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Modern Magic: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Conjuring
·
Professor Hoffmann
228
CHAPTER
VII.
TRICKS
WITH
COIN
WITHOUT
APPARATUS.
There
is
an
immense
variety
of
tricks
with
coin--some
with
apparatus,
some
without;
some
demanding
a
thorough
mastery
of
sleight-of-hand;
some
so
simple
as
to
be
within
the
compass
of
the
merest
tyro.
The
only
classification
which
we
shall
attempt
will
be
to
divide
them
into
such
as
do
and
such
as
do
not
require
special
apparatus.
A
FLORIN
BEING
SPUN
UPON
THE
TABLE,
TO
TELL
BLINDFOLD
WHETHER
IT
FALLS
HEAD
OR
TAIL
UPWARDS.--You
borrow
a
florin,
and
spin
it,
or
invite
some
other
person
to
spin
it,
on
the
table
(which
must
be
without
a
cloth).
You
allow
it
to
spin
itself
out,
and
immediately
announce,
without
seeing
it,
whether
it
has
fallen
head
or
tail
upwards.
This
may
be
repeated
any
number
of
times
with
the
same
result,
though
you
may
be
blindfolded,
and
placed
at
the
further
end
of
the
apartment.
The
secret
lies
in
the
use
of
a
florin
of
your
own,
on
one
face
of
which
(say
on
the
“tail”
side)
you
have
cut
at
the
extreme
edge
a
little
notch,
thereby
causing
a
minute
point
or
tooth
of
metal
to
project
from
that
side
of
the
coin.
If
a
coin
so
prepared
be
spun
on
the
table,
and
should
chance
to
go
down
with
the
notched
side
upwards,
it
will
run
down
like
an
ordinary
coin,
with
a
long
continuous
“whirr,”
the
sound
growing
fainter
and
fainter
till
it
finally
ceases;
but
if
it
should
run
down
with
the
notched
side
downwards,
the
friction
of
the
point
against
the
table
will
reduce
this
final
whirr
to
half
its
ordinary
length,
and
the
coin
will
finally
go
down
with
a
sort
of
“flop.”
The
difference
of
sound
is
not
sufficiently
marked
to
attract
the
notice
of
the
spectators,
but
is
perfectly
distinguishable
by
an
attentive
ear.
If,
therefore,
you
have
notched
the
coin
on
the
“tail”
side,
and
it
runs
down
slowly,
you
will
cry
“tail;”
if
quickly,
“head.”
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