PRINCIPLES OF SLEIGHT-OF-HAND MORE ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO COIN TRICKS.
Before attempting tricks with coin, it will be necessary for the
student to practise certain sleights and passes which more especially
belong to this particular branch of the magic art, though the
sleight-of-hand used in “coin tricks” is more or less applicable to
most other small objects. The principles which we have given for card
tricks will not here be of any direct assistance to the student; but
the readiness of hand and eye which he will have acquired, if he has
diligently put in practice the instructions already given, will be of
great value to him as a preliminary training, and it may safely be
predicted that any person who is a first-rate performer with cards will
find little difficulty in any other branch of the art.
[Illustration: FIG. 59. FIG. 60.]
The first faculty which the novice must seek to acquire is that of
“palming”--_i.e._, secretly holding an object in the open hand by the
contraction of the palm. To acquire this power, take a half-crown,
florin, or penny (these being the most convenient in point of size),
and lay it on the palm of the open hand. (_See_ Fig. 59.) Now close
the hand very slightly, and if you have placed the coin on the right
spot (which a few trials will quickly indicate), the contraction of the
palm around its edges will hold it securely (_see_ Fig. 60), and you
may move the hand and arm in any direction without fear of dropping
it. You should next accustom yourself to use the hand and fingers
easily and naturally, while still holding the coin as described. A
very little practice will enable you to do this. You must bear in mind
while practising always to keep the inside of the palm either downwards
or towards your own body, as any reverse movement would expose the
concealed coin. When you are able to hold the coin comfortably in the
right hand, practise in like manner with the left, after which you may
substitute for the coin a watch, an egg, or a small lemon--all these
being articles of frequent use in conjuring.
Being thoroughly master of this first lesson, you may proceed to
the study of the various “passes.” All of the passes have the same
object--viz., the apparent transfer of an article from one hand to the
other, though such article really remains in the hand which it has
apparently just quitted. As the same movement frequently repeated would
cause suspicion, and possibly detection, it is desirable to acquire
different ways of effecting this object. For facility of subsequent
reference, we shall denote the different passes described by numbers.[I]
[I] It should be here mentioned that the term “palming,” which
we have so far used as meaning simply the act of _holding_
any article, is also employed to signify the act of
_placing_ any article in the palm by one or other of the
various passes. The context will readily indicate in which
of the two senses the term is used in any given passage.
It is hardly necessary to remark that the diagrams, save
where the letterpress indicates the contrary, represent the
hands of the performer _as seen by himself_.
PASS 1.--Take the coin in the right hand, between the second and third
fingers and the thumb (_see_ Fig. 61), letting it, however, really be
supported by the fingers, and only steadied by the thumb. Now move the
thumb out of the way, and close the second and third fingers, with the
coin balanced on them, into the palm. (_See_ Fig. 62.) If the coin was
placed right in the first instance, you will find that this motion puts
it precisely in the position above described as the proper one for
palming; and on again extending the fingers, the coin is left palmed,
as in Fig. 60. When you can do this easily with the hand at rest, you
must practise doing the same thing with the right hand in motion toward
the left, which should meet it open, but should close the moment that
the fingers of the right hand touch its palm, as though upon the coin,
which you have by this movement feigned to transfer to it. The left
hand must thenceforward remain closed, as if holding the coin, and the
right hand hang loosely open, as if empty.
[Illustration: FIG. 61. FIG. 62.]
In the case of an article of larger size than a coin--as, for instance,
a watch or an egg--you need not take the article with the fingers,
but may let it simply lie on the palm of the right hand, slightly
closing that hand as you move it towards the left. The greater extent
of surface in this case will give you plenty of hold, without the
necessity of pressing the article into the palm. Remember that, in any
case, the two hands must work in harmony, as in the genuine act of
passing an article from the one hand to the other. The left hand must
therefore rise to meet the right, but should not begin its journey
until the right hand begins its own. Nothing looks more awkward or
unnatural than to see the left hand extended with open palm, before the
right hand has begun to move towards it.
[Illustration: FIG. 63. FIG. 64. FIG. 65.]
After the pass is made, a judicious use of the wand will materially
assist in concealing the fact that the object still remains in the
right hand. For this purpose the performer should, before commencing
the pass, carelessly place the wand under either arm, as though
merely to leave his hands free. Immediately that the pass is made the
right hand should, with a sort of back-handed movement, which under
the circumstances is perfectly natural, grasp the wand, draw it from
under the arm, and thenceforth retain it till an opportunity occurs
of disposing of the coin as may be necessary. The position of the
fingers in the act of holding the wand is such as to effectually mask
the concealed coin, while yet the hand appears perfectly easy and
natural. The same expedient may be employed with equal advantage in the
remaining passes.
PASS 2.--This is somewhat easier than Pass 1, and may sometimes be
usefully substituted for it. Take the coin edgeways between the first
and third fingers of the right hand, the sides of those fingers
pressing against the edges of the coin, and the middle finger steadying
it from behind. (_See_ Fig. 63.) Carry the right hand towards the
left, and at the same time move the thumb swiftly over the face of the
coin till the top joint just passes its outer edge (_see_ Fig. 64);
then bend the thumb, and the coin will be found to be securely nipped
between that joint and the junction of the thumb with the hand. (_See_
Fig. 65.) As in the last case, the left hand must be closed the moment
the right hand touches it; and the right must thenceforth be held with
the thumb bent slightly inwards towards the palm, so that the coin may
be shielded from the view of the spectators. This is an especially
quick mode of palming, and if properly executed the illusion is
perfect. It is said to be a special favourite of the elder Frikell.
PASS 3.--Hold the left hand palm upwards, with the coin in the position
indicated in Fig. 59. Move the right hand towards the left, and let
the fingers simulate the motion of picking up the coin, and instantly
close. At the same moment slightly close the left hand, so as to
contract the palm around the coin, as in Fig. 60, and drop the hand,
letting it hang loosely by your side.
[Illustration: FIG. 66.]
PASS 4. (_Le Tourniquet_).--This (sometimes known as the “French
drop”) is an easy and yet most effective pass. Hold the left hand palm
upwards, with the coin as shown in Fig. 66. Now move the right hand
towards the left, passing the thumb of the right hand under, and the
fingers over the coin, closing them just as they pass it. The effect
is the same to the eye of the spectator as if you seized the coin
with thumb and fingers, but, in reality, at the moment when the coin
is covered by the fingers of the right hand, you let it drop quietly
(_see_ Fig. 67) into the palm of the left.
[Illustration: FIG. 67.]
The right hand you should carry upwards and forwards after it leaves
the left hand, following it with your eyes, and thereby drawing away
the attention of the audience from the other hand. (_See_ Fig. 68.) Do
not be in too great a hurry to drop the left hand, but turn the palm
slightly towards you, with the fingers a little bent, and, after a
moment’s pause, let it fall gently to your side. The hollow made by the
bent fingers will be sufficient to hold the coin.
This pass is available even for a sixpence or threepenny piece, which
from their small size, cannot readily be palmed by the ordinary means.
It is also very useful for “ball” conjuring.
[Illustration: FIG. 68.]
PASS 5. (_La Pincette_).--This is a modification of the pass last
described. The coin is held as in Fig. 69, between the thumb and first
and second fingers of the left hand. You then make the movement of
taking it between the same fingers of the other hand, which for that
purpose makes a kind of “swoop” down upon it, the back of the hand
being kept towards the spectators. At the moment when the coin is
covered by the fingers of the right hand, it is allowed to slip gently
down into the palm of the left, and the right is instantly elevated as
if containing it.
[Illustration: FIG. 69.]
PASS 6.--This pass is best adapted for use with three or four coins,
as the chink of the coins against one another materially assists the
illusion. Having to get rid of, say, four pence or florins, you take
them in the right hand, as indicated in Fig. 70, viz., well back
towards the wrist. Move the right hand sharply towards the left, with
the fingers foremost, so that the finger-tips of the right hand may
come smartly, at about right angles, against the palm of the left, at
the same time slightly bending the fingers. The coins, instead of being
shot forward (as to the eye and ear of the spectators they appear to
be) into the left hand, are, in reality, retained in the hollow formed
by the fingers of the right, as in Fig. 71. They are turned completely
over as the hands come in contact, producing a loud chink. The left
hand is, of course, closed, and the thumb of the right is allowed to
sink gently on the coins, so that when the hand falls by your side,
they may not make a second chink, and so betray their presence in the
wrong hand.
[Illustration: FIG. 70. FIG. 71.]
PASS 7. (_La Coulée_).--This pass is best adapted for a coin of large
diameter, like the French five-franc piece, and is but little used by
English conjurors. If, however, the student has a very small hand (a
serious disadvantage in conjuring generally), he may find it convenient
to use the pass in question with a half-crown or penny. Take the coin
in the right hand between the first and second fingers and the thumb,
and in the act of apparently transferring it to the left hand, gently
slide it with the ball of the thumb into the position shown in Fig.
72, where it is held by the pressure of the first and fourth fingers
against its opposite edges, the hand remaining completely open.
[Illustration: FIG. 72.]
[Illustration: FIG. 73.]
PASS 8.--The peculiarity of this pass is, that it is made while holding
the wand in the hand, a case in which none of the other passes are
available. Holding the wand and coin in the right hand, as indicated
in Fig. 73, you strike the edge of the coin sharply against the palm
of the left hand, and instantly close that hand. The effect of the
movement is to drive back the coin (which should be held very lightly)
into the position shown in Fig. 74, in which, being behind the first
three fingers, it is completely hidden. You should lose no time in
relaxing the fingers of the right hand, and gently closing them around
the coin, as their straightened position, if continued, might arouse
suspicion. You must, however, be careful that, in doing so, you do not
allow the coin to chink against the wand, as the sound would naturally
draw attention to its whereabouts.
[Illustration: FIG. 74.]
It must not be imagined that all of the passes above given are in turn
used by every performer. Almost every conjuror has his favourite pass
or passes, either selected from those above described, or invented
by himself. Any mode by which a coin can be held in the hand without
indicating its presence may be worked up into a pass. Thus, some
performers will hold a coin by its edges between two of the fingers,
or between the thumb and the side of the hand. Others, again, hold the
coin flat against the first or second joint of the second or third
finger, retaining it by slightly bending the finger. The novice should
experiment till he ascertains which method best suits the conformation
of his own hand. We have specified the hand to and from which each
pass is generally used; but if the student desires to attain special
excellence, he should practise until he is able to use each from left
to right, as well as from right to left. In performing before a company
of spectators, and standing with the left side towards them, it is
well to use a pass which apparently transfers the coin from the right
hand to the left, and _vice versâ_. The coin is thus left in the hand
farthest away from the spectators, and the performer has the benefit of
the cover of the body in dropping it into the _pochette_, or otherwise
disposing of it.
The student will here, as in card conjuring, find great advantage in
practising before a looking-glass, before which he should, in the first
place, actually _do_ that which he afterwards pretends to do, and
carefully notice the positions and motions of his hands in the first
case, which he should then do his best to simulate, that there may be
as little difference as possible between the pretence and the reality.
He should further accustom himself _always to follow with his eyes
the hand in which the object is supposed to be_, this being the most
certain means of leading the eyes and the minds of his audience in the
same direction. When he is able to perform the passes neatly with a
single florin or penny, he should then practise with coins of smaller
size, with two coins at once, and afterwards with three or four.
A word of caution may here be desirable. These passes must by no means
be regarded as being themselves tricks, but only as processes to be
used in the performance of tricks. If the operator, after pretending
to pass the coin, say, from the right hand to the left, and showing
that it had vanished from the left hand, were to allow his audience to
discover that it had all along remained in his right hand, they might
admire the dexterity with which he had in this instance deceived their
eyes, but they would henceforth guess half the secret of any trick in
which palming was employed. If it is necessary immediately to reproduce
the coin, the performer should do so by appearing to find it in the
hair or whiskers of a spectator, or in any other place that may suit
his purpose, remembering always to indicate beforehand that it has
passed to such a place, thereby diverting the general attention from
himself. As the coin is already in his hand, he has only to drop it to
his finger-tips as the hand reaches the place he has named, in order,
to all appearance, to take it from thence.
[Illustration: FIG. 75.]
Having given this little piece of advice as to the hand in which the
coin actually is, we must add a few words more as to the hand in which
it is _not_. Whenever you have (apparently) placed any article either
in the closed hand, or in some piece of apparatus from which it is
afterwards to disappear, you should not, as a rule, show that the
article has departed from the spot where you have apparently placed
it, without interposing some magical process, however slight, which
may colourably account for its disappearance. A mere nothing will
suffice--a touch of the wand, the pronouncing of a magic formula, the
pressure of a finger; but in some form or other the ceremony should
never be omitted. Thus, to take a very simple example, we will suppose
that by means of Pass 1 you have apparently placed in the left hand a
coin, which really remains in the palm of the right. If you at once
open the left hand, and show that the coin is not there, the spectators
will naturally jump to the correct explanation, viz., that you did
not, in reality, put the coin there at all. If, however, you delay
opening the left hand for a minute or two, so as to let the audience
get accustomed to the idea that the coin is therein, and then, before
opening it, touch the hand mysteriously with your wand, or even simply,
as you slowly open the left hand, rub the ball of the wrist with the
second and third fingers of the hand which holds the coin (_see_ Fig.
75), you not only give that hand an occupation apparently inconsistent
with the fact of anything remaining concealed in it, but you suggest
to the audience that the gesture in question is the cause of the
disappearance of the coin. It is surprising what an effect even such a
trifle as this has in misleading the judgment of a spectator. He knows
perfectly well, in the abstract, that touching the closed hand with
the wand, or rubbing it with a finger of the opposite hand, is not an
adequate cause for the disappearance of the coin; but the fact being
indisputable that the coin _has_ disappeared, the mind unconsciously
accepts the explanation which is thus indirectly offered. The advice
here given becomes less important where, before the hand is opened,
you are able to get rid of the object from that in which it originally
appeared. Here the spectator is precluded from imagining that you
retained it in the hand in which he first saw it, as that hand also is
shown to be empty, and the absolute disappearance of the coin being a
self-evident fact, you may leave the spectator to account for it in his
own manner.
The various passes may be employed not only to cause the disappearance
of an article, as above described, but to secretly exchange it for a
substitute of similar appearance. These exchanges are of continual use
in conjuring; indeed, we may almost say that three parts of its marvels
depend on them. Such an exchange having been made, the substitute
is left in sight of the audience, while the performer, having thus
secretly gained possession of the original, disposes of it as may be
necessary for the purpose of the trick. We proceed to describe various
forms of changes, denoting them, as in the case of the passes, by
numbers.
CHANGE 1.--You desire, we will suppose, to exchange--or, in conjuror’s
parlance, to “ring”--a florin, marked by the audience, for another.
You have the latter, which we will call the “substitute,” ready palmed
in your left hand, of course taking care to keep the palm turned away
from the audience. Taking the marked florin in the right hand, you palm
it in that hand by Pass 1, but instead of closing the left hand as the
fingers of the right touch it, keep that hand loosely open, and show
lying on its palm the substitute, which the audience take to be the
original just placed there by your right hand.
CHANGE 2.--This is the same as Change 1, save that you use with the
right hand Pass 2 instead of Pass 1.
CHANGE 3.--Here also you use Pass 2, but you have the substitute palmed
in the right hand instead of the left. Taking up the marked florin with
the same hand, you make with it Pass 2, at the same instant dropping
the substitute from its palm into the left hand. This is a very neat
and effective change. Some performers are expert enough to make this
change by means of Pass 1 instead of Pass 2, the genuine coin taking
the place of the substitute in the palm; but this demands dexterity of
a more than average order.
CHANGE 4.--For this change you must have the substitute palmed in the
right hand, and take the marked coin between the thumb and second
finger of the left. Then by Pass 4 appear to take it in the right hand,
and at the proper moment exhibit the substitute, which you have already
in that hand.
CHANGE 5.--Have the substitute palmed in your right hand, and hold
the marked coin openly on the palm of the left. Pick up the genuine
coin with the right hand, at the same moment releasing the palmed
substitute, which will accordingly fall into the left hand, the fingers
of which should be held slightly hollowed, the better to conceal it.
Show the marked coin in the right hand, and say, “You have seen me
take up this coin visibly, I will make it return invisibly,” or make
some other appropriate observation. Close the left hand, make Pass 1
or 2 with the right hand, with a motion towards the left, but without
bringing the hands near together. The marked coin will, after the pass,
be concealed in your right palm. Immediately opening your left hand,
you show the substitute, which the audience believe to be the original
which they have just seen.
There are many other changes; indeed, they are almost too numerous
to describe. If you are able to palm and to make the various passes
neatly, you will readily invent methods of “ringing” for yourself; in
the meantime, you will find that the above will answer every necessary
purpose, so far as coin tricks are concerned.
[Illustration]