First I think that your photo is possibly the coolest one on the café and I agree with your post 100% until the quote hereabove. The problem is that you have been driven to believe that the French Drop starts in Spellbound position which is admittedly a perfect way to butcher this sleight. But actually, it doesn't (if you cannot read French, check with Paul Le Paul).

The French drop was called initially the Tourniquet (meaning something like the rotation game) because the coin was initially held flat between the thumb and first finger, then rotated for display into what is the Tourniquet position (more or less the Spellbound position but with the thumb underneath and the fingers above.)

There the coin is rotated between the right thumb and middle finger (using the first finger) to catch the light, and flashing the palm empty.

Then the right hand arches down to meet the left one, the first finger rotating the coin to line it up with the middle finger (when it started across it), rotating again to assume, for a split second, a Spellbound position.

Finally the coin is taken at the left extended fingertips, the left thumb pressing against the second knuckle of the left extended middle finger to express holding (check Dai Vernon on the Vernon Touch regrding this)

Now there are ways to include a Retention of Vision in the sleight and much more misdirecting bits and pieces that can drive people to swear that the coin was in the left.

Tony Slydini stressed (as does Pete Biro in another recent post here) that false takes are more deceptive than false transfers and there is more than one master sharing this belief.

This, again, does not mean that what you say about feeling well with a sleight can be argued. I totally agree with the statement. It's not however because you would have had a wrong tuition on a move, that it should be disparaged.

We can fool masters with a French Drop (and I've done it with really fmous experts who didn't realize I was using a French drop), it's harder to do with a Retention of Vision vanish, which does scream "look I'm going to vanish this coin" because there there are less opportunities for time misdirection in a Retention of Vision vanish where there are plenty of them with a French Drop.

Do yourself a favour: play with it a bit along the ines bove and if you like it and want to get further with it, PM me.

I would suggest the "taking hand comes to a natural position with the finger up like you are holding the coin behind the tips of the fingers.