THE USE OF THE WAND IN PALMING

Conceal a number of coins in the left hand. As a quantity cannot be easily palmed, they must be held in the hand with the wand. If that is not handy, hold the flap of the coat; but care should be taken that the wand is at hand for this trick. Borrow a hat, taking it in the right hand (in which a solitary coin is palmed), and transfer it rapidly to the left in such a manner that the crown is always towards the audience, and the fingers holding the coins are inside.

The coins must not be jingled, or the trick will be exposed. Tell one of the audience that he must be very rich if he can afford to carry money about in such strange places as you perceive he does. Surprise will, of course, be expressed on his part, when you will fumble about in his hair, and eventually find the coin which you have had palmed. This is a much better method of commencing than merely saying, "I have here a penny." It is sure to amuse the audience, and put you on a good footing with them; besides which, it is always well to mingle as much with them as possible, as then people go home and say, "Oh! he came right down among us, and found money in people's heads," &c.

Also take care to find the money in an elegant and inoffensive manner. Having spun the coin in the air, in order to show that it is a real one, retire to the end of the room, as far away as you can, if the room is small, and hold the hat, still in the left hand, before you, with the crown towards the audience.

With the coin in the right hand, make a pass at the hat, palming the coin (Palm No.2), and letting one from the left hand fall. You will then appear to have passed the coin from the right hand into the hat, by way of the crown. Should the coin by accident fall on a soft place in the hat, and make no noise in so doing, shake the hat about to show that the coin really is inside, or no one will know what is supposed to have taken place.

Now advance a step or two, looking cautiously forward as if you saw something in the air, and suddenly make a dart out with the right hand, at the same time bringing the coin to the extreme ends of the fingers. The idea conveyed is that the coin has been caught in the air (Fig. 10). Pass it through the hat, letting another fall from the left hand, and shaking the hat so as to ensure the two that have been dropped jingling together, and find another in the air a little farther on. Proceed in this way till all the coins in the left hand are exhausted (varying the proceedings by occasionally finding one at your elbow or foot), and then show the hat with coins to the audience, a member of which will doubtless have "just one more" seated on the tip of the nose, which coin is put into the hat in the ordinary way.

The beginner should use shillings, seven or eight only in number, for this trick, although larger coins are certainly more effective at a distance. It is best to use two palms, viz., the finger palm when the coin is to be caught in the air or in the flame of a candle (a very pretty effect), as it is more readily brought to the ends of the fingers from that position; and either of the others (No.1 for choice), when the coin is to be found on the body or elsewhere. It is as well to occasionally pretend to put the coin into the hat in the ordinary way, instead of through the crown. Some conjurors object altogether to passing through the crown; but this is merely a matter of fancy.

It sometimes happens that the person in whose hair you find the first piece will, from his being a "funny man," or otherwise privileged person, ask you to give him back his property. Acquiesce at once with his request, of course after your own manner, which will be to palm the coin, and pretend to give it to him, much to his discomfiture.

In borrowing the hat, be sure that it hides the left hand in the act of being taken, so that any accidental exposure of the coins held there, which might occur through inexperience, will be covered. Also observe the greatest caution in dropping only one coin into the hat at the first pass. After the first coin has fallen, it does not matter if two or more are accidentally let fall at once, as the error could not be detected; but at the commencement it would be simply fatal to do so. Under cover of the hat it is easy to separate one coin from the rest for the first drop. If the number of coins is very limited, you must give the hat a short, sharp shake, which will serve in lieu of letting one fall; but only do this now and then.

This trick will be treated in an enlarged form, under the head of "Grand Magic." When any number of coins are required for any other trick, they should always be collected in this manner, it being a most effective method. Always take a step in advance each time a coin is found. For this reason the performer should stand well to the right on the stage on commencing.

CHANGE A COIN

Have a coin palmed in the right hand (Palm No.2), and procure a similar one, marked, which hold up to the audience by the left hand. Pretend to take it in the right, but let it fall into the hollow of the left hand the unmarked coin in the right hand being exhibited. In order to effect this daring change naturally and without detection, the thumb of the right hand must be passed through the ring formed by the thumb and forefinger of the left and the coin held between them, and the fingers closed well over the coin, which will appear to be grasped by them.

Now place the left hand under the table, the right hand remaining above. Covered by the action of bringing it on the table, execute Palm No.1 with the right hand, but keep the fingers formed as though they still held the coin, which you then pretend to lay on the table with a sharp click." This "click" is made by the coin in the left hand, under the table, in order that the illusion may be perfect. The right hand will then affect to rub the coin through the table, and eventually the one in the left hand, which has in reality never been out of it, will be produced.

The noise of rubbing is also made by the coin under the table, only it must not be continued too long; and care must be taken that the two hands act in perfect unison, as it will not do for the noise to continue when the action of rubbing with the right hand has ceased. This trick is not so difficult as it looks on paper, and is very effective. The whole trick consists in pretending to take the marked coin from the fingers of the left hand without doing so.

"PASS" A COIN INVISIBLY

Have a coin palmed in the left hand, and borrow a similar one from the audience, and have it well marked (always have coins marked where possible, "to prevent changing"). Make a movement as though you placed the marked coin in the left hand, but in reality palm it.

At the same time, open the left hand, and the coin that has been snugly concealed there will look as if it had just left the right hand. By this means a change is effected which you can utilise according to circumstances. By fidgeting about among the audience, you may be able to place the marked coin under one of them; the other coin being held by someone who is directed to hold it very high, sir, very high, so that everyone can see it "-the real object being to keep him from examining it too closely.

By standing the holder of the coin on a chair, an opportunity for slipping the palmed coin into his pocket presents itself, and should be taken advantage of. The marked coin being once safely hidden, it is an easy matter to palm the unmarked one (which, of course, the audience has been led to believe is the marked one) and make it "pass" invisibly to wherever the other may be. The conjuror's own coin should always be provided with a very distinct mark - a cross is invariably a safe one to employ - as it is rarely that one meets with people who can refrain from instituting an illicit investigation so soon as the conjuror's back is turned.

When the holder of the coin is seen to be surreptitiously examining it for the mark, the conjuror should not prevent him, but call the attention of the audience to the fact, and ask if the mark be visible. The holder, seeing the cross, will answer in the affirmative; he not being aware, of course, that the borrowed coin was possibly marked with a very different sign. This incident will add to the effectiveness of the trick.

In tricks a and b the wand will be found very useful. It should always be carried under the arm, after the manner in which soldiers carry their canes; and when any palm has been effected, and the coin has to remain concealed in the hand, the wand should be taken in the hand containing the coin. Beginners, especially, will find this of great assistance, as in the case of a somewhat defective palm the coin can be pressed well home by clenching the wand hard. Besides this, the fact of carrying a wand in the hand keeps the idea of the coin being there from the minds of the audience; and the mind is what the conjuror has to deceive.

A Maths Magic Trick

Step 1: You will need

a deck of cards a willing participant a calculator the universal truth of maths

1. Step 2: The trick

   Tell the participant that you're going to think of a card, the identity of which will be revealed later. Deal one card onto the table face down. Now give the deck to your participant. Tell them to think of a number card in their head as they look through the deck. Tell them not choose a picture card such as a king or an ace. Tell them to find this card in the deck and place it face down on the table next to the other face down card. Now hand them the calculator. This is where the maths comes in. Ask them to double the number of the card they chose. then to add 2, multiply by 5, and finally subtract 7 from the answer. Now ask them to reveal their answer. In this case it's 23. Now ask your participant to turn over the card they selected. It's the first digit of their answer. Now turn over your prediction card, it's the second digit of their answer. Magic? or .... maths?

2. Step 3: Maths

   The secret to this trick, is maths. The magician knows that with this special sum, whatever number the participant chooses, the answer will always end with a three. Knowing this secret, the magician need only select a three as his prediction card, place this face down on the table and the trick will always be a success. Apply the correct equation, and the result is guaranteed every time.

Red Or Black?

Effect: From a pack of cards spread face down on a table, you are able to tell which are red cards and which are black.
Secret: First separate the reds from the blacks. Bend all the red cards upwards. Bend all the black cards downwards. Mix the cards together. Spread all the cards face down on your table. Throw them down haphazardly and then invite a spectator to mix them up even more, so it is obvious they are not in any special order. Ask people to point to different cards and you can tell them if they are red or black by the way they bend.