6. THE COIN AND SILVER BOXES
Effect. A marked coin is borrowed and the owner is given a purse to hold as security. The coin vanishes, and the spectator finds a small packet in the purse. Unwrapping this, he finds: first, several silks; then some yards of ribbon wound round in all directions; and finally a small silver box, closed by rubber bands, and inside it another little box, which is locked. When this second box is unlocked, he finds, inside it, his marked coin.
Articles required. The two small boxes. the innermost one of which is self-locking when the lid is closed—and a coin slide; these can be obtained at a magic store. Three or four yards of inch-and-a-half ribbon, several silk handkerchiefs, a duplicate coin, a penknife, a sheet of paper about five inches by four, a glass, a box of matches, and a purse with a drawstring.
Preparation. Put the small box inside the other, place the end of the coin slide inside the inner box, and close the lids as far as they will go. Stretch several small rubber bands round the boxes both sideways and length-ways, so that on the withdrawal of the slide they will force the lids down. Now wrap the ribbon round the boxes until they are completely concealed, but let the outer end of the coin slide protrude. Do the same with the silks, and finally stretch several small rubber bands round to keep the parcel intact. Place it in the purse with the end of the slide protruding; pull the drawstring tight to keep the slide in position; and put the purse in your inside breast pocket, the mouth of the slide upwards. Finally scratch a mark—a cross, for example— on the duplicate coin; put it with the knife in your right trousers pocket, the matches in the left trousers pocket, the glass and the paper on your table.
Routine. Borrow a coin of the same denomination as yours; take it, letting it be seen that your hands are empty; then, as an afterthought, hand it back to the owner to be marked with your knife, which you take from your pocket and hand to the spectator. This done, take the knife back, return it to your pocket, and seize the opportunity to palm the duplicate marked coin in the finger palm. Work the single-hand change in the manner described in the preceding trick, and drop the substitute coin in the glass on your table.
Turn to the owner of the coin and, pretending to think he looks worried about his property, offer to give him security for it. Grasp the left side of your coat with your left hand; thrust your right hand into the breast pocket; slip the coin into the slide; withdraw this, letting it fall into the pocket; and bring out the purse, holding it by the drawstring and pulling it tight. The left arm aids in the withdrawal of the slide by pressing the purse against the body.
Hand the purse to the owner of the coin to put in his pocket.
Take the piece of paper and the coin from the glass. Place the coin against the middle of the paper and fold the lower third upwards over it, then the upper third down, and finally the ends inwards—wrapping up the coin securely (Fig. 32). Pretending to overhear an objection, open the paper, take out the coin, thrust it close to a spectator’s eyes as you say, “You see the mark?” Then place it again on the paper, turn the lower fold upwards, the coin and the fold being toward your body and in the left hand. Lift the coin out of the fold and show it once more; replace apparently in the fold but really on the outside; fold the top down over it, then the ends. It would seem that the coin has been wrapped up fairly; really it is on the outside but covered by the end folds. Squeeze the paper round the coin, so that an impression is made in the paper; let the coin be felt and knock it against the glass. Finally let it slip secretly into your left hand, take the packet with the right hand, and thrust the left hand into your trousers pocket. Leave the coin there and bring out the matches. Set fire to the paper and let it burn away completely.
It only remains to make the most of the situation. You may apologize to the owner for the loss of the coin, try to borrow another, and so on. Finally you recall that he holds a security. Let him take out the purse and open it; unwrap the silks and the ribbon, revealing the outer box; then from this remove the inner, locked box. Hand him the key and for the climax have him identify his coin.
The trick is a modern version of the old ball-of-wool trick, the unwinding of which was too tedious an operation for modern audiences. In its present form it is one of the most mystifying tricks possible.
Website Content: © Copyright 2024 by Trickshop.com.