Do the 'French Drop'
The French Drop is a classic magic trick involving a sleight of hand and the apparent "vanishing" of an object such as a Choose Coins for Magic Tricks. The secret is that the object never actually leaves the hand from which it appears to vanish but the audience's viewpoint makes it seem otherwise.
Steps
- Begin by asking a member of your audience for a coin. If no one has one, produce one of your own.
- Any small object can be used in place of the coin but it must be no larger than the size of the coin and something that is easily concealed and held onto.
- Hold the coin out to your audience between your thumb and first two fingers of your left hand.
- Pretend to pass the coin from your left to your right hand by doing the following:
- Turn your left hand so that your thumb is on top with your fingers below.
- Reach toward the coin with your right hand so that your thumb is going behind the coin and your fingers are going in front of it. The fingers of your right hand will obscure the coin from the audience's view.
- Relax the thumb of your left hand, allowing the coin to drop to your fingers.
- Continue the grasping motion with your right hand, but do not actually grab the coin. If you have done this correctly, the audience will now believe the coin to be in your right hand.
- Direct your gaze to your right hand (the one you wish the audience to believe holds the coin), and raise it up to your audience. At the same time, swing your left hand in a relaxed motion to a normal position by your side. At this point, it's best to drop the object into your pocket so that your left hand can remain free to move around or reveal that it, too, is empty.
- To help encourage the audience to watch your right hand, patter a little about the need to watch that hand closely.
- Wiggle the fingers of your right hand and open it up, to reveal it the hand to be empty.
Tips
- Note that it may take lots of practice to make this illusion appear perfect; the more skilled that you are at performing it, the more likely you'll pull it off successfully.
- Try it out on a sympathetic audience first (usually your friends or family).
- When dropping the coin, it is best to have a bit of sweaty hands so the coin will stick. Alternatively, when dropping the hand with the coin to the side, curve the palm around the coin so it doesn't drop. For better results, pretend to pull the coin out of someone's ear or pocket!
- The hands used can be reversed, according to preference.
- This would be easier if performed with a small crowd.
Warnings
- Avoid revealing the magic!
Things You'll Need
- Coin or other similar small object
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