Hmmm, I perform for 18-21 year olds at university in England mainly. If I approach a group of people numbering 4 or more, at least one person will hazard a guess. I usually open that trick with "does anyone know what this might be?" which can lead to interesting ideas (moustache and sex-toy being the most interesting!), but usually someone will hit the nail on the head. A lot of girl's purses still have that clasp.

I in fact like the zipper idea because it is a MORE unusual item! I've never seen those in the UK, so would instantly get people asking what it is

Who was the first to use a purse frame?

It was Al Flosso.

He used a purse with a hole in it to produce a wand. He had it so long the leather part wore completely away.

I just thought, if you do not want to use a purse frame, why not hold a rubber band by your index finger and thumb and reach thru and produce the coins?

Having a rubber Band on the Purse Frame To hold some coins Has all ready been done! And no it's not mine I would have to go look it up to be sure!

Pete,
I also saw that rubberband idea on the F*&%ing Coins DVD that came out recently. They use it as a 'Portal' that the coins vanish into and reappear out of.

I am now using both the purse frame and the Zipper bracelet, depending on the routine I'm doing and what kind of group I'm performing for. I'm glad this has spurred so much discussion.

Or why not just start with a coin in view at the fingertips and multiply it to four coins with your bare hands, the other three coins having been hidden in some palm or other. Coin magic in other words. In other words, deep-six the purse frame. On the topic Jonathan was mentioning about the cell phone, I was just wondering if the Paul Harris trick Twilight could be revamped, to use a cell phone instead of a mirror, some way. Jonathan ?

The trick in Hoffmann's More Magic is done at the fingertips - one becomes two then four. Using a cell phone as if it were a mirror... sure no biggie if you use the video file approach - then it's a matter of timing.

I have NOTHING against the purse frame prop. I do like to explore options for OTHER. The cell phone as iPurse is one such other. The Cell phone (say you got a mirror app) as virtual mirror for the coin trick is also fine.

Anyone here good at making videos of the sort needed for this kind of routine with a cell phone? According to one YouTube tutorial it's nontrivial but also not difficult after one has the background and distance to the lens set correctly.

Funny thing about the cell phone image as "magic window" - it can be a window into your hand, behind a book or slip of paper like an x-ray machine or it can be the virtual workspace where magic happens visually even though at one remove from open display of real objects... the working space for iMagic ?

It would appear that somewhere in our ancestors, David Neighbors and I are "connected"!

I've been using a purse frame since "forever", and I plan to continue using one "usque ad infinitum" (that'a "all the way TO forever") --I am, above all else, an ENTERTAINER, and my ultra simple use of the purse frame contributes to an entertaining routine.

My very dear friend Al Flosso got ENTERTAINMENT out of that old purse from which he produced his magic wand. When it works, don't fix it!

Of course, I still do tricks like 20th Century Silks, Mutilated Parasol, Misers Dream, and the Perpetual Balls. As long as they continue to get show stop laughs, I'll keep them "in".

Yea All right man! And I not saying I an Old!!! ( I think 60 is middle age now! ) But I steal get Smiles With it! And some Laughs ! And I love odd stuff!

Well, if you're gonna come out with a thread title like "Throw out your Purse Frames!" (exclamatory, imperative mood), don't be surprised if you get a little pushback.

Sure, it's a fine thing to take a new look at old ways of doing things, but this effort should (in my view) be aimed at performing magic that expresses our individuality, not just "being hip." I don't think it's any more laudable to be today's dancing monkey than yesterday's relic.

What will you do when, a year from now, nobody remembers this fad item?

Still, many good ideas. How about using one of the solid rings from a set of small linking rings? It needs no explanation, and if it's the right size, you can use it in Kaufman's "The Proverbial Hole" from Cardmagic.

Explaining it .... Sounds like a possible opportunity to work a lot of comedy into your routine, not to mention a great surprise when you pull something out of it.

Seraph - I wanted to shake things up a bit. Just to get people thinking in new directions. I could have also said "Throw out your top hats/dragon boxes/tails/hip hop rabbits"

Frank - you're absolutely right. I am currently going back and forth between the two props. I find the pliable nature of the zipper makes some moves problematic, but I AM enjoying how new and unique the prop is.

Frank, if the notion of a purse is irrelevant then the expected behaviors when using a purse are also not going to resonate with the audience.

Start with what your audience knows/expects.

Conjuring from the flea market is suboptimal if you want the magic to seem relevant outside the flea market.