Effect: In this bit of hocus pocus the wonder-worker calls attention to three half dollars

on the table. He places two of these in his left hand, and the third goes in his pocket.
Opening his left hand he shows three coins, one having apparently traveled from the
pocket into the hand. This is repeated three times. Finally the coins vanish altogether
leaving both hands entirely empty.

Method: Four half dollars are required. All four coins are in the right trousers pocket at
the beginning. Place the right hand in the pocket and finger palm one coin as the other
three are brought forth and placed on the table in a row. Say something about these coins
having been so closely associated for so long a time they have great affinity for each
other. The right fingers and thumb pick up the first coin and toss it into the left hand,
which closes on it. The left hand opens again as you say, "One half dollar."

The right fingers and thumb remove the second coin from the table and toss it into the left
hand with the first, as you add, "Two half dollars." Slowly close the left fingers over the
two coins. Open the hand again to show the two coins. The right hand removes the two
coins from the open left hand and fans them, being careful that the finger palmed third
coin is not seen. Place them back in the left hand, adding the finger palmed coin. There is
nothing fancy here, just drop all three together and close the hand around them. Reiterate,
"Two half dollars."

"The third coin I shall place in my pocket." The right hand picks up the last coin from the
table and apparently places it in the right trousers pocket. It is not left there, however, but
is brought out again, finger palmed. Gesture with your closed left hand, as you exclaim,
"Watch!" Drop the coins from the left hand onto the table one at a time, counting, "One,
two, three." Apparently the third coin has passed from the pocket into the left hand.

"I will do it again," you say. The right hand again places two of the three coins into the
left hand, one at a time. Close the left hand slowly over the two coins. Open it again, as
you remark, "Just two coins." These are apparently tossed into the right hand, but one is
retained in left finger palm position. The exposed right hand shows the two coins, one of
which was hidden in finger palm position, and the other just received from the left hand.

"Two half dollars," you repeat. One coin remains concealed in the left hand as it closes
into a fist. The right hand places its two coins on top of the left fist, and slowly allows
them to sink down in the hand. The right hand is shown empty. The audience knows of
only two coins in the left fist, but actually there are three. Right hand picks up the third
and last coin from the table and places it in the pocket, as you say, "Once again I will
place the third half dollar in my pocket." Remove the right hand from the pocket with the
coin hidden in the finger palm. "But, do you think it will stay there? No!" you state, as
you look at the closed left hand. "It has returned to the fold." Slowly and deliberately the
left hand releases its three coins, one at a time, allowing them to clatter onto the table, as
you count, "One, two, three! Puzzling, isn't it?" The left hand is empty.

The right hand places the three coins onto the open left hand, one going in finger palm
position. Execute the a switch as you toss two of them into the right hand, retaining one
finger palmed in the left. The right hand displays three coins, two just received from the
left hand, and one which was concealed in finger palm. "Very remarkable coins," you
say. Toss them onto the table. (One coin is still finger palmed in the left hand.) "The most
remarkable coin of the three is this one." Pick up one of the coins from the table with the
fingers and thumb of the right hand, and press its edge against the back of the left hand,
Fig. 1.

"Watch it!" Apparently push the coin through the back of the left hand. This is done by
holding it loosely, and merely pushing the fingers down over the coin. Gradually the coin
disappears from view, and, at the same time, the fingers of the left hand close slowly. The
coin is now hidden behind the fingers and thumb of the right hand, Fig. 2.
Open the left hand, letting the duplicate coin be seen. "It has mystical powers." Right
hand finger palms its coin. Close the right hand into a fist over the coin there. Left hand
then places its coin on top of the right fist. The second coin is picked from the table and
deposited along side the first. Both are allowed to sink down into the right fist. "Once
more," you say, as you pick up the last coin from the table with the left hand, and place it
in the left pocket leaving it there. "Again the coin returns to the fold," you remark, as you
show the right hand containing the three coins. Count them onto the table, and show the
hands empty, without calling attention to them verbally. Three times you have placed a
half dollar in your pocket. Three times the coin returns to join the other two. Now comes
the startling surprise. After showing the three coins on the table, pick up one with the
right hand and apparently place it in the left, but, in reality, retain it in the right hand
classic palmed. Close the left hand as if it really held the coin.

Pick up the second half with the right hand, and repeat the firstly described manouvre of
apparently placing the coin in the left hand, but retaining it palmed in the right with the
first. Close the left hand which apparently holds the two coins-actually it is empty. Both
coins are in the right hand. The right hand then removes the last coin from the table,
executing flipping the coin for effect. Right hand then carries this coin to the pocket,
leaving it, AND the two which were palmed. Wave right hand over left, and snap fingers.
Open left hand and show it empty. The halves have vanished.