I work standing. And as far as the details go -- well, I've got stuff I haven't tipped to anyone. I will have to go to the pocket twice, but no more than that. And it's taken care of when I get and ditch the lighter. I also don't use a topit. And I don't sleeve -- at least not in this routine. At the end, all that is in my hands are the lump of silver and the plastic coin.

But as far as the complexity of the routine is concerned, think of it as two routines -- the revised MINT and silver extraction, just combined to give the whole thing some continuity.

I've hinted at part of the method in another thread.

But I'm not going to discuss this any more. I've let plenty of cats out of the bag for now.

Wow, I just picked up this effect and found this old thread. I share some of the concerns expressed in it and was trying different ways to reduce the number of moves. I came up with something similar to Bill's idea to accomplish that. I also think that have an idea on how to present it when the right time comes ;-).

QH.

The problem here is two-fold. One is that it is an open forum, so discussing the intimate details of the trick is out of the question. The second is that I don't particularly want to give away something that I would like to keep to myself.

There is also this. The original question really was one of review. This is in the wrong part of the Café.

However, I'll give a hint. There is a device that Don Alan came up with -- it's hard to finr now -- that Magic, Inc. sold. I have one of these. It does the same basic thing as a Raven without the M*****.

I'd be more specific about the name of this vanishing device. I think it was called "Don Alan's Ultimate Coin Vanish." The effect was that you would spin a coin, such as a half dollar, on a table top. While it was spinning, you would bring your hand down on the coin, almost like you were going to slam it through the table top. When you lifted your hand, the coin was gone and you were clean.

Don once told me that the one he used was not made like the one they sold. I doubt that it would work for the original purpose. However, it can be used as a very clean, "no move" switch. You pick the object up (or place your hand on it while it is on a table top), raise your hand, and it has changed. Immediately, you turn your hand over and it is clean.

I use Gem Busters quite a bit, mostly for the kids, and it gets great reactions, even from the adults who are watching. Most people think it is actually being rolled or squished into a new shape in my hand. I begin by having two pieces in my hand, one finger palmed, and then go to my pocket for the mini matching wand for the changes.
Based on my success with Gem Busters, I bought The Mint, because the story-line is very strong. Though I haven't perfected it yet, I believe it has great potential, based on my experience with Gem Busters. As with Bill, I don't care for the handling as per the instructions, so I am modifying them.

There are certain things that wsduncan mentioned that are non-issues. For example, the t***t -- if you use it correctly, nobody knows. Same with the s****e.

If you do a switch at the correct moment, you can be clean before you reveal the work.