The Coin Fold

The effect
A borrowed coin, wrapped in a piece of paper, vanishes without a trace. Or, if you like, the coin can be reproduced from some other location.

Requirements
Any coin up to about the size of a US half dollar, a piece of heavy weight paper about 5" square, and a glass or you can use the table top (if no glass is available).

Handling
Begin with the piece of paper in your left hand, about chest high. Your right fingers are to the front and toward the audience. Your left thumb is behind and closest to you. Now, show the coin with your right hand and then place it under the left thumb; which is slightly above center as shown in Figure 1 above.

Turn the left hand around, so the audience can see the coin held in this position and then, turn it back toward yourself. At this point, the left thumb and coin face you again. With the help of your right hand, fold up the bottom edge of the paper - leaving approx. 1/2" margin (gap) at the top. See Figure 2 below. Now, crease the right side of the paper - just to the right of the coin - and fold it forward (toward the audience). The exact point of this fold will vary a bit with the size of the coin - about 1/4" to 1/8" from the right edge of the coin. See Figure 3. Keep in mind that the right fold will be the "short" fold - so you must leave enough on the other side for the left fold to overlap. Fold the left side to the front in the same manner, as shown in Figure 4.

Finally, fold the top 1/2" edge down and toward the audience. See Figure 5. It appears the coin has been securely wrapped in a piece of paper. In reality, it is inside a pocket; which is open at the top. Press the paper around the coin, so it forms an impression in the paper (as with the Salt Shaker or Tumbler thru Table). Next, with the right hand - fingers in front and thumb to back (toward you) - take the packet from above and turn it over. This puts the opening on a slight downward angle. Pressure from the right thumb keeps the coin inside until you're ready to release it. At that point, you just allow the coin to slide out into the waiting fingers. See Figure 6. The coin is easily taken into the finger palm position.

To show that the coin has vanished, you can tear up the paper with the coin concealed in the finger palm. You can also burn the packet in an ash tray. In that case, transfer the grip of the packet to your left hand first. Your right hand then goes to your pocket, leaves the palmed coin, and brings out a lighter or matches.

"Selling" the effect
While we've just walked through the mechanics of the fold and steal, which are extremely easy to execute; the real key is the build-up. Take your time with this one. After "sealing" the coin in the packet, you should make a point of repeatedly letting a spectator feel the coin inside the paper and rapping the coin on the edge of a glass or table, so the audience can hear the coin inside. Then, ONLY after the audience is thoroughly convinced the coin is inside the paper, go ahead and vanish it.

In Paul Daniels' current show touring smaller venues in the United Kingdom, "An Audience with Paul Daniels," the master magician captivates his audience for more than five minutes with just a coin, a glass and a piece of paper. After framing the effect in an historical context with a wonderful and very funny story about Max Malini as only Mr Daniels can tell it, he vanishes the coin. Let me just add, there is an audible gasp from the audience when he tears the packet into pieces and tosses them into the air. Proof once again that "it's not what you do, it's how you do it!"