Coin Magic Glossary: 25 Terms Every Beginner Should Know
Palms, shells, flippers, false transfers: a plain-English glossary of the coin magic terms you'll see in product descriptions and tutorials.
By The Online Magic Store
· 2 min read
In this story 5 sections
Coin magic has its own vocabulary. Terms fall into three groups: effects (what the audience sees), techniques (the skills you practise), and gimmicks (specially made coins). Knowing these terms makes product descriptions and tutorials much easier to understand. This glossary explains what each term means without revealing how any trick is done.
Effects: what the audience sees
- Vanish: a coin disappears.
- Production: a coin appears from nowhere.
- Transposition: two coins, or a coin and another object, magically swap places.
- Penetration: a coin passes through a solid object, such as a table, a bottle, or a bill.
- Transformation: a coin changes into a different coin or object.
- Coins Across: a classic routine where coins travel invisibly from one hand to the other.
- Matrix: a classic plot where coins under separate cards gather together under one card.
- Bite coin: a coin appears to have a bite taken out of it, then is restored.
Techniques: the skills you practise
- Palm: secretly holding a coin in the hand. There are several kinds, named for where the coin is held.
- Classic palm: one of the most important coin techniques; a coin is held concealed in the hand while it looks empty and relaxed.
- Finger palm: a natural-looking hold that's often the first palm beginners learn.
- Thumb palm: a hold using the thumb, useful for quick vanishes.
- False transfer: appearing to pass a coin from one hand to the other while it secretly stays put. It's one of the most useful techniques in all of magic.
- French drop: a classic false transfer and a common first sleight for beginners.
- Retention vanish: a false transfer designed so the coin seems to stay visible a moment longer. We wrote about it in the ugly truth about the retention vanish.
- Muscle pass: an advanced technique that propels a coin visibly upward from the hand.
- Coin roll: rolling a coin across the knuckles. It's a flourish that shows skill rather than a trick.
Gimmicks: specially made coins
- Gaff: the general term for a specially made or altered prop.
- Shell: a hollow coin that fits over a regular coin.
- Expanded shell: a slightly larger shell that fits over a normal coin of the same type.
- Flipper coin: a gimmicked coin used for visual transformations.
- Folding coin: a coin made to fold, often used in bottle penetrations.
- Magnetic coin: a coin that responds to a magnet, used in many utility routines.
- Coin set: a group of gimmicked and regular coins designed to work together.
- Half dollar: the traditional coin size for magic, because it's large enough to see clearly. Many modern gimmicks use custom coins of similar size, like our Bitcoin magician's half dollar set.
Where to go next
- For a structured start, try How To Do Coin Magic.
- For a first gimmick, see the Bitcoin Gaff: Bite Coin.
- Browse the full coins & money magic collection.
Frequently asked questions
What coin should I use for magic?
Many magicians prefer larger coins, such as half-dollar-sized coins, because they're easier to see and handle.
What's the first coin sleight to learn?
Many beginners start with a basic palm and a simple false transfer, such as the French drop.
Is coin magic harder than card magic?
Coin magic usually has a steeper learning curve at first, but it's extremely visual and can be performed with borrowed coins.
