Yo RJ here,

I'll keep this short as I can, Today I was doing some X-mas shopping at my local magic shop for my 5yo nephew. I started him with a few simple tricks last year. Anyway while looking through some of the items, I came across the old Adams "Penny to Dime" trick. The one with the small block the goes over the penny and changes it to a dime...Well all of a sudden I started having some "motivational" thoughts about this little item...

What I wanted to know (So I am not reinventing the wheel here) Dose anyone know if anyone has published or is doing any type of "advanced handling" with this prop/trick??? Kind of like what Skinner and Gallo have done with the Ball & Vase...

FYI...I ended up buying 5 of these things (1) for the nephew and (4) for me...My brain was "turning & burning" with ideas at the time...which can be painful...it was an impulse buy...LOL

Happy Holidays,
RJ

A great way to make the penny turn into the dime is by using a BIC "round stic" pen as a wand. Just put a tiny Neo ma**et in the end cap (not the cap that goes on the point) and tap the penny with that end.
If you have "Pointless" by Greg Wilson, you can use that pen as well.

The pen is just a more natural item than the block. It is easy to develop a routine where you put a dime in the spectator's hand, and the penny on top of the back of their hand. Tap the penny with the wand, and it turns into the dime. When they open their hand they now have the penny.

Hey RJ! That little trick was was captured my imagination about 30 years ago or so when I grabbed it at Disneyland when I was a kid. I grabbed a bunch myself about 15 years ago sort of the same way (although I didn't have a nephew to give it to back then). Over the years I've used magnet coins and, as Sammy suggests, a micro magnet on things like a pen or an eraser that I cut into with an Xacto blade. I have a bunch of "Magic Rub" erasers for this and also to use with the old eraser coin trick.

The penny and dime is so small, I found it was handier to use it as a sort of add-on or pseudo segue effect to another trick. I like to throw it in while doing something else and make out like it's almost an accidental effect. I like to do this most with the Magic Rub eraser to establish that it's actually magic as an intro to the Eraser coin trick.

So, yea, there's probably a lot more things like that you can do with this fun little old classic. Incidentally, when I would leave off to go to Disneyland back then we did so from Balboa Island--just down the way from you there at Huntington ;-)

I know about the Bic pen and how Greg Wilson stole/borrowed the idea from another guy I worked with at Hollywood Magic in Costa Mesa back in the early 90's. I've known Greg "Ego" Wilson since before he started working as a magician. Greg and I go way back...

I was just wondering if there were any other magicians out there that were doing anything with the actual block penny and dime. I was thinking of doing something that would even incorporate the old Split-O or even the Ickle Pickle Nickel and maybe even using jumbo coins at some point...

So far I managed to get one of the blocks apart and replace the weak mag with a neo mag. And now I can pick the gaffs up from about 4-6" away...My wheels are tuning and my head is hurting...must be thinking too much...LOL

I'll keep ya'll posted as to what I've come up with...

@Funnybiz, Do you still live in Orange County??

Happy Holiday,
RJ

Is the Bic pen larger diameter than a penney? If not, I don't see how that would work.
A variation of this trick I had is the nickel to penney to dime. Same trick but also with a shim [ nickel.
Instead of a "magic" block, it has a tray with a cover.

My girlfriend watches "Days of our Lives", she called me in the other day to show me a trick that one of the actors was doing for a kid in the hospital. It just happen to be "The Magic Block." I've had laymen also tell me about the TMB that they had in their younger days. So going with a pen or different cover, might be a good idea.

But I think using the "Magic Block" is what makes this unique. Just like when I was a kid (8 years old) and saw Michael Skinner do the ball and vase, I knew how the B&V worked but after Skinner's presentation I started to second guess myself. That's kind of what I am hoping for...

That is also why I included the phrase "Advanced Handling" I'm talking about using "hard-core" sleights and misdirection. Not just change the penny to a dime...But maybe using 2,3 or even 4 "blocks" at once, or having different blocks for different uses. Since switching the mag in the block from the standard to a neo, I am able to make the change by placing my hand over the coin palm down and putting the block on the back of my hand. I may even be able to pull it off with the spectators hands (ala The Ellis Ring on thumb) As long as the gaff is not to cold the spectator will not feel that small object on their out stretched palm down hand. Next lift the block and catch the gaff in my hand as I am either holding their wrist or directing their hand off to the side with my hand and removing the block with the other hand...catching the gaff...There's a whole new realm right there for this little prop.

I have also taken apart another block and have made it into a "rattle box" that sounds like the coin is inside. I can control the rattle noise while shaking the block...shake the block hear the coin keep shaking the noise stops...coin reappears where ever I like...

Some other ideas: "Coins and Blocks" instead of "Cups and Balls" or a Matrix with blocks instead of cards. And maybe even a Chink-a-Chink, with the blocks going one way and the coins going another...

This is the sh** I think about...man I gotta get a life...LOL

My goal is to take older folks (lay and magi) back to their youth when they had a first magic set or got into magic. And then blow their minds with something they are familiar with. And as for the younger crowd, who may own this item? I want them to see it and then go home and wonder why their Block dose not do everything mine can...I think that's a big part of what MAGIC is all about.

Thanks,
RJ

Worthy goal. You've certainly got me thinking again. I've mostly avoided magnets. I spend $500 or so on one of some table a while. it had a magnet in it. with string. I can't recall the make right now. It was cheaply made and the particle board base promptly broke in transit. Anyway, the darn magnet kept causing embarrassing problems and turned me off to using the stupid thing and using very many magnets in general--but, now that I think about it---I'm really probably limiting myself because of that. That little Magic Rub thing I do actually is pretty effective. You're making me think I should try to "build on that" at least a bit more. I think, currently, the only other magnetic things I used are my Triple Threats and my 3CM. Well, actually, I did recently get a magnetic Ramsey stack that is great. Anyway, thanks for the inspiration.

P.S. ... sadly I'm not in the big Orange anymore. The family sold the beach house on Balboa at the worst possible time (late 80's). Park and Topaz if you ever head out to the ferry. Not the best spot on the Island, but there isn't exactly a horrible spot there either. Miss it--especially now that "home" has no beaches or mountains. There's very little "magic" here (Texas)--we have to make our own. ;-)

Immediately angle the end of the pen under your wrist, or transfer the pen, guilty end first, into the other hand. I have seen this done many times with the spec none the wiser.

Chessman is right, this works perfectly. It's basically the same move as transferring a silk dye tube from one hand to the other. Done at the proper speed, the move is invisible.

Rodger Lovins has an updated effect "tap it" using a sharpie marker, having the spectator mark the dime.
Its a nice update on this old effect and is a great approach. Spectator is asked to "choose" penny or dime, once the dime is "chosen" spectator marks it with sharpie.
Of course it switches places with the penny and ends up in the hand of the spectator.
Very strong and the way I do it now.
Google Rodger Lovins or "tap it" and you'll find the effect and a vid clip in action.
I much prefer it over the red block version but that's part of what this is supposed to be all about - learning, perfecting and then improving upon to find what best fits you as the performer and your performance situation or style, in my opinion.

I would try some type of coins across. I also would buy a magnetic ring and do a raven like effect with them. Those ones are so cool. Thanks for taking me back to my childhood magic.

Patrick

This trick with using the pen instead of a block as Sammy describes it actually has been out there for a very long time, it's called the "Electronic Rating Pen" and or the "Double X Rating Pen" (Always thought these were dumb names for this).

KC50 you can see a vid of it here. It's easy to do and is a real fooler I remember.

http://www.magicgeek.com/electronic-rating-pen-42.html

Also remember there was a little booklet out that gave you all sorts of ways to present Dime & Penny, might've been joined with Scotch & soda or something??? I do remember the old trick coming with the little red block, it was fun. You could also use a PK Ring to slickly make the magic happen.

*Oh and Howard, you're speaking of "Pentro Penny," I had that one too when I was kid. Those were the days, great little trick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8ts0CRNJrk

Many moons ago Lloyd Jones published "The Dime and Penny Book" check the used book dealers, like Byron Walker to get a copy.

Jeff Sheridan has a very nice handling on one of his DVDs.

Thanks Pete...This could be what I am looking for...I was playing around with some ideas and various moves & subtleties, but have yet to put together a routine. I have this on the "back burner" for while, maybe now I can get back to work on it.

Thanks again,
RJ

PS
Also thanks Manal I'll check out Jeff's DVD...

In addition to the Lloyd Jones book, Dave Neighbors reminded me that the Ken Simmons Scotch and Soda books 1-3 also have application to the dime and penny. I've been playing with my new Lassen Dime/penny set and have been looking for new (old) routines to use them with.

Thanks all for the ideas on this thread!

Regards,

Alan

See this?

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......rum=76&1

Robert

Yep. That's the one.

Unbelievable quality. A TWIAD in dime and penny along with the standard locking option.

Beautiful. Almost don't want to use it. Almost.

Regards,

Alan

Check out the book of Marlo's handlings of many old "dealers props" :

"Arcade Dreams"

This is one of my favorite books.