Читать книгу Modern Coin Magic - J. B. Bobo - Страница 65

Who would suspect the magician of disposing of a vanished coin in a spectator’s pocket? Yet, this is exactly what is done. In each instance the coin is secretly deposited in a helper’s breast coat pocket. Here are three methods.

(a) Display a coin lying in the right hand on the two middle fingers in position for back palming. The left hand turns palm down over the end of the right fingers and pretends to take the coin, but it is back palmed with the right hand. (See The Back Palm, page 28.) The left hand is closed while the palm of the right hand appears empty. This should be done right under the nose of the observer for the action that follows. “Would you mind standing back a little,” remarks the wizard, gesticulating with the right hand. In this movement the performer’s hand nears the spectator’s breast pocket, and the coin is tossed therein, from the back of the right hand, Fig. 1. The distance the coin is thrown depends on the skill of the operator. Even if the spectator’s coat is touched in this tossing motion he does not notice it, or pays little attention to it. The coin is disposed of in a natural movement, gesturing for the spectator to move back.

Instead of actually tossing the coin into the spectator’s pocket you can deliberately drop it in from the back of the hand as you give him a gentle push backward. If the spectators should notice the move they would not see anything wrong because they would see an empty palm as the secret deposit was made.

This may seem dangerously daring at first, but experience will bring confidence. Soon the subtlety can be executed with nonchalance. The move will pass unnoticed if done smoothly, without haste, but without delay.

Finally, the left hand is opened and shown empty.

The vanished coin should not be immediately reproduced from the spectator’s pocket, but recovered later, in a more subtle manner, after a few other effects have been performed. In due course you direct the spectator to hold his hands together in a cupped fashion over his heart while you display another coin. Explain that you will cause the coin to travel from your own hands to those of your helper so fast the eye will be unable to follow it. Vanish the coin in your best magical manner, but when the assistant opens his hands they are empty. Apparently you have failed, but then you remember, “Maybe the coin went so fast it missed your hands altogether. Perhaps it is in your breast coat pocket; would you please see.” The spectator extracts the coin from his pocket.

The entire effect is greatly enhanced if the original coin is a borrowed half dollar. It is marked for future identification and vanished as explained. A duplicate coin is magically reproduced instead of the marked coin, and it in turn is vanished. It is this coin that you attempt to pass into the spectator’s hands, and fail. Then when the spectator extracts the missing half dollar from his pocket and identifies it, you have a superb magical problem indeed.

(b) In this method the prestidigitator drops the coin into the assistant’s breast coat pocket from the right thumb palm.

The coin is vanished in any manner that leaves it retained in the right thumb palm. It is from this concealment that it is dropped into a spectator’s pocket. The performer requests the spectator to move back a little so the others may get a better view. He gently pushes back the nearest observer under this pretext, and disposes of the thumb palmed coin in his pocket in the action.

It will be found that a coin in the right thumb palm protrudes from the hand at the perfect angle for dropping it into an onlooker’s pocket. In this instance the coin is not tossed, but merely allowed to fall into the spectator’s pocket, as he is given a gentle nudge backward.

The coin is later recovered using the ruse explained in method (a).

(c) Wallace Lee Method.

After you have performed several sleights with a half dollar, and the spectators are convinced you are using only one coin, steal another from a clip underneath the coat, or from a pocket, and keep it concealed in the right hand. Face a spectator. Ask him to come a little closer, and as if to encourage him, hook your right fingers over the top of his outer breast coat pocket and gently pull him toward you. The coin should be near the ends of the fingers and held in this position by the tips of the first and fourth pressing together against its edge, Fig. 2. As you pull the spectator toward you, drop the half dollar into his pocket, at the same time taking his hand and placing it over his pocket, instructing him to keep it there so nothing can get in.

During this action let the other coin be plainly seen in the left hand. Since the spectator still sees the original coin he is aware of no other, and he never dreams that a coin has been loaded secretly into his breast pocket.

Announce that you will cause the coin to fly into his pocket and caution him to hold his hand tightly over the pocket opening lest you slip it in when he isn’t looking. Vanish the half dollar and pretend to cause it to penetrate the bottom of his pocket. Tell him to see if the coin has arrived, and while he is fumbling to get it out, either sleeve or pocket the other one.

The trick takes boldness and plenty of it, but what a surprise it creates!