|
|
COIN THROUGH HAND And other ideas for the L'Homme Masque Coin Load
Published in MUM, July 2002, Vol. 92, No. 2, pp. 38, 44
THE LOAD The load has been described in Magic Without Apparatus, David Roth's Expert Coin Magic and Bobo's Modern Coin Magic. It will be described here as a simple coin production. You have a coin classic palmed in your right hand. Your open left hand is palm up in front of you. Your left fingers slowly close into a loose fist, which is turned palm down. The coin will be loaded into the opening above the left thumb. As a magical gesture, your right fingertips gently rub the back of your left hand in a clockwise circular motion. Your right fingertips slide toward the left across the back of your left fist, bringing the palm of your right hand (and the classic-palmed coin) near the left hand's opening. Without hesitation, your left fist starts to rotate counterclockwise at the wrist (you'll probably sprain your wrist if you try to turn it the other way) as the right hand bends down at the wrist a bit, letting the coin drop into the opening (your left fist loosens up ever so slightly for this). But don't stop there. With a fluid motion, continue to turn your closed left fist palm up as your right fingertips maintain contact with the back of the left hand. At the conclusion of the action, your closed left fist will be palm up, and your palm-up right fingertips, which point to the left, are below the fist. Gracefully open your fingers one at a time to reveal the coin. If used as a production, the load also can be performed as a "challenge" effect by having a spectator hold onto your wrist before the coin's appearance. Load the coin; then, at the end of the action, simply hold your wrist from underneath as if you're showing the spectator how to do it. Note: After sufficient practice, you don't even have to touch your hands together during the loading action. And though many people use a thumb palm to load the coin, I feel that, for the Coin Through Hand effect, the classic palm works best. COIN THROUGH HAND In this wonderfully deceptive quickie, a coin appears to be pushed through the back of the fist and into the hand. Both hands are held palm up in front of you, fingers together. The coin is on the extreme tip of the right second and third fingers. Your left hand closes into a fist and turns palm down. Your right thumb is placed atop the coin, a bit to the right, halfway off the coin. The right hand turns in toward your body, continuing until it is palm down. Once the coin is out of sight, your right second and third fingers squeeze the coin into a classic palm. While palming the coin, keep your right thumb and forefinger together so that there is no upward telltale motion of the right thumb. To the spectator, it appears as if the coin is at the extreme fingertips of the right hand. Pretend to place the coin atop the left fist and start to gently rub in a clockwise circular motion, as if the coin is penetrating the back of your hand. Remember, the right fingertips are together during the rubbing motion, and they continue to rub the back of the left fist as you perform the load as described above. Even after the coin has been loaded, continue rubbing as if the coin is still held on the back of the left fist. Lift the right fingers away to reveal that the coin is not there. Slowly open your left hand to show that the coin has "gone through."
WHITE MAGIC WORDS: A beautiful sleight that is absolutely worth learning if you do coins. Tom's use of the sleight for his quick Coin Through the Hand is a very clever lesson in its application. That said, perhaps you would enjoy a brief history lesson... L'Homme Masque was the stage name of Jose Antenor de Gago y Zavala who lived in the later 1800s. His story is a rather strange one. He was born into an aristocratic Spanish family but became a society magician using several stage names. He performed wearing a black mask, "For personal reasons." It is reported that he committed suicide. He is the originator of "The Expansion of Texture," which is described on page 240 of Down's The Art of Magic. You can find a version of this, and the credit to L'Homme Masque, on pages 181-182 of Bobo's Coin Magic, titled "The Expansion of Texture — Expanded!" A number of magicians know and use this clever sleight without being aware of its originator. Now you do! © 1995 Tom Interval 
|
|
This deceptive version of Coin Through Hand makes use of the L'Homme Masque coin load. The load also can be used as a nice finish to David Roth's "Winged Silver."