achieve true fame or celebrity, however ingenious our ideas. At best we may earn a small remuneration for creating products that contribute our ideas to others. It is an extremely small price to expect that a reasonable effort be made to investigate the history of the ideas that enable us to perform. Toward that end, in the future, it is not much to ask that the idea now enjoying such popularity be referred to by its proper name, the name chosen by its inventor.

Put out the word, the supposed "Flipper Coin" is actually the "Swadling Coin," the invention of England's clever Robert Swadling.
Wesley James

I see so many different companies make the same coin gaffs and tricks. Hopping halfs, sotch and sodas, shells, locking coins, etc. I'm curious, do any of these other coins credit any inventor?

Randy
WOW!! that was very interesting. I think that post and research is incredible. I thank you for taking the time to do that. I have always been curious. Now I know this was a very advantageous post you made. I will thank you for that sinceely.

Bob Swadling still manufactures and sells the 'Swadling Coin' under the title of "Double Deception", absolutely superb outfit!!
Sadly Bob has not yet joined the 'cyber world'.

gilbreath, many of the other gaffs are as old as the hills, you can find an early description of a shell coin and a double face coin in Reginald Scot's "Discoverie of Witchcaft" from 1584.

"A NOTABLE TRICKE TO TRANSFORME A COUNTER TO A GROAT.

"A magician must have a full assortment of trick coins and the like, but he must be careful lest he forget which are which and spend the wrong coins."

Thanks, Reed - - - but "credit" for the "credit" work goes to Wesley James and David Roth.

And, Robert Swadling!

Mr. Wakeman, thanks for sharing the history of the Swadling coin.

It's not often that I read a post that really opens my eyes to the history of magic.

I'm certain there are many of us who would have credited Mr. Swadling, if only we had known.

So now we know. I also appreciate the research and scholarship reported by Mr. Wakeman. Not a day goes by that someone doesn't "invent" something "new," when a study of magic literature would have shown that the principle was already thought of somewhere else. I like the authors and "innovators" who give as much credit as possible. All of us stand on the shoulders of giants, as the saying goes, and we need to give proper credit, especially when most of the creators in Magic do not receive monetary compensation in proportion to their contributions.

I come up with what I think are great, original thoughts all the time, only to discover through an online search, or a perusal of my library that I was not the only one with the idea. On one hand it can be very discouraging, and on the other, sort of amazing to realize how many of us get on the same wavelengths of "inspiration."

Unfortunately, I just printed a book on coin magic containing an effect with the "Flipper." Thankfully, it was a small print run--future runs and editions will have the proper credit inserted.