How to Do a Simple Coin Magic Trick

Co-authored by David Martinez

Last Updated: July 16, 2024 Fact Checked

Coin tricks are the place to start for any budding magician. These four tricks are easy to perform with a bit of practice and can liven up any dull moment. Just make sure not to give away your secrets – your friends will just have to be left wondering where you got your magic powers.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

The Teleporting Coin Trick

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1
Start your trick by telling your audience that you're going to magically switch a coin from one hand to the other. Allow them a moment of disbelief. Make it sound convincing, letting them know that you've been practicing the lost art of telekinesis for a while now. The more they doubt you, the more fun it becomes.^{[1]
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- Magic tricks are all about confidence and distraction. The more you make it "entertaining," the less they'll scrutinize your hands and the tricks you're actually employing. They'll be too busy having fun to be suspicious if you turn it into more of a show.
2
Close your hand into a fist, but make the tiniest gap created by your index finger of the hand. Take a look at the video above – do you see the small gap between his first two fingers? That's perfect.^{[2]
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- The coin is going to fall through your hand without your hand opening up. It's easy to mess this up, so in the beginning, make sure the coin is placed just right to be able to access this opening.
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3
Move your hand over your other hand, dropping the coin in without opening your fist. It's going to look like you're sort of just waving your fist over your other hand – what the audience doesn't see is that the coin drops into your other hand. As soon as you feel the coin drop, clench your other fist.
- Widen the gap of the starting hand so the coin more easily falls into your hand; otherwise, it might just get stuck in the original hand.
4
Ask a volunteer to say which hand the coin is in. They will, hopefully, choose the original hand, since it never opened up to deposit the coin in the other hand.
- If they choose the new hand, demand they explain to you how you could've possibly had the coin change hands if it weren't for your amazing telekinetic powers.
5
Slowly reveal both hands, the original hand empty and the new hand with the coin. If you managed to not move your fingers when the coin dropped and clenched your fist soon enough in catching the coin, your friends will be adequately wowed. Now, can you move that table over there?
- If this trick is proving difficult to master, move to a smaller coin. It will more easily fall through any gap you create in your fingers.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

The Disappearing Elbow Trick

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1
Set the trick up for your audience. Tell them that you can make a quarter change color by rubbing it hard enough on your elbow. This isn't the actual trick, but they don't have to know that. This distracts them from your actual trick so they're not as suspicious of what you're about to do.
- Or you could just tell them you're going to make a quarter disappear. That's fine, too, but they may be ready to look out for any sleight of hand.
2
Take the quarter and place it in your dominant hand. Put your other elbow on the table and your head resting on the same hand. Instead of changing colors, the quarter is going to mysteriously "disappear." The elbow on the table is the one you're going to rub the quarter into.^{[3]
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- Yes, your hand does have to rest on your chin. It should be clenched into a fist and not palm open for the purposes of the latter part of this trick.
After a couple rubs, accidentally drop it on the table in front of you. Whoops, silly you. At this point, you may want to distract them by saying something about how you should practice more, or how quarters are naturally slippery – something that diverts their attention away from your hands.^{[4]
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4
Pick the quarter up with the hand that was on your chin. However, you cannot be seen doing this. You can do it one of two ways:^{[5]
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- Pretend to hand it back to the rubbing hand and resume rubbing. Just do a fake switch very, very quickly.
- Scoop the quarter up with your dominant hand, but let it drop into your non-dominant hand underneath the table. This is more about timing and less about hiding, like the above method.
5
Continue rubbing your elbow (though nothing is there). This time your rubbing hand has nothing in it. Rub for a few seconds, telling your audience that something strange is happening. The quarter isn't changing colors...the quarter is...disappearing. You can then reveal your hand to be empty.
- If people want to check the other hand for the quarter, you can drop it down your collar before showing them that that hand is also empty.
6
Make the quarter reappear. The trick can end at the last step, or you can magically make the quarter reappear. You can do this any number of ways, from scratching your head with your non-dominant hand, acting as if it appears from underneath your hair, "taking it" from someone else's clothes, or simply "coughing" it up. Whatever you fancy.^{[6]
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- If you want to be clever about it, wait a while until people have forgotten about the trick. Then mysteriously the quarter reappears. Oh, so that's where it went. Huh. You had no idea. Funny, that.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

The Psychic Coin Trick

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1
Find a coin that's not identical on both sides. A 10p coin is a good example of this. If you're not sure if any of your country's currency has qualifying coinage, sit down and study them. You may find one has thicker ridges on one side, or identifiable engraving. Make sure you can identify the sides with your eyes closed.^{[7]
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- You may be able to get away with making a scratch on one side, but if the other person sees it, they may wind up suspicious and figure out your trick. It's better to use a coin with no obvious damage.
2
Practice doing coin flips and predicting which side it lands on. Now that you know what each side feels like, you'll be able to predict how it lands when you do a coin flip. It's all in the manner of catching it and turning it over in your hands. You just have to make sure the coin goes across your fingertips before you make the "prediction."^{[8]
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- Take some time to practice flipping it, sensing what side it's on, and exposing it in one swift, natural movement. That second you take to assess the coin shouldn't be visible to an unsuspecting audience.
3
Find a friend and take turns "guessing" how the coin will land. Let them toss it around a few times, showing them that it's not a special or trick coin. Then, ask them to guess which side it'll land on as you flip it. Throw the coin up and catch it, but don't put it on your wrist yet. Just before you put it on your wrist, do it slower than usual – feel the indentation on the side facing down (which you are currently able to feel with your thumb and nothing else as it's facing upwards if you opened you palm).^{[9]
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- You are able to manipulate the coin in your hand to land on the side you want. So call it 5 minutes beforehand, 10 seconds beforehand, or right as you turn it over – and you'll always be right.
4
Manipulate the coin in your hand. Before you put it on your wrist, turn it to the side you want it to be and place it in such a way that it will be exposed facing the direction you guessed. You'll have to be quick, practice makes perfect. After you flip the coin (or evaluate that you don't have to) you know it's the side you wanted it to be and place it. That's it.^{[10]
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- The beauty of this trick is that you can do it over and over and over – unlike many other tricks that require anonymous set-up.
- However, you can't do it when someone else does it. Tell them that you need to get a good read on the coin and you can only do this when you have physical contact with the coin.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

The Empty Cloth Trick

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1
Get something cloth-like, a penny, and a piece of double-sided tape. In private, put a piece of double-sided tape on one corner of your cloth. Make sure the penny will stick onto it.^{[11]
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- For the cloth, you can use a piece of paper, a rag, or a paper towel. It doesn't have to be a penny, but the penny is a good, average size.
- The smaller the piece of tape, the better (it'll be less obvious should you not be skilled in sleight of hand) – however, you risk the penny not sticking to it when the trick is in full gear.
2
Take your cloth and show it to the audience. Keep the double-sided tape bit concealed and facing you. For all your audience knows, it's just a regular paper towel (or whatever it is you're using).
- Be careful putting your finger over the tape – you don't want to remove the adhesive from the tape with the oils from your fingers before the trick even begins.
3
Stick the penny in the center of the cloth, tape side up. Show it to your audience. It's just a regular penny inside a paper towel, right? Right. Well, if you make sure your hand is blocking the piece of tape from view.
- The flimsier the cloth, the better. This way when you show the center of the cloth with the penny, the sides naturally fall down, away from view.
4
Fold the corners in, starting with the taped corner. One by one, fold them all in. In this little pocket you've created, you're going to make the coin disappear. But first, ask a person in the audience to feel the coin is still there. It will be, arousing no suspicion.
- Keep the corners folded in as the person touches it. However, encourage them to touch it on both sides. As long as they don't move the cloth, your trick should go off without a hitch.
5
Reveal the empty cloth by unfolding the corners, making sure your finger is on the penny. And then presto! Show the empty cloth, towel, or paper to your audience. Wiggle it around, holding it by the same taped corner. Where did it go?
- Remember: if someone asks you how you did it, just say, "A magician never reveals his secrets!"

Community Q&A

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Question

How can I do magic with any object?

Community Answer

Hide it between your thumb and index finger and say, "I have nothing in my hands". While you say that rub your hands together, putting your object in position, and open your hand to reveal the object! Simple but so effective!

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Do you have any more coin tricks?

Community Answer

Check out the wikiHow articles, Make a Coin Disappear, Levitate a Coin, and Pull a Coin Out Of an Ear.

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Can I use something else that is the shape of a quarter?

Alex

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Yes, as long as it’s relatively the same shape and has the strength of a coin.

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Tips

Practice in front of a mirror!

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Don't tell anyone how you do any of your tricks!

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Also, only show the same trick to the same audience once - otherwise, the second time they will look closer and may see how you did the trick.

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The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Believe in your abilities and exude confidence, even if you make a mistake. Telling yourself "I can do this" leads to success. Self-doubt is visible and can ruin the illusion.
Practice the tricks extensively in front of a mirror first to build confidence and avoid mistakes when performing for an audience. Mastering the sleight of hand takes time.
Have friends or family be your practice audience before performing for strangers. Their familiarity can help calm nerves, while still allowing you to gauge reactions.
Keep practicing and refer back to instructions as needed. Consistent rehearsal ingrains the techniques. Check steps if unsure to avoid obvious mistakes.
Don't reveal secrets, especially to gossipy people. The mystery is part of the fun. Say "magicians never share their secrets" if you're asked.
If you forget part of a trick, improvise! Add flourishes and misdirection. The show must go on. Don't let the audience know you stumbled.

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Warnings

Don't do this in front of an audience until you're sure you can do it perfectly. Remember, practice makes perfect, and the practice comes from the mirror.

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Do not practice in front of anyone. Practice it alone until you're very, very good.

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