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A Coin vanish can be a thing of great beauty or it can be merely an easily solved puzzle, which one is up to you. I want to discuss the theory of coin vanishes a little as an aid to making your vanishes more deceptive.Basic magic theory tells us that any vanish has two parts. The actual vanish is when the sleight takes place. The apparent vanish is the moment when the vanish is revealed to the spectators. You could say that the actual vanish is the method and the apparent vanish is the effect.
In the book Magic in Theory Lamont and Wiseman define misdirection as ‘…that which directs the audience towards the effect and away from the method.’
So how can we apply this in practice? Firstly remember the Professor Dai Vernon. Be natural! Paul Le Paul put it in more words…If a sleight looks like a natural movement then no further misdirection is needed.
The most common coin vanishes are fake transfers. This is when a coin is apparently transferred from one hand to the other, but is really retained in the original hand. This kind of vanish can either be a put vanish or a take vanish. A put vanish is when the coin is put into the other hand, a take vanish is of course when the coin is taken by the other hand. (Examples: the french drop is a take vanish, the retention vanish is a put vanish). There are arguments about which is the most natural action, my advice to use both! I suppose it is more natural to take.
I think the most important thing to remember about a fake transfer is that it is a sleight not a trick. A fake transfer may fool them, but after the vanish is revealed they will want to look in the other hand. Always! This can be overcome by only using these sleights in tricks. An example would be using a french drop, and then producing the coin from behind a spectators ear. My favourite quick trick is to use a classic palm vanish, show the vanish and then to close the empty fist. The coin is then secretly loaded into the closed hand and shown to reappear. Instructions for these tricks will appear as soon as I can get some diagrams organised.
Movement is important to consider in coin vanishes. The eye tends to follow movement. It is therefore more deceptive after a fake transfer to move the hand that apparently holds the coin away from the hand that really does hold the coin. This keeps the focus of attention on the effect, which is the disappearance of the coin.
Time misdirection is also important. The actual vanish and the apparent vanish should be separated by a time gap. The reason for this is that people are less likely to associate the sleight (the actual vanish) with the apparent vanish when there is a time gap between them. A practical example would be to fill in a little time after a fake transfer with a little patter, and then to open the hand to reveal the vanish one finger at a time.
One last thing to remember is from Professor Hoffman; always do something to account for the magic. Use a magical gesture or word to define the moment that the magic happens. This again separates the actual and apparent vanishes.
So there are a few ideas to be getting on with
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