I just want to hear what you guys think about instructional videos? I come across them often enough and wonder sometimes what other folks think of them, especially in the face of the old adage to never expose a trick. Anyway, here’s one I came across from an online magi that is quite good and explains a lot of the magic he shows…This particular video happens to be a nice one to learn but would you learn it, do you think it should be taught here, is it taught well enough for you, etc., or do you just see it as exposure?

The only thing that bothers me personally is when people comment methods on someone else's performance. Like "he did a false count and a DL." Shut it. Not the place.

If I ever did a Y'allTubes tutorial myself, though, I'd make it unpublished so only people I send the link to can watch it.

I also won't have public comments if I ever post a performance.

At some point I'm going to write up some of my thoughts on exposure, but the short version of my philosophy is this:

"The amount of work you put into getting the secret has to be at least as much as the value of the secret itself."

Here’s another guy that does very good work with closeup, especially cards but also happens to be really good with coins as well. While his coin magic is nice to watch, what really attracts me to his work is his overall presentation, so confident & capable, with a real control of his audience’s attention while just having a whole lot of fun at it. He’s just very, very good and this is what you strive for in this part of the art, any part really. Here, see for yourself…:)

I was watching this magician recently and he carried a lot of different coins and tricks in his bag. I guess he could handle it all well enough but it got me thinking about what I carry and why.

For me, most days I just have a dollar size old Chinese coin in one pocket, and 4 Kennedy halves in the other…That’s it! With those few coins I can do all kinds of things, but typically might do 2-3 favorite effects. My pet is the MB Transpo PLUS, and then I like to fool around a bit with the half dollars, whatever comes to my mind. But that’s all it usually takes. Now, I can do a lot of stuff but don’t regularly walk around with Morgans for like a 3 Fly, so the few coins I carry do the trick most days. And it’s funny how a lot of old things with the halves stay with me, like coins across, a Matrix, Tenkai Pennies, some nice one coin stuff from Benjamin Earl. But I must admit, I do still like very much Gadabout Coins. I do a version of it and just love doing it for people, love going through the story of my grandpa first showing it to me. I swear, it’s like the only coin magic you ever have to do for people, mostly because it’s made of the very basics of coin magic and has everything in it you need to know about it. Man, I feel like all coin magic comes from it or is of it in some way. Bobo hit it out the park with that one. So yeah, amongst all of what’s out there and all the gimmick/gaff stuff too, these few tricks with regular coins are a satchel full for me…Most days, wherever I might be, I go from my MB Transpo to Pa’s Famous 3 Coin Trick (aka Gadabout) and by all the big smiles, oohs & ahhs, that’s about all it ever takes with the same 4-5 coins, until I just happen to be carrying something else with me.

Anyway, what do you guys carry with you regularly to do for people?

Decent deck of cards (in hard protective case) and a pouch with six halves and four English pennies, along with some other coins.
That's enough for me to do quite a variety of things.

I don't use it for anything but I keep a T. Nelson Downs palming coin in my wallet just as a constant connection to our history.

I don't currently carry any gaffed stuff regularly but I think I'll start carrying a b**g shell and a double facer.
I don't personally have anything against gaffs, I'm just cheap and have only so much pocket space.

Being in Canada I tend to just carry my $2 coin shell. That allows me to borrow real in-circulation coins, although many don't seem to carry coins these days. But at least they are familiar enough for people not to suspect trick coins. My go-to using that is some form of Roth's Shell Coins Across, or Liwag's Coin One. I've been doing an ungaffed C/S with a Loonie ($1) and Toonie ($2) as well. Currently looking into if my fingers are up to Sankey's Mr Clean Coins Across using Toonies as well. At home I'm all about beautiful silver coins tho, mainly soft Morgans, Barbers, and UK Half-Crowns (have both young and old Victoria's).

It’s funny sometimes when coin magic sorta slows down and you’re kinda waiting for the next big thing. In the meantime most creation is likely to be some re-creation of something called by another name. Anyway, while we wait, what sorta coin magic are you hoping for…what do you want someone to figure out better than it is? Hey, do you think there’s any new SOH coming down the pike, and if so, what possibly could it be?

I remember seeing some things arise, like all the interesting finesse that was shown in SICK by Ponta The Smith. Also when Mickey Silver flexed some very creative chops in his amazing use of the ROV. Or that exquisite use of the pinky in coin magic shown by the incomparable Giacomo Bertini. There’s been some interesting movement and not to mention some new guys on the scene with new ways to teach coin magic with a few twists & turns of the coin in some interesting ways, like Danny Goldsmith and Jeff Copeland. I know I happened upon some good stuff from a few people that aren’t coin magicians per se but exceptional in their play & explanation with coins none-the-less, like Benjamin Earl and the always amazing Doug Conn. Man, one time all the good magic was in one room, but now we’re lucky that it can just about come from anywhere, from the big, small & all of us.

Anyway, I wonder what’s next?

I wonder what hidden treasures are waiting to be RE-discovered?

I had the good fortune of seeing some very magical coin tricks by card genius Roy Walton in the 70's. Simple stuff, but his misdirection was top drawer. Totally got me into coin magic.

Man, and just like that the summer is over. Hey, you guys mentioned cards here, and I too like a good card trick now & again. I think it makes my coin magic more pleasing, as I can deviate another way for a moment or two. And you don’t need to do anything hard, as there are quite a bit of doable card tricks out there. I Ike to refer to them as “Card tricks for Coin guys.”

I know quite a few that are deceptive effects to do for people. Easy to get into and amaze with, using a regular deck or just a few cards. I have endeavored over the last few years to finally give cards a good go, and lo & behold, I got pretty good at it especially as to a lot of the SOH it takes to make things happen. Anyway, yeah it’s good to keep a deck on you, for practice or on the spot presentation.

I got a few pet things I like to do with a deck, along with a little wallet I carry instead sometimes that allows me to do a few packet card tricks of choice…No deck necessary. Hey, I even do a neat little card trick with no cards at all. And again, nothing difficult and pretty easy to perform. Just that and a few coins and I am always ready to step into any moment with anybody at any time for some magical interaction. So yeah, coins are definitely a lot of fun but magic has many interesting rooms to it.

I like all kinds of magic but I love portable magic with tangible objects best. Coins and cards are kind of the baseline there. I kind of go back and forth on which is my favorite but I usually default to the "underdog."

I think I fell in love with Al Schneider's matrix early on because it combined my two great loves in magic.

Hey, I was working out a bit this morning at the gym and one of the workers asked me to show a new instructor some magic. Well, today I decided to do something I haven’t really done in an awful long time, a Coins Across. Man, there was time when this trick I would do a few times a day when I was at work, but for some reason it escaped me for a long while. I just started to re-think about it recently. Fumbling around with the moves, what came back to me was something I came with decades ago along these lines, KrazyKoins Across.

So, I had it in my pocket all along, right there among those 4 half dollars but just didn’t think anymore to do it. Well, I did it today and the young woman just responded, ‘Wait, am I even awake…How is this happening?” I had forgotten just how much fun this trick is to do for people. I just use 3 coins and they all go across in some, well, “Krazy” ways way outside that of the classic take. I can remember when Sankey’s Mr Clean Coins Across came out and rocked the coin world, everybody was doing it. ..did you? Thinking of that and some other novel takes I’ve seen along the way, I came up with my own version, which I see that I still like a lot, mostly because it’s very differently done as I mixed in some moves not typically done in the trick. Like I have a phase where 2 coins go across at once. You don’t see that everyday. I actually first showed it in my old Short Pockets offering, and then brushed it up a bit many years later, but between the two takes, I still like doing it the old way I first came up with but the new way gives you some options.

https://youtu.be/S8ClZ6CGk1Y?si=ZpbsBZsvrthlKRBX

So yeah, within those 5 coins I carry was buried an oldie but goodie that plays very well in the sandbox with the other few coin effects I really like to do down this part of the journey. I remember long ago what I thought about Coins Across from first playing with it from Michael Ammar’s Introduction To Coin Magic, he taught a Simple Coins Across, and I said something like, “WOW! A gentleman should always carry and have at the ready in his pocket a few things, a handkerchief, a pocket knife and a good coins across to bring about a sure smile from a lady.” Well, I don’t carry the hanky or pocket knife any more nowadays, but the coins across remains, amazingly right where I left it and seemingly still brings about that “sure smile” from a lady.

So, if you got one you like (or maybe even try mine), brush up on it, show it around and have some old fun again with an absolute piece of true gold.

Nice.
Get a pocket knife, though. *laughemoji*

I love it, MB, and I can tell that you (like me) love these unexpected opportunities to perform!

Thanks guys!

Yeah, the opportunities to do magic abound, especially when you can just step into the moment wherever you might be. I did it again just this morning for a few people, and because my KrazyKoins can finale in a few different ways, I tried my Swirl Twirl move option on them, which makes the last coin visually appear right before their very eyes. You should’ve seen their faces as that last coin came across out of nowhere. Interesting to notice how aware you are of how people surround you, which dictates which ending to the effect I use…Man, I love the flexibility and built in adaptation to the moment. While I can do a lot of things, I really like the simpler stuff as it works better for on the spot magic. Since I was a kid, I’ve enjoyed watching the old guys do coin magic and wanted to learn it just the way I saw it. Good old SOH and practice gave it to me and made it a real part of who I am. I guess I’m sorta those old guys now, and having the fun they used to have with guys like me.

*Oh, and thank all of you out there for continuing to check out my magic and for your patronage. Much appreciated and I hope you enjoy it…Thank you, again & again!

Man, I can’t tell you how much fun I’ve had over the past weeks playing again with Coins Across. And I’ve had tremendous enjoyment from just thinking about about it again as to routine and moves.

Speaking of moves, what coin move do you like the best…I mean one that you particularly find to be clever and of good usage? It’s a big question, and I know it can depend on what you’re doing and why as it may pertain to one routine or the other. For me, I have a few of note…Of course finger palm is an everyday move allowing you much versatility and deception, and I guess that would sorta be the case for classic palm as well. But when I think of coin deception, I have to give a high mark to Tenkai Pinch, it’s just slick, slick, slick! And while I don’t believe there’s any better one hand change of a coin than the Crimp Change, I would say the very best coin move I’ve come across is the amazing Sylvester Pitch. It inspired me more than anything else, which is how I came up with the Quick Pitch, a small piece of it that works well for everyday use as to trafficking coins right out in the open. I remember using it to open Michael Eaton’s Splinter trick, to absolutely show that there was only one coin. All Mike could say was something like, “WOW!”

Anyway, what moves do you really like using, or find to be just deceptively clever?

I find myself using Homer Liwag's Melt vanish to finish a one-coin routine, or coins across as per Coin One. It's such a beautifully deceptive move.

Yes it is, and that’s where I first began to better realize the even greater deception of it in something I brought into greater focus as the Liwag Subtlety.

"SwayOn" - the basis of many effects, the best know is a 3Fly where your two hands never touch each other,
and the three coins are displayed on open palms after each jump.

I use Liwag Subtlety a lot too.