This course in Magic would not be complete unless you were taught the famous Miser's Dream effect. It was a very popular number with T. Nelson Downs in his Coin Act. The experiment is very interesting for it permits of many variations. The money can be picked out of the air, from various parts of the performer's body, from the whiskers of some spectator, from a lady's coat, or it may be caused to fall in a shower when someone sneezes.

The other effects in the lesson also offer good opportunity for manipulative sleights with coins in vanishing and producing them. I teach you the general principles and I want you to work them out to fit various occasions. In tricks where there is repetition, you must vary the means of producing coins so that you do not lose the punch of the experiment. You must add spice to the effect and keep your audience interested.

This lesson is based around the use of two dozen half dollar-size Palming Coins. If you desire, however, you may use more coins, even as many as fifty.

1. THE MISER'S DREAM EFFECT:

Performer borrows a derby hat from a spectator and shows it empty. Then he reaches into the air and produces a half dollar, which he tosses into the hat. From then on, in an amazing manner he produces coins from here, there, and everywhere. The supply seems to be endless and the audience is bewildered by the mysterious happenings.

PARAPHERNALIA:

1 -- Two dozen Palming Coins.

(It is well to have a supply of these coins on hand for your various coin effects.) 2 -- Three black safety pins from 1-7/8 to 2 inches long.

3 -- A borrowed derby hat. A derby is preferred because it is stiff and the coins make a noise when they are dropped into it. In case of necessity, use a soft felt hat, although the experiment is not so effective when it is used. Sometimes a performer carries his own derby hat for the experiment.

SECRET AND PATTER:

To Prepare:

Place nine coins in your empty left trouser's pocket.

Inside the right side of your coat about an inch and three-quarters from the bottom, place one of the black

safety pins. About one-half inch back of it, place the second pin, and one-half inch back of that, the third one. Figure 1.

Close each pin and into each place five coins. The wire on each side has enough spring to hold the coins securely. You may have to pull the wires apart or push them together a little to adjust them to the coins, but this is an easy matter. Allow a larger section of the coins to extend above the pins and a smaller section below the pins. This is done to make it easier to release the coins when you need them. Figure 2.

To Perform:

Borrow a derby hat. Hold it in right hand, and as you go back to stage, reach into left trouser's pocket with left hand. Stack the nine coins and bring them out Finger Palmed—the coins rest at base of fingers and are held in place by tips of second and third fingers. Remove hand from pocket. Be sure that fingers conceal coins. Figure 3.

As you turn to face audience (right turn), transfer hat from right to left hand. Grasp hat with thumb and index finger of left hand. Figure 4.

This position gives you a good grip on hat and completely conceals coins so that hat may be shown from all sides. Figure 5.

"Deep down in our hearts there seems to be the desire to make money fast. Almost anyone would rather like to wake up in the morning and find himself a millionaire. I have learned, however, that the only safe way to make money fast is the magical way. You see there is plenty of money around, but the trick is to get it. Are you aware of the fact that the air is full of money and that it lurks in the most unexpected places? Now all that a magician needs to make money is his empty right hand."

With hand pointing downward, show right hand on both sides, fingers wide apart.

"And he uses a hat to hold the money in."

Show hat empty, even examining it under the hat band.

Hold hat up in left hand with opening toward you. Grasp other edge of brim with right hand. Figures 6 and 7.

Remove left hand from hat and bring it over to right hand. Turn hat with right hand. Figure 8.

Grasp hat just above right hand with fingers of left hand inside the hat and thumb outside. Remove right hand from brim of hat. Figures 9 and 10.

As you bring left hand into position, let the coins arrange themselves along the inside band of the hat and hold them in place with your finger tips. Figure 11 shows how coins are concealed by fingers of left hand inside the crown of the hat. Nothing is visible to the audience. Figure 12 shows how coins are arranged along the band of the hat under the fingers.

Figure 13 shows a detailed view of the arrangement of the coins. They are spread a little apart and overlap each other. The one on top is nearest the finger tips.

Push top coin forward a little with fingers so that it is ready to be released. It is now easy for you to allow this coin to fall into the hat at the desired moment. Figure 14.

With right side of body toward audience, reach into air with empty right hand and pretend to pick a coin from nowhere. Close hand as though it holds a coin, then open it slowly and show empty hand as though coin had gone again. Reach up again and take an imaginary coin from the air. Figure 15.

Toss this imaginary coin into the hat. As right hand is over the hat, release the top coin under your left fingers and let it drop into the hat. The illusion is perfect. The audience hears the coin fall and it appears that you actually threw a coin into the hat with your right hand. Figure 16.

"There's one coin."

Reach into hat and take out coin. Hold in Finger Clip position and show it to audience on both sides. Figure 17.

Now apparently toss coin back into hat again, but as right hand travels toward hat, Front Thumb Palm the coin. Figures 18 and 19.

Continue movement of right hand to hat as though throwing coin in. Figure 16.

At the same instant allow another coin to drop from left fingers into hat. Be sure to time the dropping of the coin from left fingers properly with the action of the right hand in pretending to toss the coin into the hat.

"And another over here."

Reach up into the air again at another point and pretend to catch another coin from the air. This time you show the coin. You produce it by forcing out the coin which you have Thumb Palmed to your finger tips and hold it in the Production Clip position. The movement of your hand in reaching up for a coin will cover the movement of producing the coin. Figures 20 and 21.

Finger Clip the coin and pretend to throw it into the hat. In reality, Thumb Palm the coin again and at the right instant let another coin drop from left fingers into the hat.

"I'm beginning to see lots of coins."

Produce the next coin from under right knee. Pretend to throw it into the hat, but Palm it and drop a fourth coin from left hand.

Now produce a coin from behind your left elbow. Raise hat with left hand and hold right hand with coin Finger Clipped under crown of hat. Figure 22 shows position of hands.

Now pretend to throw coin right through bottom of hat. As hand goes up to hat, Thumb Palm the coin again and let a fifth coin drop from left hand into hat. Figure 23.

"That one went right through."

Pretend to pick coin from air again, producing coin in Production Clip position from right hand. Pretend to throw it high into the air; in the meantime, Palm it again. Hold left arm outstretched. Follow imaginary coin with your eyes-look upward as though watching it go up and then down to hat. Pretend to catch it in hat, and at the right instant drop a sixth coin from left hand into hat. Make this as real as possible.

REMEMBER THAT PANTOMIME IS VERY IMPORTANT IN ILLUSION.

Reach out for another coin and pretend to drop it into hat, allowing a seventh coin to fall from left hand. Then repeat again and let an eighth coin fall from left hand.

You now have one coin left in your left hand and one coin palmed in your right hand.

"This is called, Easy Come, Easy Go."

Reach into the air for a coin again, and this time really drop coin from right hand into hat.

Reach into air again and pretend to grab a coin in right hand. Now TURN BODY TO THE RIGHT SO THAT LEFT SIDE IS TOWARD AUDIENCE. Pretend to throw imaginary coin in right hand high up into the air. Follow it with your eyes.

Allow right hand to fall at your side. Curl your fingers up under your coat and release the five coins in the front safety pin. Now pretend to catch coin from the air in the hat and release last coin from left fingers. Keep opening of hat slightly turned from audience so that they cannot see coin fall from left hand. Figure 24 shows side of hat toward audience.

To learn how to get coins from safety pin easily, study the diagrams in Figures 25 and 26 (next page) carefully. Let top edge A of coins come downward. This brings edge B to the top and turns bottom edge of coat up with it. Figure 25. Push edge B down and out of safety pin with thumb. Let coins come into hand in Finger Palm position and close second, third, and fourth fingers over them to conceal them. Figure 26.

Turn to the left again so that you can hold back of right hand naturally toward audience.

"Every man his own mint."

Reach up into air after coin, and in doing so, slide a coin from those palmed in right hand into Production Clip position with thumb. Figure 27 shows coins in Finger Palm position. Put thumb over them and open fingers out as in Figure 28. Push coin out to end of thumb and index finger and close other fingers over rest of coins again. Figure 29.

Throw this coin into hat. Reach up into the air again and slide a second coin from right hand into Production Clip position. Throw this coin into hat. Continue to reach for coins and toss them, one at a time, into the hat until all five coins have been taken from right hand. Vary the production of the coins by producing from elbow or knee.

"A fine shower for the first of the month's bills."

Turn opening of hat toward audience. Reach in with right hand and scoop up a good handful. Hold hand above hat and let coins slide, one by one in rapid succession, into the hat.

"Just like a miser letting the gold run thru his hands."

Reach in again and pick up a handful of coins, this time keeping back of hand to audience. In pouring coins back into the hat, hold back a few and palm them. You will have no difficulty in doing this. "Money, money everywhere, and to think of the years I had to work for a living." Reach out and produce the next bunch of coins, one at a time, from various places.

Now scoop up a handful of coins from hat with left hand and let them slide back, retaining some in your hand. Produce these coins as you did before with right hand, varying your productions to keep your audience at a high pitch. For instance, you may produce a coin from a spectator's coat and toss it into the hat. Reach into hat and take out a coin.

"You see, this is just like the rest, Sir."

Catch money from here and there—from a spectator's ear, from a lady's hair—until the supply in left hand has been exhausted.

Now take hat in left hand again and hold it in front of spectator. Tell him to sneeze, and as audience is watching him, reach up under coat again and release five more coins into right hand. Finger Palm coins.

"That's a poor sneeze. Better blow."

Put right hand with coins palmed to spectator's nose, hold hat underneath, and let coins slide down into hat as though they came out of his nose. Figure 30.

This gets a good laugh and gives you an opportunity to reach under coat again for third load of five coins. Produce these one at a time from various places—a spectator's chin, or hair, from a coat, or lady's hat. Toss these into the hat as they are produced. Then reach into hat again, scooping up a handful of coins, letting them slide back, and retaining a few by Palming them in your right hand. Go up to another spectator, and holding hat under his nose, ask him to blow.

"Blow hard."

Place right hand on his nose and let coins slide into hat. "There now, we have half a hat full of money." Go back to stage. Pour coins out into a bowl.

"And as parting advice to the ladies, try this sometime with hubby's hat."

NOTE: The Miser's Dream offers so much opportunity for variation in production that you need never lack for chances to make this effect especially interesting.

Throwing the money through the hat Is always good. Also you may pretend to put coin in mouth and blow it into hat, dropping coin from left hand to complete the illusion.

Here is a good move: Vanish coin by means of the Back Finger Clip Vanish (Lesson 21, Figure 64 to 68) in right hand. You face front with both arms extended to sides. As you vanish coin from right hand, drop a coin into hat from left hand, watching the hat as you do so. Then produce coin again at right finger tips. Figure 31.

Another arrangement is to have a safety pin with a load of coins just inside the bottom of your left trouser's leg. Boldly reach up and under cover of trouser slip coins out of pin and produce them. Or you may have a small wire clip, such as is used to hold letters together, under each lapel with a coin in each, which you can produce.

Study the Palms and Vanishes in Lesson 21. Many can be used to good advantage. Instead of pretending to place the coin in left hand, pretend to place it in the hat. Use the Invisible Thumb Palm to show the hand apparently empty every once in a while.

PUT SNAP AND LIFE into the catching of the coins. Do not let time between production of coins drag.

Work fast to keep your audience keyed up to a high pitch of excitement.

2. THE COIN, ENVELOPE, and HANDKERCHIEF

EFFECT:

A coin with some identifying mark on it is borrowed from a spectator. It is placed in an envelope. A borrowed handkerchief is knotted. Suddenly the coin disappears from the envelope and appears in the knot in the handkerchief. The envelope is torn up and the handkerchief is untied to disclose the coin.

PARAPHERNALIA:

1 -- A fairly heavy manila envelope, or some other envelope which is fairly opaque. Size: 3-7/8 x 6-1/2 inches.

2 -- A half dollar.

3 -- A borrowed half dollar.

4 -- A borrowed handkerchief.

SECRET AND PATTER:

To Prepare:

On the bottom edge of envelope, out a slit about an inch and three-quarters long. Do this carefully right on

the fold so that it will not be noticed. A safety razor blade is excellent for cutting the envelope. Figure 32.

Have half dollar held by wire clip under vest or lower edge of coat, or you may have it in pocket which you can reach conveniently. If you desire, you may have coin Finger Palmed and come forward to start experiment with it already in position.

To Perform:

Borrow a handkerchief and place it over left arm. Borrow half dollar and ask owner to mark it for identification. Take coin in right hand, being careful to

conceal other coin Finger Palmed. Finger Clip coin and, pretending to transfer it to left hand, Front Thumb Palm it and drop your own coin into left hand. This is the same move as you learned in your last lesson under the effect, THE COIN IN THE MAGICAL ENVELOPES.

Now allow the borrowed coin which is Thumb Palmed to slip down into Finger Palm position.

Go back to stage. Take handkerchief by corner nearest you, placing hand under it with coin and thumb on top toward audience. Hold your own coin up in left hand. Figure 33.

Draw handkerchief away from left arm. As you do so, raise index finger of right hand up and over to front of handkerchief near thumb so that it is near edge of coin and handkerchief is held between first and second fingers. Figure 34.

When handkerchief falls from left arm, it is held gripped in right hand. Borrowed coin is held between thumb and fingers and is covered on both sides by handkerchief. Figure 35.

Place half dollar which you have in left hand on table or some other place in full view. If you have an assistant, you may give it to him to hold.

With coin held in fold of handkerchief in right hand, pick up opposite corner of handkerchief in left hand and hold as shown in Figure 36.

Now with a movement cause the corners C of the handkerchief to flip up over middle and fall down in front. Figure 37.

This makes a tube in middle of handkerchief. Bring two ends fairly close together. Release coin and allow it to slide down tube to center of handkerchief. Figure 38.

Tie a knot in handkerchief and give it to spectator to hold by one of the corners. If coin is visible in knot, pull down cloth over it a little to conceal. Figure 39.

Pick up half dollar and the slit envelope from table.

"The gentleman has marked his half dollar. He can recognise it easily, I am sure. Would you mind, sir, if I sent it away in an envelope?"