I've been having a little trouble with my coin in bottle trick. Sometimes when it drops into the bottle it break apart and the secret is lost unless I notice it before anyone else and run into a back room saying "opps...umm..be right back...". Then I take it out and fix it and go on. I read soemwhere that double banding it helps and I've done that but it still happens sometimes. Maybe use a shorter bottle so it doesn't have so far to fall? ANy ideas?

Thanks,
Spiff


PS A great way of giving the coin out for examination is: when taking it out of the bottle have anouther, legit, coin already palmed in that hand and toss it up and someone. EVERYONE follows the coin in the air leaving the other hand VERY free to dump the gaffed one in your pocket.

Get Billy McComb's audio CD or the transcript from the audio for "The Professional Touch" . This trick was a real reputation maker for Billy and at one time he carried and index of over 50 gaffed coins!

A REAL worker and a great CD. Because Billy worked much of the time as a caberet performer, all of the content of this CD applies to the street.

There are two CDs in the set I can't remember if it is on disk one or two but Billy goes into great detail of this trick.

Well worth the investment.

Best,

Dan-

ahhh but I already bought the coin and have such a very limited budget for an ever increaseing amount of books, videos and CDs. I just need help keeping the one i have from falling apart!

~Spiff

There is an easy solution for this one. Double the bands! Also, don’t expect the bands to last forever. Change them for new ones. These things are cheap and won’t bankrupt you.

Is "The Professional Touch" CD the same as the booklet Billy McComb put out by that name several years ago?

JMT

Identical. It was audio first and transcribed pretty much word for word into the booklet. Then somebody started knocking out CDs. Both CDs are a great value boat loads of info from a real worker.

The second CD is not transcribed in the booklet.

But, Billy specifically goes into how to get out of the broken band situation in one of the CDs it is very clever.

Best,

Dan-

I'm all for buying books and stuff but I can't afford $10 for a clever solution to this problem. Does anyone else who uses the coin have a nifty patter solution or any other kind they wish to share for free? Thus far I just run away and bring out a new trick.

Much thanks,
Spiff

PS I know he's try'n to make a living and stuff but I'm just a poor student!! Besides its a relativly small tip I'm looking for.

Here's your solution. It sounds like you're actually dropping the gaffed coin in from the top. Try this sometime. Make a real coin apparently penetrate the bottom of the bottle by having the gaffed coin already loaded. Just hold the bottle by the neck horizontally. If you want a detailed description of this presentation email me, I'll send you it.

-Christian

First of all, if your coin is falling apart when it is inside then I think it is time to invest in a "better quality" product. The coin should be able to withstand a lot, I can throw my quarter out the window and it would still stay in tact. I personally don't have a wonderfully cut one, but the coin does manage very well and the bands last for months, so my advice is, buy a new one or get J. B. Bobo's Modern Coin Magic for a better routine

best of luck,

Magicman01462

If you do the coin in bottle 20 times a day for 4 or 5 days per week sooner or later the band is going to bust on you.

It is knowing what to do in these situations that separates the hacks from the magi and has nothing to do with the quality of the product.

Best,

Dan-

I encountered the same problem and its not your coin. Its the bottle you picked. Mine started from using a small size vermouth bottle. Same coin I used before without a problem. (sacajawa folder) I thought this light green bottle would be perfect because of the color, not too dark and easy to see the coin. Wrong. The neck of the bottle was shaped funny and had thick and thin bands of glass so as the coin expanded, it hit a thick spot in the glass and one of the wings kicked out, every other time. Double banded it, went over several different texts. Same problem every other time. Traded the green bottle for a medium sized champagne bottle and never had the problem again. Bands also come in different sizes. You may be using a half dollar band on a quarter. I have to use quarter bands on the dollar and change them alot. One of these two should fix it.

My experience has shown a "Corona" beer bottle is perfect. It has a long slender neck and is clear to show the coin. Double banding is good as well. I even soak the bands in Armor All prior to installation.

Here is an easy solution for your folding coin. Find a local orthodontist and ask them if you can have a bag of 3mm(1/8) Elastics. This is a thicker rubber band. It will be a little tuff to get on but they work like a charm.

Another place to get thicker rubber bands from is your local hardware store, ask them if they have any small, black o-rings, the smaller the better, they need to be black, as the black ones are made of rubber, and are strechy, the clear ones are neoprene, unstrechy and won't work.
Install the o-rings as you would the normal elastic, it will last much longer, as the rubber is higher quality.

When it comes to choosing a bottle, look for one with a shallow angle on the neck, if the bottle has a pronounced shoulder the coin is difficult to get out. Smirnoff ice and breezer are bad bottles- corona, miller, becks are good in the UK.

To me it sounds like you'r droping the coin from the top and letting it smash to the bottom. Tilt the bottle slightly and let it slide to the bottom.

Billy McComb's work is well worth the price. Not only do you get the real pro's stuff on the coin in bottle, but a lot of other useful magic and tips as well. Billy is one of the true workers who has done everything, and known everybody, and never forgotten a thing. How much is it worth? It's really only a couple of pizzas and beers in cost. How important is the trick to you? It pays for itself in tips...

I've found that the old-fashioned cut coins with the two wavy cuts hold up much better and last much longer than the "profile" cuts so popular now. The profile cuts will often catch in a broken position even if the band doesn't break.

Paul Diamond used to sell a wonderful coin that was basically the three piece folding coin, each piece with its own locking shell. The shells covered the "rim" of the coin, and also held the band in place really well. These never seemed to break. Anyone know where I can get one of these?

Also, Richard Himber had a folding coin with a loose fitting shell over the whole coin. This enabled him to stick a paper circle on the folding coin side, which a spectator could initial. The paper covered the folds, and the shell acted as the second coin. The spectators saw their signed coin, which they had held, inside the bottle.

Guess you could use a folder with an expanded shell, correct?

How about this approach to the bands slipping... I have the symetrically folding 3-in-1 quarter and have not tried this yet. What if you added some sort or removable adhesive(oxymoron?) to the groove of the coin near the cuts, so as the folding occurs the bands are not able to simply pop out the side. Should be able to stand up to some serious abuse then......

Maybe a putty of some sort would do the trick nice and simple.

I use a Corona bottle.. Never a Problem,

Also.. Look at the 8 edges (cornors) of your coin to see if there is any Burs that may Cut your bands. Especially at the seam of the pieces.. Replace and Double Band your coin...

Good Luck

BB