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Like A Hole In The Hand
by Christopher David

Christopher David is a working magician from St. Louis, MO. His close-up and stage magic has delighted audiences young and old for 15 years. Interested in all aspects of performance art his specialty is coin magic.

Editor's Note: Please notice that all photos in this description are "exposed" views). -S

So like any good student of sleight-of-hand, I'm practicing some moves from my Best of Jay Sankey tapes. During my fumbling of Jay's Mr. Clean Coins Across, I had a half dollar back clipped in my right hand. I did not have a very strong grip and the half dollar ended up slipping out and falling directly onto my close-up mat. I looked down to see where the coin went and saw that the coin landed perfectly under my open right hand and it could not be seen. I moved my hand to the right and there was the shiny half dollar staring back at me as if it had just appeared there.

This led me to start practicing a controlled drop of the coin onto the mat. What it ended up being was more of a placement on the mat. After picking up many coins off the floor I came up with a short coin routine that is easy to follow and very visual. I know, I know, we need another coin routine like a hole in the head. None the less, I thought some one might enjoy it.

Start with three half dollars and an expanded shell. With the shell on one of the half dollars and the coins on the mat, show the hands empty. Explaining that it is very important that every one knows only 3 coins are used. I say something like "…when ever people see this they always assume that there are 4 or 5 coins used…" Pick up the coins one at a time with the left hand and place them in the right hand. The shelled coin should be first and placed directly into finger palm position. The other coins overlap slightly so that all the coins can be seen.

After displaying the coins in the right hand, the left hand comes over and grabs the two real coins and the shell in an edge grip and lifts them all off the right hand (leaving the coin that is in the shell in the right hand). The right hand instantly turns over, holding a secret coin in a finger palm. The palm down right hand now retakes the coins from the left hand between the thumb and first finger. This will allow the left hand to turn palm up so the right hand can then place the three coins (one shell) back onto the left hand. All of this happens rather quickly in one smooth flowing pace. What you've done is shown 3 coins and both hands empty, but really a coin has been secretly finger palmed in the right hand. I have to say here that I got this "proof" idea from Doug Brewer in his great book The Unexpected Visitor..

As the left hand is displaying the apparent 3 coins, the right hand moves the palmed coin into a back clip or pinch. I use my middle and ring finger to do this, but I know many magicians use the ring finger and pinky.

The right hand can now twist open and show that it is empty. The right hand moves toward the mat as the left hand begins to place the coins, one at a time, onto the open right palm, making sure that the shell overlaps on top of one of the real coins. While this is happening the right fingers loosens their grip on the clipped coin, letting it lay down flat onto the mat. So, the audience sees nothing out of the ordinary. All you've done is taken 3 half dollars and placed them on your open right hand. Now here comes the magic.

The empty left hand turns palm down and comes directly onto the palm up right hand (like a sideways prayer). With a small magical rubbing of the hands, the shell is secretly slid onto one of the coins underneath it. When the deed is done, slowly open the hands to show that there are only 2 coins on right hand. After a beat, slowly move the right hand to the right to show the coin on the mat. One coin has magically gone through your palm onto the mat below it.

Now the left hand picks up a coin from the right hand (the one without the shell) and displays it on the open palm. The right hand moves the shelled coin to the fingertips and holds it in edge grip between the right first finger and thumb.

As the right hand moves toward the left had, the real coin is dropped out of the shell into the right fingertips. By the time the right hand gets to the left hand the audience is looking at the shell only. The shell is placed onto the waiting left hand with the other coin. Again the right hand moves its secret coin into a back clip and twists open, showing the right hand empty.

As the left hand prepares to place its 2 coins (a real coin and a shell) back onto the right hand, the right hand again lets go of the secret coin letting it lay down next to the coin already on the mat. A word of caution here, it is very easy for these 2 coins to "talk". Do not let the coins on the mat touch each other. The left hand now places a coin onto the empty right palm, and then places the shell next to it (overlapping just a little). Now the same movements are done to cause the second coin to pass through the hole in your hand (left hand on top and moving the shell into place). When the left hand is lifted off, there is only one coin on the right palm. When the right hand is moved, there are now 2 coins on the mat. A second coin has passed through your hand.

For the last coin, start by taking the coin and shell in the right and show it as openly as possible. Take the shell and coin with the left hand and move it into the edge grip display between the first finger and thumb (just like we did a moment ago with the right hand). The empty right hand now twists open again and moves toward the mat, however this time the hand lays on the mat just to the right of the coins already there. As this is happening the left hand allows the coin to drop down into the left fingers so that only the shell is in view of the audience. The left hand comes over to place the shell directly onto the right palm.

You will notice that in this position, the secret coin in the left hand finger rest is directly over the 2 coins. As you comment on the fact that there are "no false moves or palms, and the coin is placed directly in the middle of the palm", the left hand lets the secret coin slide out onto the mat next to the other coins.

With the 3 coins on the mat and the shell sitting on the right palm, the left and right hand move together to the left so that the right hand is now over the 3 coins on the mat.

The left hand now picks up the shell from the right hand pretends to put it back into the right hand fist. Instead, the shell is moved into a thumb clip in the left hand. The left hand makes a slight tossing motion to the right hand which closes as if the coin has landed. Wiggle the left fingers over the right fist and then open to show the right hand empty. Move the right hand to the right to show that the third coin has passed through the hand and is now on the mat.

To clean up, simply pick up one of the coins with the right fingers and count, "one." Place the coin into the fingertips of left hand. Pick up the second coin "two". Place the second coin directly into a finger palm position in the left hand. Pick up the final coin and count "three". Place the last coin directly into the shell in the left hand (it doesn't matter if the coins talk at this point). Now the left hand can turn down and place all three coins back onto the mat and both hands are shown empty.

I've had a lot of fun and success with this routine in restaurants and private party situations. Spectators seem to enjoy the fact that there is not a lot of investment on their part. It's short, easy to follow and really looks like magic if you play it up a bit. Have fun.

Christopher David

© 2005 Christopher David