It's a Steal!

Effect: You borrow a coin — a half dollar, let's say — and you remove a handkerchief from your pocket. Covering the coin with the handkerchief, you say you will make the coin vanish!

But first, you want your audience to be satisfied that the coin is still there, so you ask three or four persons to feel the coin under the handkerchief. They all verify its presence.

A few magic passes and you open the handkerchief, and the coin has vanished!

 (The Secret)

What you need:

• A handkerchief or paper napkin.

• A good friend.

The Preparation:

It works because you use a confederate. Your friend is in on it.

The Method:

Position your friend to be the last person at your right side. 

Borrow a coin and, as in the "Effect", place it under the napkin or handkerchief. Tell them you will now vanish the coin, but to be "sure" it's still there, you'll ask a few persons to verify its existence.

Holding the coin through the handkerchief, have a few persons, starting at your left, touch the coin under the handkerchief. The third or fourth person should be your friend. As he "verifies" that the coin is still there, he steals it away. (Tell him not to make this into a "move"; just instruct your friend to take the coin and naturally place his hand in his lap.)

Then, you make a few  "magic passes", open the handkerchief, and it's GONE!

This is a real killer at a party. Be sure to clue-in your friend to look as surprised as everybody else, but not to overact.

Have fun with this one; it's a good one.

The Karate Dollar

Effect: Have your friend hold a pencil between his two hands. Take out a dollar bill and fold it in half length-wise. Tell him that through sheer force of will, you will break the pencil with the dollar bill.

Holding the dollar at one end, you karate-chop the pencil with the dollar bill, snapping it in two!

 (The Secret)

What you need:

1. A pencil (a relatively new or long one)
2. A paper note of any denomination.

To Perform:

(This trick is so old, I think George Washington did it as soon as he put himself on the dollar bill.)

First, hand your friend a pencil and ask him to hold it very tightly (this is important) in the fists of each hand. Tell him to hold the pencil at the very ends, but securely.

You take out a dollar bill (or any note, for that matter) and fold it in half length-wise, that is so the fold is along the longer part of the bill.

Hold the dollar in your hand, between your thumb and middle finger. Your first (pointer) finger should be free. The fold of the dollar is towards the floor.

Next, tell your friend, "I will now karate-chop this pencil in two, using my sheer will and this flimsy paper dollar bill!" 

What you will do now is to bring down the dollar towards the pencil on three counts. So, you say, "One!", and you bring down the dollar fast towards the pencil, stopping short of contact. 

"Two!", doing the same thing.

Now, bring down the dollar again for "Three!", but as you do, stick your free index finger into the fold of the dollar! This will cause the pencil to break in two.

You have the strength of many, Grasshopper. Just don't make it obvious how you did it. How, young disciple? 

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