Effect
Hold four coins in your hand. You close your hand and when you open it again, a single coin has disappeared.
The Secret
Make a fake coin from a piece of aluminum foil. When you close your hand, you simply crush the foil into a small ball and make the coin “disappear.”
Materials
Four coins (quarters work well)A small square of foilScissors
Setup the Trick
Place the square of foil on top of one of the coins and rub it with your thumb to make a good impression of the coin in the foil.
Prepare the Gimmick
Carefully cut out the fake coin from the foil. Be sure to allow for “sides” of the coin.
Perform the Trick
Arrange the other coins around the fake coin and you’re ready to perform the trick. Show the coins to spectators and make sure that they acknowledge that there are four coins. Close your hand and crush the foil into a tiny ball. When you open your hand again, display three coins. The piece of foil is hidden under the other coins. Note that you may have to experiment with the foil to get one that resembles the other coins. In the photographs here, the foil coin looks quite different from the other coins, but in real life, more closely resembled the other coins. Also, you’ll want to experiment with the placement of the foil relative to the other coins. The key here is to situate the fake foil coin so it’s easy to crush when you close your hand.
