Has anyone managed to "soften" their silver eagles coins?? I'd love to see a picture of one... I had gotten a really nice article about making coins soft I might try it with a few of mine.

Stevie D

What does it mean to "soften" a coin?
Cheers,
Roger

Soft or "slicks" as coin shops call them are well worn coins that are better for certain coin moves and techniques.

All the best,

Kranzo

There's a little problem with the idea of "soft" Eagles. Don't forget that magicians didn't invent "soft" coins, we found them that way. It's a natural state of coins over 100 years old to be smooth and worn.

By the same token, it's the natural state of uncirculated coins minted within the last decade (i.e. the Eagles) to be bright and shiny. If you show a set of worn ones, you may get quite a few questions about how they got that way. You might say you've been keeping them in your pocket, or that you got them this way, but then the next natural question would be, "Why?"

I suppose you could concoct some story, but do keep in mind that the initial reaction to them might be the same as if you wore a fancy Rolex that was dented and scratched.

That is a great point Curtis.

all the best.

Mano.

I use to perform with silver eagles exclusively and because of the coins sheer beauty it wasn't uncommon at all to hear someone ask me...Do you really think that you should be handling those coins like that?

As always you are right on point Mr. Kam!

After some consideration, it occurs that there is at least one sort of person who would be carrying well worn Silver Eagles. And probably some other odd things and very strange ideas.

Do you perform in character? Do you use OOPAs?

ON point is right.. Does make a lot of sense. I really like soft coins so I think I'm gonna go with the morgans for the soft coins, but will continue to use silver dollars for single coin routine or where I don't need soft coins. I wish coins weren't so expensive!!!

Stevie D

Think of it this way, the price of silver is edging up at a steady rate, so the coins you buy now are an usable investment.
I've also been buying Eisenhower dollars to practice with, that way the good silver doesn’t get damaged dropping them wile practicing. The Eisenhower are about two dollars each.

Hi Tom,

I do the same thing as well,with the Eisenhower; they are very good to practice with and you can also do the same tricks you do with the morgans, the only thing is that they really talk,LOL.

Mano.

Mano,

I learning that the sound coins and apparatus make are my biggest problem doing magic. I have profound hearing loss and I do not hear keys, coins or other things jingle, rattle or clink. Some things I think I do visually flawless, the noise gives it away. It’s ok though, I work around it and only do the noisy stuff for my self.

Tom

I dropped a few eisenhower dollars on a belt sander and grinded them down, then wet sanded them with different grades of sand paper to make some soft coins to practice with. Took a while but worked ok, at least it didn't cost me much (Face value) and I didn't ruin any expensive coins

Stevie D

Tom, have you ever thought about practising with a sound meter? You could watch the needle and see what moves have a tendency to talk. I'm not deaf myself, so I have no idea if this would work. But I assume you know Ron Jaxon? He has a lot of experience in this area.

Airship,

Thanks for all the grat sugestions, snd I will start looking for a sound meter today.

Respectfully,
Tom

Airship,

Thanks for all the great suggestions, and I will start looking for a sound meter today.

Respectfully,
Tom

You can use your PC microphone and the sound recorder to catch stuff... no investment requried

get ready to cringe.

Jonathan,

Thank you for your concern, it is not that it is not loud enough, it is that these sounds fall in a range that I cannot hear, like a silent dog whistle is to you.

Tom

I would like to comment on the soft coin issue. I use well worn coins, I have two pair that handle softly, but they look completely different. The first pair is a set of four morgan dollars that are well worn from circulation and work silently and handle well. The second set are 4 walking halfs that I bought as slicks but were covered in dents,and they talked. I worked them down using a piece of glass which I wetted and placed a piece of 220 grit wet/dry sandpaper. I sanded them in a circular motion on both sides till the nicks that stuck out had been knocked off. Then I repeated with 400, 600, and 1200 they came out looking polished like a mirror. I buffed the edges down on a jewelers buffing wheel because the sharp edges talked. With the edges buffed they were quieter. Then I polished them with McGuiers carnuba wax and buffed them with cotton the result is a smooth, quiet and great handling set of coins. But they are shiny and polished like mirrors. They still have plenty of detail they just need to be carried and used for a while and they start to look "Right" again. Hope this helps. Eddieproton

Thanks Airship.

I know it might seem strange that a deaf person like me would have much to say on the issue of sound. But unlike you hearing people (you're so strange sometimes.. ), I can't just say, "Yes it makes noise or No is doesn't". I have to study, ask and figure out if the sound aspect is working. So I have to look into it deeper then most.

I found out my one handed top palm was making noise not long ago. I simply had to adjust my thumb position and change the way I made the card pop up. That's just to give an idea of how much I have to look into the sounds of things.

When I run into the issue of sound for an effect such as these soft coins. I don't rely on the fact that the coins are smooth and can't make noise. I just view that as an added precaution. Because I'll never know if it will even if it isn't suppose to. No matter how smooth they are they can still make noise. I use soft coins but I handle them as if they aren't "soft". I'll be very careful when doing the slide moves. I'll usually make a sound or say something at that moment to provide more cover. The sense of feel can also be a big help. If you can feel it then it probably makes a sound. I don't know if it's loud enough for them to hear but feeling a "tap" tells me a sound was made.

Even when I perform a click pass I try to cover the sound with my voice a little. Just saying something like "3 coins here" the moment the move is done helps.


That's just some of the ways I deal with it. I hope that helps.

Ron Jaxon

Two questions come to mind here

Eddie do you DO the Ramsay tricks? You can do the vanish sequences where the sliding has to be pretty quiet?

Second... about the Silver Eagles. I already suggested (indirectly) taking on the character of a time traveler from so far in the future that the museum had these coins and he thinks they are money and so brought them.

One could also take the tact that these coins have been doing so much magic that they are aging faster than normal and may be worn to dust in a little while. ( Hint... nice way to vanish them into glitter )

;)