Fire Trap was a routine that was performed by Doug Henning back in the very early 80s. I believe it was the creation of Doug Bennett. For those of you who are not familiar with the routine, it goes like this. A quarter is borrowed, a sticker is placed on one side of the coin and signed by the spectator. Another sticker is placed on the other side of the quarter and signed by the Magician. The quarter is wrapped inside a piece of tissue paper and given to a spectator to hold. A book of matches is brought into play and one match is removed from the book. The book is then closed and set on the table. The match is struck/lit, the tissue paper is taken back from the spectator and lit. The paper qoes up in a flash and the coin has vanished. The coin is now found embedded inside the cover of the book of matches. The coin is the same coin that was signed by both the spectator and magician. The coin and book of matches is given to the spectator.

I was contemplating bring this out and resurrecting it once again. I began to give it some thought and realized something has changed since I first performed this over 20 years ago. Quarters have changed. Each state now has its own quarter. I then realized that when the sticker is placed on the quarter, you simply can't tell anything about the quarter. The sticker I use only allows about 1/8" edge showing on the quarter. Not enough to figuer anthing out. So I guess I will be doing this routine once again.

If you do this routine, I have some tips that will be beneficial. Send me a PM and prove you have this routine and I will provide you my tips.

The fact that the quarters have changed should make no difference to your presentation. After all...you're only using the one coin.

FWIW

My presentation allows the spectator to hold onto the coin that they believe is theirs wrapped inside of the tissue paper. They are holding on their coin in the tissue paper while I bring into play the book of matches. I remove a match from the book, close the cover and set the book down on the table. I strike the match, take back the coin and tissue paper and lite it. The paper goes up in a flash, the coin has vanished. I then say a few words and call attention to the book that has been on the table, even while they, the spectator was holding onto what they believed was their coin.

So the quarters have changed is causing what problems?

IMWTN

I think he is mentioning that the new state quarters do not create a problem. A sticker on both sides of the quarter insures that, and also makes his routine (spectator holding the wrapped coin) more sure fire (all puns intended).

We carried this through a magic shop I worked at back then, along with a similar effect where the coin ended up in a business card. I can't recall the name of that other trick offhand, but the matchbook was definitely a stronger effect, in my opinion. If the idea was to have contact info in the hands of the spectator, one could always get matchbooks printed.

~michael

Michael is correct.

The business card was the alternate handling given for "Fire Trap", I believe.

And I've always done the effect with just the one coin, borrowed from the spectator.

What am I missing?

Cheers!

Maybe they are using 2 coins one that is marked and the other to still be in the paper prior to vanishing???

I think that you are making a mountain out of a mole hill. I use to do this a lot and get great reaction with lay people. The need to use two quarters might be a case of Al Bakers motto “don’t run when you’re not being chased”!

I will tell you this however, when I use to do this effect I handed the matches to the spectator and let them take out the match and light the flash paper. Then later on I mention that they are holding the coin. They got to tear open the matches and discover that the coin appeared in the matches while they were holding it. It was very powerful.

David Tower

Hi David,

Your routine certainly sounds powerful. Regarding your reference to Al Baker's motto, I'm not in complete agreement. First, let me say that I am often one of the first to use that quote when discussing the routining of a trick when I find it appropriate (something about the name "Baker" that I find irresistible! ).

I see the extra coin (while obviously not necessary) as a subtle point that cements the single most important point of the routine... above and beyond the undeniable verifying factor of the initials... that is the fact that the matchbook is in play before the coin is gone. This is a critical factor in any object to impossible location effect.

Naturally, this can be implied with less "proof". A mere suggestion that the coin is still wrapped in the paper can be achieved without the coin actually being seen. But the coin, apparently still lying on the table, as the matchbook is given to the spectator, is a point that drives home the impossible nature of this trick.

Of course, I would never suggest overtly pointing that out. I would agree that would be a case of guilding the lily.

I agree that this is stronger if the spectators are actually holding and lighting the match, but I am from the old school, and not as stressed about lawsuits in lieu of performing great magic.

The standard course is: Initialled coin is wrapped in paper. Magician goes to pocket and comes forth with matchbook. Paper is lit and coin vanishes, to now be found inside matchbook. Not bad.

The "extra coin" course of action: Coin is initialed by both spectator and magician and placed on the table. Magician goes to his pocket and brings forth a matchbook and a small piece of paper. The matchbook is handed to the spectator. The coin is wrapped in the paper, lit with a match and the coin vanishes, to now be found in the matchbook. I see this as a stronger routine construction.

The extra coin is of course, something extra to manage. But for such little work, it makes any backtracking virtually impossible. Where one course of action follows a straight line, giving us both motive and opportunity, the other upsets the chronology of the action, making opportunity extremely cloudy.

~michael

I might add that the coin in not lying on the table. The coin that was borrowed from the spectator is wrapped inside the "Tissue Paper" and is being held by the spectator themself. Everything is in play at this point. The borrowed coin, wrapped is held by the spectator, the matchbook is lying on the table. I ask another spectator to simply push down on the tabled matchbook while I strike the match. I then with my one hand take back the wrapped coin and with the other hand that is holding the lit match, bring them together. The tissue paper goes up in a flash and the coin is gone. All the while this is happening the matchbook is still on the table. Most of the time the spectator is still holding it down with their finger.

Zactly

Michael or nonvpro,

So if using the two coin approach, at what point does the second coin go south?


Cheers!

I use the same switch that Michael Ammar uses in his Pencil thru Quarter. I make the switch and place the coin down. I then load the spectators quarter in the book of matches as I bring the book out and place the book on the table. I then wrap what the spectator believes is their quarter in the "Tissue Paper" and hand the "Tissue Paper" with the quarter warpped inside. I remove a match and table the book of matches. I call attention to the match as if it were a magic wand etc. I have a spectator place their forefinger on the book so I can strike the match and I reach for the wrapped quarter and set it off. It goes up in a flash and the quarter is now gone and then I call attention to the book of matches and finish the routine.

The way I used to do it, it was immediately after I had initialed the other side of the quarter (spectator had already initialed one side).

Place it down on the table (?) to go get the matchbook and paper. The work is done during what still seems to be the gathering/assembling of the props, prior to actually starting the trick. The second coin is spirited away during the wrapping in the paper (coin fold)... actually just before it is lit.

Side note: Both stickers on the second coin have my intials on them, so it doesn't matter which side lands upright when I set it down.

The actual sequence of nonvpro's handling sounds like it may be a bit different, but I can't speak for him.

~michael

As in Michaels, both stickers of my switched in coin have my initials on them. And as Michael states, it doesn't really matter what side is showing when the coin is placed down. No one suspects anything is up with the coin as only one side of the coin is showing at any given time. When I reach inside my coat to obtain the matchbook I load the spectators coin. I then bring out the matchbook and remove the "tissue paper" which I keep folded up inside of the matchbook. I then table the matchbook. I wrap the switched in coin in the piece of tissue paper ala "coin fold" and hand it to a spectator to hold. The spectator is under the impression that they are holding their coin. I remove a match and again table the matchbook. I make reference to the match as if it were a mini magic wand etc. I ask someone to place their forefinger on the matchbook as I strike the match. I then take back the coin and allow the coin to slide out of the tieeus paper. I lite the paper and in a flash the coin is gone.

Your switch/load/steal the dupe sequence is pretty much the same way I do it. As it stands here, the only thing that has not been laid bare is one critical bit of info regarding the matchbook. But, anyone now has everything they need to know to pull off many other very good "coin to impossible location" effects.

~michael

This sounds like a cool routine - which magicians have published versions of it?

I do a similar routine where the vanished coin (or ring - even better) appears in the Zippo you pull out to light the tissue. Really cool effect called Serendipity.

I like the idea of giving out the matchbooks though.

I don't use stickers. I always sign my initial on heads. Left front pocket has the pre-initialled non-state quarter, while the right holds the pre- initialled state quarter. So based on which one the spectator has, I know which pocket to retrieve my prepared quarter from. I do a standard David Roth shuttle pass, then load the trapped gimmick.

When and only when the initialled quarter and matchbook are in full view,is when the premises of "impossible travel"(vanish+reappearance effects),or "fertilizing an egg"(penetration effect)should be introduced.

If everything feels fair to an audience(props being in full view) while the magician pairs interesting meaningfull presentation with precise, deceitfull, clever meathod, nothing but pure astonishment should be experienced by this effect.

Ivan

Precisely! I totally agree, Ivan.

Food for thought... if you had 2-headed quarters in your pockets, you can be very casual when you place it down after all "signing" has been done. It won't matter which side lands face up.