How to Do Coin Tricks- Detailed Instructions

I have been learning how to do coin tricks for over 20 years. Before getting into the details of the tricks, it is important to consider these points so you know exactly how to do coin tricks. The coin trick has to be:

Visible
Simple and Clear
Easy to Understand
Practical to Perform
A Fooler
Cool and Fun
Easily portable

All of the coin tricks here fit these criteria. Some require a little bit of practice. You will learn:

PENNY AND DIME TRANSPO
CALLING HEADS
PILE OF COINS VANISH
COIN THROUGH HAND
2 COINS- ONE HAND TO THE OTHER
MAGNETIC COINS
PNDQ
SCOTCH AND SODA

I will teach you step by step, with pictures, exactly how to do these amazing coin tricks.

I am right handed. If you are left handed just switch the hands.

Penny and Dime Transpo

EFFECT: Your spectator places a penny and a dime in their hand. They take out one coin and place it on the back of their hand. You cause the coins to magically switch places.

SETUP: You will need two pennies and one dime. Start with a penny in left hand finger palm and the two other coins on your palm up right hand, dime closer to your 1st finger.

FINGER PALM: You need to know this move. I will cover it here. Hold the coin at the base of your fingers, mostly on your 3rd finger, with it slightly overlapping your 2nd finger. Curl your fingers naturally and hold the coin gently in place with your 3rd finger against the skin at the base of your hand. That is it, simple! The finger palm is an easy, practical, and effective move.

Hold the coin lightly in place, there should be no tension in your hand.
Keep your fingers together at all times so there are no windows.
Always relax your hand either at your side or on the table.
You can rotate your hand palm up, the coin will remain hidden.
You can still pick up and hold objects with your thumb, 1st, and 2nd.

HOW TO PRACTICE: Keep a coin in finger palm throughout the day as you go about your normal activity until you get used to it. Forget about the coin and just do whatever you normally do. Learn to relax your hand naturally as if you have nothing in it. Do this for a week. Get comfortable. Nobody knows you are hiding a coin.

PRO TIPS: There are many ways to hide a coin in your hand. Most methods are unnatural and look suspicious. The finger palm is the easiest and most natural palm to use. Most coin tricks I perform use it. Practice and get comfortable with this move and it will serve you well.

ROUTINE

COIN SWITCH: Display the coins and have your spectator place their hand out. Drop the coins into your left hand so you can place them in your spectator’s hand. When you do the transfer retain the dime in your right hand by pressing down on it with your right thumb. Relax your right hand to your side and move the dime into right finger palm. Shake the coins so they hear clinking.

You don’t want your spectator to look at the coins. Be super casual here, nothing has happened yet. With the coins sort of in a fist hand them to your spectator and tell them to take them in their closed fist so they don’t know which coin is which. Have them take out one coin and place it on the back of their hand. This position locks them in and they can’t open their hand.

COIN CHANGE: “Watch the penny, change to the dime.” Pick up the penny on the back of their hand with your right thumb and 1st. Act as if you throw it into your left fist. Actually throw the dime from finger palm into your left fist. Move the penny into right hand finger palm as you relax your right hand to your side. Tap your closed left fist on their hand and open showing the dime. Have your spectator open showing the penny.

IMPORTANT POINTS: This particular coin transposition is extremely strong because it uses 2 known coins, a penny and a dime, plus it happens in your spectator’s hand.

A penny and dime are small, I recommend performing this trick for only 1 or 2 people at a time.

Because you show the penny and dime in the beginning there is no heat on the coins after the switch. They don’t suspect anything so they aren’t really paying attention when you put the coins in their hand.

PRO TIPS: The most important advice I can give you on this trick is ONLY MENTION ONE COIN. Otherwise it is confusing. When you show a penny, they know what coin they have in their hand.

You are holding out during this routine, you have a coin that you are hiding. I consider this advanced sleight of hand. Don’t be afraid, the coin is so small. Nobody is going to see it. Be confident in your moves. Confidence comes from practice and performance. Challenge yourself.

You could use the same method to do a nice bent coin routine. Do the switch, have them place the coins in their hand. Tell them to squeeze the coins. They open up showing the bent coin, they squeezed too hard.

When transferring the coins to your other hand you need a motivated reason for doing it. I choose a spectator who is on my left side. It makes sense for me to transfer the coins to my left hand so I can reach my spectator. With good choreography comes good sleight of hand.

Calling Heads

EFFECT: You flip a quarter in the air and each time calls heads or tails. You slap the quarter on the back of your hand and it matches correctly every time.

HOW YOU DO IT

Balance the quarter on the nail of your thumb and flip it into the air. This looks cool. Practice until you have control over the quarter. Call either heads or tails while the quarter is flipping in the air. Catch the quarter and press the pad of your thumb against it. Determine by feel if it is the heads or tails side and then slap the correct side face up on the back of your hand.

IMPORTANT POINTS: The heads sides feels smooth and the tails side feels rougher. With a little practice it is very easy to determine which side is which, quickly. This trick is perfect to do with Elbow to Elbow. You can check it out here- Magic Tricks With Coins You Will Actually Do.

PRACTICE TIME: Practice this for an hour, you will get it.

PRO TIPS: This is a very different type of coin trick. Also very baffling. It is good to have these types of tricks in your repertoire.

When performing magic it is always good to mix up your tricks. Check out this Free Video and learn my favorite 4 Ace Trick. It is easy to do and guaranteed to amaze. I perform it all the time at my paid events.

Pile of Coins Vanish

EFFECT: You pick up a coin from a pile of coins and it visibly vanishes.

HOW YOU DO IT

You do a fake take right from the pile. You can do this with candies in a dish, mints in a bowl, etc.

ACTIONS

Act as if you are picking up a coin.
Act as if you picked up a coin.
Move the coin and massage it.
Make a whooshing sound and quickly open your hand.
Show the coin has vanished.

IMPORTANT POINTS: This is a very easy and effective vanish. You have to act a little here.

Coin Through Hand

EFFECT: Magician pushes a coin through his hand onto the spectator’s hand.

HOW YOU DO IT

I discussed finger palm in depth above in the Penny Dime Transpo if you want to check it out. You will be doing a Fake Take here.

Display the coin on your flat palm up hand in finger palm position. Ask your spectator to please place their hand out. Push the coin upward slightly with your fingers. Come in from above with your palm down left hand and mime taking the coin. You don’t really take the coin yet it should look exactly the same as if you did pick up the coin. Here are the actions:

LEFT HAND: Bring your left hand down on top of the coin covering it. Start closing your hand as if you are holding the coin and rotate your left palm toward you. Move your loosely closed fist upward drawing attention to it. Wiggle your thumb and fingers a little bit as if you are massaging the coin in your hand. This is a strong convincer.

RIGHT HAND: Rotate your hand palm down, curl your fingers loosely, and grip the coin with your 3rd finger. Move your right hand above your spectator’s palm up hand. Press the supposed coin on the back of your left hand.

Open your hand showing the coin is gone and drop the coin at the same time onto their hand. Try to minimize the movement of your fingers when you drop the coin.

IMPORTANT POINTS: This trick is a great example about choreography of moves being important. It seems best that your spectator is in front of you and slightly to your right.

2 Coins- One Hand to the Other

EFFECT: A quarter magically jumps from one hand to the other to join another quarter.

NEED: 2 quarters

HOW TO DO IT

Start with the 2 quarters on the table, on your right side. Pick up one, display it on your palm up right hand. Since the other quarter is also on your right it makes sense to free up your right hand so you can pick up the other quarter. This is the perfect time to do the fake take.

Pick up the quarter on the table with your right thumb and 1st, and display it. Coin is hidden in finger palm. Your left hand still acts as if it is holding a quarter. Open your left hand in an upward tossing motion to vanish the coin. Drop the quarter onto the coin in finger palm and open your hand revealing the coins.

PRO TIPS: Though the moves are simple, trust in them. They are deceptive. This sequence will fool your spectators.

Magnetic Coins

EFFECT: Coins seem to be magnetized.

HOW TO DO IT

NEED: 2 quarters

ROUTINE: Wave over the coins. “I’m going to magnetize these coins.”

MAGNETIC CHEST LEVEL

Hold the coins at chest level in display position with your 1st fingers in front, thumbs behind. With the right hand coin in front move the coins toward each other. Slide the left coin off the nail of your right thumb so the coins click together. Hold the coins in place with your right thumb as if they were magnetized. With your left thumb and 1st pivot the left edge of the left coin toward you. Snap the coin off the tip of your right thumb.

Do this sequence 2 times.

MAGNETIC WAIST LEVEL

Hold the coins at waste level, parallel with the floor, thumbs on top, 1st fingers below. With the right hand coin above move the coins toward each other. Slide the left coin off the nail of your right 1st so the coins click together. Hold the coins in place with your right 1st finger as if they were magnetized. With your left thumb and 1st pivot the left edge of the left coin toward the floor. Snap the coin off the tip of your right 1st finger.

Do this sequence 2 times.

REPEL

Hold one of the quarters very loosely, with the tip of your 1st finger and nail of your thumb. By gently pressing with the nail of your thumb the quarter bends upward. Flip over the other coin and act as if the coin is repelling the coin.

PNDQ

EFFECT: Your spectator names any coin and you make it appear.

HOW TO DO IT

PROPS: You need a quarter and a penny/ dime double facer coin. You can get it on Amazon here.

BACK CLIP

Hold the very right edge of the coin between your right thumb and 1st, dime side against your thumb.
Press the back of your 2nd finger on top and clamp the coin between your 1st and 2nd.
Roll the coin into a deep back clip position, just forward of your knuckles, with the side of your right thumb.
Open your hand wide, make any necessary adjustments.

RETRIEVAL

Bend your hand down at the wrist. Rotate your palm toward you and close your hand into a fist. Press the coin into your hand with the tip of your right thumb. Turn your fist palm up and make a kneading motion. Open your hand revealing the coin.

SETUP: Start with the penny/ dime gimmick back clipped between your right 1st and 2nd finger. Start with the quarter in left thumb palm.