How to make a coin vanish under a glass

A coin lies on a sheet of paper. You cover it with an upside-down glass, and the coin vanishes. The secret is a paper circle, cut from the same paper and taped over the mouth of the glass, which hides the coin. A paper cone or a handkerchief covers the glass while it moves, so nobody sees the circle. It’s quick to make and needs almost no practice.

What does the audience see?

An empty glass stands mouth down on a sheet of paper next to a coin. You cover the glass, move it over the coin, and lift the cover away. The coin has gone, even though they can see straight through the glass. Cover it again, lift the glass away, and the coin is back.

It’s a good first trick to make yourself, and it suits younger magicians as well as adults. If you prefer tricks that need no preparation at all, try the coin vanish with a pencil or the French drop.

What do you need?

• A clear glass with a flat rim.
• Two sheets of the same paper. Construction paper works well. One sheet is the “mat” the trick sits on; the other is for the circle.
• Scissors and a little clear tape.
• A coin. Any coin smaller than the mouth of the glass.
• A cover: a cone rolled from a sheet of newspaper that fits loosely over the glass, or a handkerchief.

How do you make the gimmick?

1. Trace the rim. Stand the glass mouth down on one sheet of paper and trace around the rim.
2. Cut the circle. Cut it out carefully, just inside the line, so it doesn’t stick out past the rim.
3. Tape it on. Fix the circle over the mouth of the glass with tiny pieces of tape so the tape doesn’t show.
4. Set the stage. Lay the other sheet of the same paper on the table. Stand the glass mouth down on it and put the coin beside it.

Because the circle and the mat are the same paper, the bottom of the glass looks like the mat showing through. That’s the whole secret.

How do you do the trick?

1. Introduce the props. Point to the glass and the coin, and tell a short story about a coin that can’t stand being trapped.
2. Cover the glass. Slip the paper cone over the glass, or drape the handkerchief over it.
3. Move it over the coin. Lift the glass and its cover together and set them down over the coin.
4. Make the magic happen. Tap the cone three times, or snap your fingers.
5. Show the vanish. Lift the cone or pull the handkerchief away. The paper circle hides the coin, and the glass looks empty.
6. Bring it back. Put the cover back on, lift the glass and cover together, and the coin is there again. Take the cover off the glass to show it’s empty, without turning it over.

How do you make it stronger?

• Keep the glass mouth down. Never turn it over or hand it out: the circle is on the rim.
• Match the paper exactly. Any difference in colour or texture between the circle and the mat gives it away. A plain, matte colour hides the edge best.
• Mind the angles. As a suggestion, perform at a table where your audience looks down on the glass, not from the side at eye level, where they could see the edge of the circle.
• Practise the move. Lift and set down the glass and cover as one unit, smoothly, so the cover never shifts and shows the paper.
• Use a story. A reason for the coin to leave, such as “it doesn’t like being trapped”, gives the vanish more meaning than a bare “and it’s gone”.

What helps you take it further?

• Modern Coin Manipulation by T. Nelson Downs (1900), free from our public-domain library. The 197-page classic covers palms, passes and vanishes, the Miser’s Dream, and a section on single-coin vanishes that includes the coin and tumbler.

Once you’re ready for sleight of hand, a good-quality coin makes practice easier. Browse our ungimmicked coins, then try the coin through a handkerchief or coin through the table.

Frequently asked questions