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krintz Regular user 135 Posts |
This area seems to be a bit quiet lately, so I thought I'd post a rather useless, but fun thread.
The number 1 gaff seems to be Hopping Halves. I'd agree. My #2, the ole scotch 'n' soda. 3. '64 Kennedy grav flipper, from one of the Big Two 4. '64 Kennedy shell, Johnson. (the '64's for me are the fine china... I'm reluctant to break them out yet). 5. Various Johnson China coins... C/S/B, Chinatown Half, Hong Kong coin. 6. Kennedy Supercoin half...this one's getting more and more interesting to me. 7. Plain old Johnson flipper... with a good rubber band, it lays flat like a grav. 7. Coin Unique half/quarter... mine can't be examined, or it would get a higher rating. I've also got some quarter gaffs. These will be getting more of my attention in the future. So, what are your favorites? KRINTZ |
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The Amazing Noobini Inner circle Oslo, Norway 1658 Posts |
Wow. I don't even know what half of these are. I could never decide on what gaff to get, or they were just too expensive. So I ended up kind of deciding not to use gaffs at all.
This probably disqualifies me for participating in your thread. But if I would have gotten a gaff, it would have been something like: 1. Lassen Expanded Shell with matching coins of the Barber Half variety. 2. Hopping Half silver, either the discontinued Johnson set or something else I haven't discovered yet. 3. A half silver-half copper, whatever they are called. One side of each: barber half and then an Australian Penny maybe. Any nice looking copper side really. For the money I didn't use on gaffs I got a lot of regular silver coins. Which is fine for now. I think of gaffed magic as being too advanced for me. I need to learn the regular ways first as the inclusion of gaffs would be too much to keep track of (which way the shell is turned, audience misdirection and switching out nasty wicked coins when someone wants to examine, etc). One more element to keep track of. It will take me at least two more years of practice before I will be able to do a coin act. After that the logical step up is to use gaffs to break into new territory of material which isn't possible with regular coins. Now you made me want to buy a gaff again... I think I'll start with buying a lottery ticket.
"Talk about melodrama... and being born in the wrong part of the world." (Raf Robert)
"You, my friend, have a lot to learn." (S. Youell) "Nonsensical Raving of a lunatic mind..." (Larry) |
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organicmagician Veteran user USA 345 Posts |
I have a pretty extensive gaffed coin collection, but despite all the exotic stuff, I have some clear favorites:
These are all made by Lassen: 1. Expanded Walking Liberty Shell Set 2. C/S Walking Liberty/Irish Penny or Walker/South African Ship Coin 3. Expanded Shell Set with Chinese Dollar-Size Coins I also love the WL and Morgan Gravity Flippers, Morgan Sliding/Locking Shell Set, Morgan Triple Threat and I just got the UWC. I have a nice Barber set, too, but I love the feel of Walkers and to me they are the most beautiful coin ever made. |
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spatlind Special user still moving 863 Posts |
I'm waiting on delivery of my first gaffed set, a Johnson C/S/B. That will be my favourite coin gaff. Unless I catch the bug and...
Actions lie louder than words - Carolyn Wells
I believe in God, only I spell it Nature - Frank Lloyd Wright. |
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TWOCAN Special user PORT RICHEY FL 869 Posts |
I have the Cerberus set and its great. Pricey but for me its worth the $$
Profits over people are a common thing . Be uncommon and be the best .
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Jonathan Townsend Eternal Order Ossining, NY 27297 Posts |
Got piles of them - the 1.35 has the most parts but the .21 sits quietly with real pocketchange.
...to all the coins I've dropped here
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Cybersloughter New user 84 Posts |
My top two have to be:
1. A good ole Scotch and Soda. Too many things with this simple gimmick to not carry one with me. 2. A flipper (I won't say who). The mind boggling performances that I've gotten out of my flipper in the short amount of time I've had it is truly amazing. I'm looking at increasing my gaff coin collection, and I'm also currently looking for a coin purse/pouch that I can use as well. JLJ
James L. Johnson
Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd. - Voltaire ... a rigmarole with a few bits of paper and lots of spiel. That is Mentalism - Corinda |
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mike gallo Inner circle 1341 Posts |
Unless I catch the bug and...
Trust me...you will ! Mike |
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Craig Petty V.I.P. UK 2298 Posts |
Anything Todd Lassen makes!!!!
My top six would be: 6.) Cerebus 5.) 2 Copper 1 Silver 4.) Sun and Moon Coin 3.) Triple Threat 2.) Clone Coin / Super Coin 1.) Gravity Flipper (Surprise, Surprise) Gaffs are best when used in conjunction with some sleight of hand, That way you have a KILLER combination Craig |
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sethb Inner circle The Jersey Shore 2719 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-04-28 14:08, The Amazing Noobini wrote: I could never decide on what gaff to get, or they were just too expensive. So I ended up kind of deciding not to use gaffs at all. . . . I think of gaffed magic as being too advanced for me. There seems to be two schools of thought about this -- either use no gaffs at all and be "pure," or forget sleight of hand altogether and use gaffed coins exclusively. I believe there is a happy medium here, and that a good mix of skill and gaffs will allow you to do things that are not possible with either gaffs or sleights alone. If you can do a Finger Palm and a Shuttle Pass, you can easily ring gaffed coins in and out undetectably, thus making everything "examinable" if it's absolutely necessary. And while it's true that some gaffed coins can be quite costly, many of the best ones are not expensive at all. For example, at least one gaff on your list, the venerable Copper/Silver coin, sells for just $10, click HERE to view. A great expanded ] is available from Johnson for $32, click HERE to view. With two C/S coins, a few extra English pennies and the expanded ], you have access to dozens of good coin tricks in Bobo's "Modern Coin Magic" and Roth's "Expert Coin Magic," yet your total outlay will only be about $55. For another $35, you can pick up a Johnson Okito Box set that will nicely complement the above gaffs and keep you busy for quite a while, click HERE to view. (The Okito Box is a perfect example of a gaff that still requires good sleight of hand.) BTW, based on my own experience, I would recommend the Johnson brand. You may save a few bucks by going with other companies, but it's no bargain. The Johnson stuff is very well made, durable, a good value for the buck, and very serviceable for the amateur and semi-pro. [One exception would be the Royal Magic Dime & Penny set, which sells for $5, doesn't need a bang ring to reset, and is a great value. Click HERE to view (buy two so you'll have a spare). Get yourself a shot glass and you can store the coin set in it, and use it to reset it as well. After you win the lottery, you can get your gaffs custom-made in Walking Liberties or Morgans from one of the Big Boys! The total cost of all of the above gaffs will still be less than the cost of one Schoolcraft gravity flipper (I'm not dissing the gravity flipper, which is a beautiful and precision-made gaff that's worth every penny, just making an interesting comparison.) I'd give it a try, Noobini, I think you will find them a very worthwhile investment! SETH
"Watch the Professor!!" -- Al Flosso (1895-1976)
"The better you are, the closer they watch" -- Darwin Ortiz, STRONG MAGIC |
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The Amazing Noobini Inner circle Oslo, Norway 1658 Posts |
Seth, I can see your enthusiasm regarding the wonders of gaff coins. Great to read!
My problem is that I feel using foreign modern coins here in Norway seems odd and possibly suspicious. Why would I use a fairly new looking US Half Dollar and not something local? Hmmm. I figure I can justify my silver coins with the fact that they are unique, clearly old and that they are silver. The patter possibilities are endless. So I have been mostly looking at very expensive silver gaffs to match the coins. Right now these are a bit out of my league. However I agree that owning a few "regular" gaffs would be very useful as an education. Still... besides my simple vanishes and puts and whatnot, I only know about three coin tricks so far. And none of them is up to performance standard quite yet. So I could easily find enough things to practice for the next few years to come without spending any more money on props. You did however remind me that I was going to look up what an Okito box actually is. So I did, in Bobo. Now I have started to look at old threads on this new world and it is tempting to get such a box. My first thought was actually that maybe it could be possible to put a .... I don't remember what it is called, the colored enamel surface put on metal in the old days as decoration. Then it could be tarnished to look like a vintage candy or pill box. Anyway, I digress. I don't want to hijack this thread and turn it into an Okito discussion. This is a Lottery day BTW. Thanks for reminding me of that too!
"Talk about melodrama... and being born in the wrong part of the world." (Raf Robert)
"You, my friend, have a lot to learn." (S. Youell) "Nonsensical Raving of a lunatic mind..." (Larry) |
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Joshua Barrett Inner circle Cincinnati, Ohio 3631 Posts |
Van dokken makes coin gaffs as far as I wouold think we would make some for your locale
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krintz Regular user 135 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-04-30 10:32, The Amazing Noobini wrote: I started this thread, and I'm quite happy to have it veer toward anything Okito... I've got one, and I'm looking into getting some of the variations eventually. I need one that's wide enough to hold a shell (it will double as a storage box). Noobini, just get a gaff already! If you need an excuse about vanishing an American half, talk about the dollar losing its value Krintz |
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sethb Inner circle The Jersey Shore 2719 Posts |
Krintz, I think the Okito boxes that David Roth makes will take an expanded shell, and maybe the Jim Zee boxes as well.
BTW, plenty of folks have tried to come up with a logical explanation for what an Okito box is, saying that it's a pill box, an antique snuff box or an old ammo box or whatever. But I tend to agree with the late Al Baker, who said "Don't run if they're not chasing you!" So I just plop the box on the table, saying it's a little brass container for four coins, and go from there. This is a magic trick, not a geometry proof, and not everything has to be logical! The thing is 100% examinable, so they can look to their heart's content, all they will find is a little brass box, which is exactly what I said it was. (But to be totally safe, I'd give the lid and bottom out separately -- why tempt Fate?) The same applies to Noobini's thought that "using foreign modern coins here in Norway seems odd and possibly suspicious. Why would I use a fairly new looking US Half Dollar and not something local?" I do agree that one of the great benefits of coin magic is that it uses coins, which are a very common object and well-known by everyone. Almost by definition, they aren't suspicious. That's also one reason most people don't suspect a gaffed coin. How could you possibly gaff a plain old coin? If they only knew . . . Anyway, I wouldn't be afraid to use all sorts of coins, like you said, it gives you some good patter possibilities. English pennies have been out of circulation in England now for some 25+ years and never were legal tender in the U.S., yet I have no hesitation in pulling one out of my pocket and explaining what it is. Since many people have never seen one, it is a curious object that attracts attention. After everyone has examined it, bounced it on the table and also dropped it on the floor, I ring in the Copper/Silver coin and amaze them with it. While antique silver coins are nice (I'm jealous!) you can get to the same place less expensively by using 1964 Kennedy halves. These are still in circulation, are solid silver, sound great when clinked together, and can still be obtained at any U.S. bank for exactly 50 cents each. And you can get an inexpensive expanded ] or a C/S coin, a flipper and a Scotch & Soda gaff to match it without breaking your budget. SETH
"Watch the Professor!!" -- Al Flosso (1895-1976)
"The better you are, the closer they watch" -- Darwin Ortiz, STRONG MAGIC |
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organicmagician Veteran user USA 345 Posts |
Yeah - you are welcome to your opinions and should do what's comfortable. You should be able to come up with patter sufficient to explain why you have Kennedy half-dollars or else I worry about your ability to do magic. You are always justifying some ridiculous prop or unusual body movement.
Off the top of my head, you could say: These are America JFK dollars - I use them because they are the only modern, easy-to-get coins made of real silver, etc. etc. These are American half dollars - I just returned from a trip to the United States (followed by trick with other foreign currency), etc, etc. Or just... These are four Kennedy half dollar from the United States - pretty cool, eh? Then perform trick. |
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sethb Inner circle The Jersey Shore 2719 Posts |
BTW, Noobini, if you'd like to work on a killer coin trick that uses relatively simple sleights with no gaffs but produces a great effect, I can think of nothing better than the "Miser's Dream." Check out Bobo for an entire chapter on this effect. And Levent has just released a wonderful 3-disc DVD with everything you could ever want to know about this trick, click HERE for more info.
As far as cost goes, all you would need is about a dozen half dollars and a small metal pail or bucket (check out the kitchenware section in your local department store). At $40 for the DVD set and about $15 for the coins and pail, you would have an amazing classic coin trick that would stand you in good stead for a long time. SETH
"Watch the Professor!!" -- Al Flosso (1895-1976)
"The better you are, the closer they watch" -- Darwin Ortiz, STRONG MAGIC |
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David Neighbors V.I.P. 4910 Posts |
Hi Sethb,
Yea You are right about sight gaff combo! That's what I have been saying for the pass 30 years or so! And as Mike said about catching the Bug. Yea it's vary easy To Catch! The Shell is my best gaff! There is just much you can do with it! And So many diff. Types of shell In combo. with outher stuff! Right now I am working with U.W.C. stuff! |
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Kjellstrom Inner circle Sweden, Scandinavia, Europe 5203 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-04-30 18:56, David Neighbors wrote: Whats UWC ? |
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GeorgeG Special user Thousand Oaks, CA 977 Posts |
What's UWC?...thread
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sethb Inner circle The Jersey Shore 2719 Posts |
By the way, I also meant to say that although lots of coin gaffs are quite neat and fun to play with all by themselves, a gaffed coin is basically nothing more than a tool.
It's just one of many tools in your "Magician's Toolbox" that you can rely upon and incorporate into your effects to make them better, easier to perform, and more memorable for your specs. And like any other tool, you must select the right tool for the job, and remember that it's the end result, not the tool, that's important. A coin gaff is not a substitute for a well-executed sleight, good patter or an entertaining presentation. I see lots of Café' posts saying "I just bought Hopping Halves or Coin Unique, does anyone have any good routines for them?" That's the wrong approach, in my opinion. First, decide what you want to do -- Coins Thru the Table, Coins Across, Spellbound, etc., and THEN figure out how you're going to accomplish it and what gaffs, if any, you need to do so. Like Bobo says, nobody should ever suspect or realize that you are using a gaffed coin. SETH
"Watch the Professor!!" -- Al Flosso (1895-1976)
"The better you are, the closer they watch" -- Darwin Ortiz, STRONG MAGIC |
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