Folks,

I've been having fun over the summer showing my 9 year old step daughter some self working or nearly self working effects. Mostly card effects but also thieves and sheep which she does a wonderful presentation of to friends and family. Well her birthday is coming up and I asked her what she wanted and among the requests was a coin trick.

So, what are your thoughts for a largely self working beginning coin trick. Gimmicks are fine, I'd like to buy something of quality, so I don't mind spending 15-20 for a single effect for this occasion if it's fun for her to perform. If your recommended effect is not sold individually would you mind indicating the reference? Thanks in advance.

You might think about my book, THE MAGIC BOOK.

Nickels to Dimes
Bite out quarter
Strike vanish (pen & coin)

Have Fun!!

Spiked coin? I LOVED that as a 9 yr old.

1. My first recommendation would be my favorite, the Hopping Half but at $50, it is outside your price guideline.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsKvTr5By9U

2. How about the effect using a sheet of rubber dental dam stretched across the mouth of a glass with a coin sitting on top? A simple press on the coin and it appears inside the glass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGA0INJ3GMw

3. I have a simple self working effect made by Tenyo called Zone Infinity which would be good for a 9 year old. It is a 2"x2" plastic box with a slit through the center of the box. It has a slide drawer into which there is a cutout for a quarter. Put the quarter in the cutout, side the drawer closed and push a key through a slit in the top of the box through the quarter. Works well with a signed quarter too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY8zhd8azhY

4. If you want the most bang for the buck then buy her a book on magic which will give her more to do. I would recommend Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic. There are coin tricks in there plus a wide array of other effects. She would get more out of this than a single coin trick.
http://www.amazon.com/Mark-Wilsons-Compl......in+magic

All of the "Self Working" magic books can serve.

The is one each on Coins, Ropes, Silks, Table Magic and Cards -- maybe more.

The illustrations are good and they are a fine size for carrying around.

check out Brad Burt's site. About $8.00 each

My suggestion is that when one asks for "trick" give them a book of many effects that can serve a lifetime.

Fining an old copy of the Boy Scout Book of Magic might be fun

The Mark Wilson and Harry Lorayne books recommended above are great places to start. Another choice is a book Joshua Jay wrote for kids - I forget the exact title, but it's something like "Big Magic for Little Hands." If you really want to go low budget and you're sure that you want to stick to coins only, try "Great Coin Tricks" by Bruce Smith (why pay $15-20 for one effect when you can get a bunch for $5.95?).

As for beginning effects, the first one that comes to mind is one coin on each hand, palms on a table facing upward, you flip them over so that there's one coin under each hand, you do it again, but lo and behold, both coins are under one hand the second time. More than easy enough for kids to do, and when done well it looks great even though it's the epitome of a beginner's trick. Best of all, you don't have to pay for it. It's the first effect in the Smith book, called "Jumping Coin."

Forgive the vague and clunky description - you only have two posts, so I don't know how much you know about the subject. But the trick I describe was the very first one I learned and I still use it 50 years later for people of all ages. Have her practice the trick with all four small coin denominations to see which one works best for her (and also so that she's ready to do it with all four) - when my sister and I were her age, a dime worked best for her and a nickel worked best for me. The first time I ever did the trick, it was for my cousin (one year younger than me) and the effect hit her so hard that she actually screamed - all from a trick that couldn't be simpler.

But if you were to ask me, I'd recommend the books by Mark Wilson and Harry Lorayne, and also Joshua Jay's Complete Course in Magic (there's the kids book of his that I recommended earlier too, although once a kid is as old as nine or ten I think he / she is ready for at least some tricks in adult books). This allows her to see more than just coin tricks and get a feel for what she really likes. When I was a kid I was all coins, all the time, and my sister was into cards instead, but now the opposite is true in both cases. Who knows, in a few months your daughter might be running around your house making a lot of different things disappear and reappear, not just coins

Penny To Dime and Dynamic Coins are both very good tricks and suitable for a beginning 9 year old.

Julie

I appreciate all of your replies. I already have Mark Wilson's book and it's great. While paying for one effect isn't always the best way forward it can be fun especially when there's a prepared gimmick (say like Nickels to Pennies or Penny to Dime) and they (the kiddo) get that glee that we've all had when we splurged on ourselves. Books and dvds are the mainstay, but this is a special bit. I'll probably check out Lorayne's book regardless and work with her on that (as we do with Wilson's text). Thanks again.

I second MichaelJae's and Julie's recommendations.

There is a coin matrix in Mark Wilson book and my 9 year old nephew picked it up no worries. he has picked up quite a few things from the book. He also just flick through it lots as well.

Take A look at The amateur magician's handbook.

Greetings Ergerbor

May I suggest you do a fast search for PROBLEMA MAGIC DICE?
This is a step-up from the typical child's magic type of trick, but is still easy to do requiring just a little skill.

There are inexpensive import versions (some with different names) and a super deluxe version by Viking/Collector's Workshop.

This seems to match your requirements admirably.

Julie

Hindu Paper Mystery might be something she can do.

Magically

Aus

Thanks all. I've decided to go with a couple of the suggestions here: Nickels to Dimes and Dime and Penny. However, I'm going to mine nearly all of these suggestions. The two aforementioned effects will be of the wrapped up birthday gift variety, the other suggestions will fuel many a Saturday afternoon. Once again, thanks

You know what might be a really super idea? Sign her up as a member of the Martinka Coin Club. Okay, so it is $28.00 a month and I know that is much more than what you wanted to pay...but this is something she just might have for the rest of her life.

Each month, Martinka ships you a new coin trick. Some are harder to perform than others but I think it would be a perfect way to help her enjoy the art. The routine of receiving a surprise coin trick (that is worth much more than the monthly cost and includes free shipping) and then practicing it until the next one comes next month would be quite a thrill for her.

These coin tricks are of top notch quality and would make a super gift. And no, I am not representing Martinka in any way except I am a very happy member of the coin club myself. Take a look for yourself at http://www.martinka.com/martinka-coin-club/

The first coin effect I ever learned was the Fre**h D**p from Mark Wilson's book. It's still my go to when showing a coin effect to one of my friend's kids.