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've always liked the classic "magnetic coins" sequence, wherein

the magician essentially uses acting to make it appear as if
coins can be made to be magnetic, sticking to each other,
flipping over and repelling. 10 I first sa,.v this sequence from
a great coin man named Patrick O'Gorman at Magic, Etc in
Fort Worth, Texas. While mesmerizing, to me, it lacked a real
moment of magic and a clear ending.

10. Shoot Ogawa later released a DVD on applications to this idea called Laws
qfAttraction, which used everyday objects. The Basic lvfagnetic Coin Move is also
described in Bamboozlers (2008) by Diai:nond Jim Tyler under the name "Magnetic
Coins".
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 To create that missing ending, I've added a genuine moment
of magic that can't be explained by pantomime. It requires a
gimmick, but it lies in wait for so long, no one suspects its
presence. Plus, I feel devious knowing how ahead of things I
am, and how desperately far behind the audience truly is. It
plays as a bit tongue in cheek up until the very end, when the
magic sneaks up and genuinely surprises the audience.

Effect
Two coins become magnetic, attracting and repelling each other
in several different ways, culminating in one coin shooting
invisibly from one hand to the other.

Method Overview
This routine is built around a pantomime sequence with two
coins that creates the illusion that the coins are magnetic. As
I played around with the sequence, I found that adding a shell
to one of the coins doesn't change the sound produced by the
coins hitting each other. (One of the drawbacks of a shell
is how it sounds when hit by another coin, so, for an effect
built around sound, the ability to have a shell in play from the
beginning opens up a world of possibilities.) The addition of
a gimmick does require more care and additional handling to
keep it hidden, but I believe it genuinely magnifies the strength
of the routine. And while one might be tempted to add more
sequences that take advantage of the shell, I think using it
sparingly and right at the end maximizes the impact.

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 Needed
yf wo silver half dollar coins and a matching expanded shell.
(I find that dollar coins tend to be too big for the pantomime
sequence to be convincing and I prefer the sound that silver
coins make when the coins snap together.)

The explanation will assume your shell shows the head side of
the coin.

Moves
• Basic Magnetic Coin Sequence
• Ramsay Subtlety

The Basic Magnetic Coins Sequence

I recommend learning the basic sequence without the shell,
then adding it back when you're comfortable with the handling.

Hold a half dollar in each hand between the thumb and index
finger, holding the left hand's coin firmly and the right hand's
coin in a fairly loose grip. Figure 1, next page.

The clicking sound that creates the illusion the coins are
magnetic happens in three distinct beats.

Bring your hands together, resting the right edge of the left
hand's coin on the right index fingernail, and the left edge of
the right hand's coin on the left thumbnail. Figure 2, next page.
The left hand's coin is farther from your body.

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 Push your right hand forward until just the edge of left hand's
coin slides off your right index .fingernail and clicks against the
face of the right hand's coin. Figure 3.

Continue pushing your right hand forward until the left edge
of the right hand's coin slides off your left thumbnail and
clicks against the rear of the left hand's coin. Figure 4. These
two clicks create the illusion of the coins sticking together.

Holding the right-hand coin lightly, begin to pull it toward

you, allowing the edge of the coin to catch underneath the tip
of your left thumb, which still holds its coin firmly. Figure 5.

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Continue pulling the coin back with your right hand until it
snaps away from the left thumb. To enhance the illusion, make
sure the left thumb remains hidden behind the left coin. When
the coin snaps away there won't be a click, but it should still
snap back, creating the final moment of magnetic attraction.

When done at a fluid and consistent pace, the illusion is nearly

perfect.

Adding The Shell

Once you are comfortable with this sequence, add the shell to
the front of the left hand's coin. The handling remains the same

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 because the clicks come from the coins contacting each other,
not the shell. Also the tin-like noise associated with a shell is
avoided due to the firm grip of the left hand.

This is the sequence at the heart of the routine.

Setup
Begin with the coins in your right pocket, the shell nested over
the coin on the outside.

Choreography
Take the coins from your pocket and hold them in your curled
right hand, shell against the fingers. As you dump both coins
into your left hand, hold back the shell in right-hand finger
palm. Figure 6 is exposed for clarity.

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I land out the coins to be examined. Nothing has happened as
of yet, so no attention will be paid to your right hand.

Retrieve one of the coins and take it into your right hand,
the side of the coin matching the shell closest to your fingers.
As you reach for the other coin with your left hand, use the
1noment of misdirection to nest the right-hand coin into the
shell.

Move both coins to your right :fingertips, spread upward, the

shelled coin on top with the shell away from you. Both coins
should have the same side facing you. Figure 7.

"It's amazing what a little heat and friction will do to these old
silver coins. It's rather hard to explain, so let me just show you."

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 Holding the coins with your thumb on back and first and
second :fingers on the front, rub them together in a circular
motion. Do it slowly at first, and then increase in speed over
the course of 5-10 seconds. This is the aforementioned friction.

Take the shelled coin with the left hand, and then close each coin
into a fist. Exhale into both hands. This is the aforementioned
heat.

While it has nothing to do with the method, these actions

provide a source for the effect, shifting it from a neat trick into
a piece of magic.

The First Attraction

Shift the coins in each hand into position for the basic
magnetic coin sequence, but keep the hands a few inches apart.
Slowly bring the hands together, acting as if you feel something
between the coins.

"Ahh. Yes. I think it workedpeifectly. "

Perform the magnetic coin sequence 2-4 times to demonstrate

the coins have become magnetized. It's tempting do this
sequence many, many times, but I find it important not to over
prove your claim. You just want to convince the audience, then
move on.

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The First Repel
"'Ibey don't just attract each other with the strength ofa rare earth
111agnet, but they repel much the same."

In a moment the underside of the shelled coin will be briefly

exposed. Attention will be on the other coin, but the more
coverage the shell provides, the less of a chance the spectator
will notice the gimmick.

W ithout flipping it over, take the left hand's coin, shell side
down, onto the left fingers, holding the hand palm up. Clip the
coin between your first and fourth fingers, raising your index
finger up past the edge of the coin. This hides the edge of the
shell and reduces attention on the coin. Figure 8.

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 As your left hand moves its coin into position, openly flip the
right hand's coin over so that the tail side faces the spectator,
holding it between the tips of the thumb and first two fingers.
Turn the right hand palm up so the coins are parallel, and then
begin to move it toward the coin in the left hand. Figure 9. The
left hand's coin is tail side up while the right-hand coin has its
head side pointed upward.

Move the right hand closer to the left hand. When the coins
are roughly two inches away from each other, apply pressure to
the edge of the right hand's coin with your right thumb. This
causes the far edge of the coin to begin lifting upward. Figure
10. If done at the right speed, it appears as if the coins are
repelling each other. As you move the hands apart, release the
pressure and allow the coin to flatten out again. Repeat this a
couple of times to establish the illusion.
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On the last approach, move your right thumb out of the way
and allow the right hand coin to tip over your first and second
fingers and onto the shelled coin in your left hand. Figure 11.
It should appear as if the coin flipped over and was attracted to
the lower coin.

Clamp the coins together firmly and bring them up to chest

height with the head sides of both coins toward the spectators.
Apply pressure with both thumbs on the rear of the coins with
the fingers on the front, and then pull the coins apart, acting as
if it takes some effort to separate them.

The Visual Bounceback

Momentarily lower the hands palm up, displaying one coin,
head side up, on the fingers of each hand, the right hand holding

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 the nested coin shell side up. Using the left thumb, lift up the
back edge of the left-hand coin and push it to the fingertips to
display it, head side out. As you display the left coin, use this
moment of misdirection to use the right thumb to lift the back
edge of the shell off the right hand's coin, and then push it to
the fingertips to display it in the same way, retaining the real
coin in right finger palm. Figure 12 is exposed for clarity.

Perform the basic magnetic coin sequence, but with a softer

touch. Since the shell is empty and in the right hand instead of
the left, a harder snap will make a hollow tin-like sound. You
do not want this. Once the coins appear to have stuck together,
grip both with your right hand as you turn the hand palm down.
Since there is a coin finger palmed in your right fingers, take

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 advantage of the Ramsay Subtlety to show the hand empty as
the coins are being regripped. 11 Figure 13 is exposed for clarity.

Rotate your left hand clockwise and grip the real coin at the
fingertips, thumb on top and fingers belo,v. Once it has gripped
the coin, turn the left hand back toward you and rotate your
right hand away, pivoting the real coin around the shell so that
the tail side faces outward and is in position to slide inside the
shell. The left hand grips both the coin and the shell, the back
of the hand facing outward, the real coin closer to the body and
on top, held in place with the left thumb. Figure 14 is exposed
for clarity.

11. Ramsay Finger Palm, The Ramsay Legend(1969), p.3.

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 Both the visible coin and the one hidden in right finger palm
should have the tail side facing the spectator. The orientation of
the two coins is important because when one of them appears
to jump from hand to hand, the same side of the coin will be
visible both before and after it travels.

Move the hands roughly a foot apart from each other. As you
look up at the spectator to draw their attention away from the
coins, both hands begin to rotate palm down. Pull the coin into
the shell with your left thumb, while the right hand thumb
pushes its finger palmed coin into view. Figure 15. When done
properly, the coin should appear as if it has been repelled from
one hand to the other. This will take some time in the mirror to
get perfect, but the illusion it creates is striking.

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Shake Off
Because of the orientation of the shelled coin, you are in a
position to repeat the basic magnetic coins sequence you
performed at the beginning of the routine.Turn the right-hand
coin over, so the head sides of both coins face the audience.
Perform the magnetic sequence one or two times, and then stop
when the coins appear to have stuck together. Without visibly
moving the left thumb, shift just the tip so that it can clamp
down on the left edge of the right-hand coin, and then let go
with the right hand. Give the left hand a little shake, acting as
if the coins have somehow become even more attracted to each
other. As you shake the coins you should hear them clinking
together. Do this a few times to ensure the effect registers.
Figure 16, next page.

This is a quick moment, but a convincing one.

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 Through-the-Hand Cleanup
Turn the right hand palm down and hold it in a relaxed manner,
similar to the way it would appear when a coin is classic palmed,
which will shortly be the case. Figure 17. The coins should still
appear to be connected in the left hand.

Without letting go of it, place the edge of the unshelled coin

onto the back of your right hand. Apply pressure with your left
:fingers, and then allow the left thumb to move out of the way,
snapping the coin against the back of the right hand. With your
left second :finger, push against the coin on your right hand as
the thumb and :first :finger move the shelled coin away. Since
the coins are supposed to be magnetic, this should appear as if
it's taking some effort to separate the coins.

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"1his magnetism is even strong enough to attract through flesh and
bone."

With the left hand, openly press the shelled coin into right-
hand classic palm, shell against the skin. As you grip the coin
in classic palm, work a bit of flesh at the thumb base and on
the opposite side over the edge of the shell, which will prevent
the coin from falling. You may have to experiment to find the
right spot on your palm to place the shelled coin that will allow
you to retain the nested coin without unnaturally contorting
your hand. Keep your right hand as flat as you can, holding it
just below the spectator's eye level. Your right thumb is hidden
behind the hand, where the tension used to palm the shelled
coin can't be seen. Figure 18, next page.

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 Use your left hand to tip up the near edge of the coin slowly on
the back of the right hand until its surface faces the audience,
keeping the edge of the coin in contact with the hand. Lift the
coin and, as soon as it no longer touches the back of the right
hand, allow the shelled coin to fall onto the table, making sure
the shell stays in classic palm. Figure 19.

"Ifyou waitfor these to cool off, they should go back to normal "

You still have the shell in right-hand classic palm, but since
only two coins have been visible the entire routine, and both are
apparently on the table, there will be no heat on your hands. As
they examine the coins either casually place the shell into your
right pocket or wait until you take the coins back and load the
shell back onto one of them. This resets the effect for your next
performance.

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