The moves of transferring the coin from the back finger clip to the back thumb palm are made as you make an upward grab at an imaginary coin in the air. Feign disappointment as you open and show your hand empty.
Fix your eyes on another spot in the air even higher than before, then as you make a grab for it raise your thumb and allow the coin to slip into the clinched fist. Triumphantly open your hand and display the coin lying on your palm.
A simpler and easier method with less movement of the hand follows: Stand with your left side toward the spectators and display a half dollar between the tips of the first two fingers of your right hand as in The Thumb Palm, Fig. 2, or The Downs Palm, Fig. 2. Quickly lower, then raise your hand in a tossing motion, pretending to throw the coin upward into the air. Under cover of this movement, bend the first two fingers inward (in practically the same manner as you would for the thumb palm) and clip the coin behind the thumb. The main difference between this move and those used in the thumb palm is that the fingers must clinch tighter and the thumb must go under and not above the coin, Fig. 5. When the hand reaches its highest point it should be open and appear empty, Fig. 4.
Produce the coin as already described.
Another way of getting the coin into the back thumb palm is as follows: Stand with your right side toward the audience and display a half dollar between the tips of your right first two fingers, (The Thumb Palm, Fig. 2). Pretend to place the coin in your left hand but thumb palm it in your right, (the Thumb Palm Vanish, page 60). Close your left hand as if it actually held the coin, then swing to the right and show the right palm empty. It is under cover of this movement that the transfer of the coin from the thumb palm to the back thumb palm must be affected. Here are the moves: Bend the second finger inward, place its tip against the lower edge of the coin, then under cover of the swing to the right, push the coin upward between the thumb and base of the first finger and clip it in the orthodox back thumb palm.
This transfer is made while ostensibly showing the right hand empty, thus proving that the coin is actually in the left hand. Make no verbal comment as you do this—merely show the hand empty and turn your attention back to the left fist. Make crumbling motions with the left fingers, then open the hand and show it empty. Before attention returns to your right hand look up to your right and exclaim, “There it is!” Reach up with your right hand and produce the coin as already described, but do it with only one grab.
Chapter II. Basic Technique
The Bobo Switch • Utility Switch • One-Hand Switch • Shaw-Judah Coin Switch • The Click Pass (3 methods) • The Coin Flip • Change-Over Pass • The Bottom Steal • Producing a Coin from a Spectator’s Clothing • Taking Advantage of a Fumble (3 methods)
To gain a firm foundation in coin conjuring it is necessary that you learn certain basic principles. Some of these will be described in this chapter. Practice well and master every movement and you will be another step along the road to becoming a proficient coin operator.
THE BOBO SWITCH
One of the most valuable of all coin sleights is a good method for switching one coin for another. Here is one that I have used with success under all conditions for many years. It can be used as an effect in itself or as the means for accomplishing numerous other effects, several of which will be found in the chapters that follow. Learn this sleight and you will have a valuable tool that will serve you well as long as you do close-up magic.
For the sake of clarity suppose you learn this with two coins of contrasting color, such as a silver half dollar and a copper English penny. Have the English penny concealed in finger palm position in your right hand while you show a half dollar in your palm up left hand. Pick up the half dollar with the first two fingers and thumb of the right hand, toss it back into the left hand and close the fingers over it. Do this again. For the third toss, the switch is made and the copper goes into the left hand instead of the silver, yet there is no perceptible change in movement. Regardless of which coin is thrown, the action appears the same.
Instead of tossing the silver coin the third time, the copper one is tossed, as follows: Always hold the visible coin (silver) between the first two fingers and thumb, Fig. 1. When ready to make the switch merely open the second, third, and fourth fingers slightly, releasing the copper coin, but retaining the half dollar with the forefinger and thumb, Fig. 2. It will be noted at this point that the silver coin is completely masked from the spectators’ view by the ex-tended second, third, and fourth fingers. Only a slight movement is necessary to place the half dollar in finger palm position where it is retained. This should be mastered so that all moves blend into one action of merely tossing a coin into the left hand.
The sleight is not difficult but requires practice to make it undetectable. Performed correctly it is impossible for anyone—lay—man or magician—to tell that a switch was made.
Remember to close the left hand over the tossed coin each time, and throw the coin in even, consistent speeds—not too fast, yet not too slow, either.
If it is desired to finish with the copper coin in the classic palm position, this can be accomplished as follows: Continue up to the point shown in Fig. 2, but instead of finger palming the half dollar curl the fingers inward pressing the coin into the palm (with the aid of the two middle fingers) and immediately snap the fingers over the closed left hand, which supposedly holds the coin. It is the snapping of the right fingers which covers the move of palming the copper coin.
Master the method first explained, and this one will come easier later. This is the preferred method of the two because it leaves the fingers of the right hand free to pick up other objects or handle them in a natural manner.
The first and most important thing to remember about this exchange is that it must be made under cover of a natural gesture and carefully timed to coincide with an appropriate remark.
UTILITY SWITCH
Here is a move that is not only the basis of many coin transposition routines—it aids materially in accomplishing other effects as well. It is a dual purpose move in that it can be utilized to show a number of coins and still keep an extra one hidden.
Suppose you have three half dollars and want the spectators to know of only two. Have these two exposed in your palm up left hand, with one of them lying at the base of the two middle fingers in finger palm position. The right hand, with the third coin concealed in finger palm position, points to the left hand, Fig. 1. Call attention to the two coins in your left hand as you show them to the spectators on the left. Swing slightly to the right, retain the forward coin finger palmed in the left hand as you turn that hand inward and over and toss the other one into the right hand, which turns palm upward to receive it, Fig. 2. Show two coins in your right hand to the spectators on the right—one just received
