Note From the Editor:

This effect comes from Wayne Dobson’s booklet, Six Masterpieces, which I highly recommend. I reviewed it at my Magic Review Site, Magic Reviewed. Check it out. I gave it 4.5 stars out of five.

I highly recommend this booklet.

Required:

Three small coin purses, approximately 50mm x 50mm. I use Jerry O’Connell’s single coin purses available from: www.topsecretmagic.co.uk or . . . some banks give customers similar plastic wallets. At a push . . . you can use three coin envelopes. You also need five coloured discs. I use five x half-dollar sized Chinese coins – one red, two yellow and two blue. Finally, you need three coloured stickers one red, one yellow and one blue – about the size of a five pence coin.

Preparation:

Cut a small hole in the rear of one purse (about a quarter of an inch in diameter and near the bottom centre). On the back of each purse, at the centre, place a coloured sticker, but stick the red sticker on the back of the purse that has the small hole in it.

Set Up:

In the purse with the hole you place one red, one blue and one yellow coin. In the purse with the yellow sticker . . . place the yellow coin, and in the purse with the blue sticker . . . place the blue coin. Pop the yellow purse into your left pocket and the blue purse into your right pocket.

Presentation:

Start by removing the three coins from the purse with the hole in it – keeping the side with the hole and red sticker hidden. Ask the spectator, whilst your head is turned, to slip any one of the three colured coins into the purse – which you are still holding onto. Ask them to close the purse and to then place one of the remaining two coins into their left closed fist and the other in their right closed fist. When they have done this you turn back and, as you patter, you raise the purse and see what colour coin is inside. If you see that the coin in the purse is the red one . . . place the purse down on the table – with the sticker/hole underneath.

So, you now know that the blue and yellow coins are in the spectator’s hands, but you don’t know which one is in which, so the wording here must be delivered correctly! Say, “Concentrate on the colour of the coin in your left hand.” Look at them and hold your palm down right hand over both of their fists in turn. Stop with your right hand hovering nearer to their right hand then say, “Yellow!” They will either open their left hand and show that you are correct – in which case you now know the blue coin is in their right hand, and can now reveal it! Or . . . they will shake their head in which case you say, “I didn’t say the yellow coin is in your left hand. I said yellow because I could feel that the yellow coin is in your right hand (touch their right hand with your right hand) and the blue coin is in your left hand. “ They will now open both hands to show that you are correct. You then pick up, from the table th purse with the red sticker on its back, open the purse and show that the red coin is inside, but as a kicker finish . . . turn over the purse and allow the red sticker to be seen (keeping your thumb over the small hole).

If, however, you see that the coin in the purse is the yellow one . . . place the purse into your left pocket (where the purse containing the yellow coin is). You now know that the blue and red coins are in the spectator’s hands. Say, “Concentrate on the colour of the coin in your left hand.” Look at them and hold your palm down right hand over both of their fists in turn. Stop with your right hand hovering nearer to their right hand then say, “Red!” They will either open their left hand and show that you are correct – in which case you now know the blue coin is in their right hand, and can now reveal it! Or . . . they will shake their head in which case you say, “I didn’t say the red coin was in your left hand. I said red because I could feel that the red coin is in your right hand (touch their right hand with your right hand) and the yellow coin is in your left hand.” They will now open both hands to show that you are correct. You then remove the ungimmicked purse (with the yellow sticker on its back from your pocket, open the purse and show that the yellow coin is inside, but as a kicker finish . . . turn over the purse and allow the yellow sticker to be seen. The purse can now be examined.

Finally, if you see that the blue coin is in the purse, do the same as above, but pocket the purse in your right pocket, etc.