How to Make a Quarter Disappear

Last Updated: August 10, 2021 Tested

Making a quarter disappear is a great way to practice your sleight of hand and impress people with your magic. There are many ways to make a coin vanish, and most of them require little preparation. You can make a coin disappear under a glass, into thin air, or through your hand with a bit of practice.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making a Coin Disappear Under a Glass

1
Prepare your trick. This trick involves a bit of preparation that you have to do before you perform it in front of your audience.
- This magic trick works by covering the top of a glass with a circular piece of paper that’s the same color as the piece of paper you'll perform the trick on.^{[1]
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2
Trace a circle around the rim of a clear drinking glass. Work lightly in pencil and keep the line as close as you can to the rim.
- You will use this circular piece of paper to cover the mouth of your glass. When you place the glass down during the trick, it will look like the glass is just upside down on top of your paper.
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3
Cut out this circle from the paper. Make the cut neat and stick as closely as you can to your outline. If you have a sloppy circle, it will be more obvious.^{[2]
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- Once you’ve cut out the paper circle, erase the line you drew. This will help your circular cutout to look more natural.
- Use an Exacto knife if you have one to cut the circle. Keep your glass over the circle while you cut to ensure you get a nice, even circle.
- If you don’t have an Exacto knife, you can use a pair of scissors.
4
Stick four tiny pieces of clear, double-sided tape to the rim of the glass at 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock. Arrange each piece so that any excess extends toward the inside of the glass.
- Use scissors to cut the pieces of tape as small as possible.
- You don’t want any tape sticking out on the outside of the glass. This can ruin the illusion.
5
Line up the paper as closely as you can with the rim of the glass. Press your glass with the tape down onto the paper circle. Your circular cutout should cover the mouth of the glass completely.
- If you have any excess tape on the outside of your cutout, cut it off with your scissors.
- You also want to make sure that you don’t have a lot of extra paper on the outside of your glass now that it’s taped to the rim. If you do, cut it away as well.
6
Place the rigged drinking glass upside down on another piece of the same colored paper. The mouth of the glass should look normal as if it’s simply upside down.^{[3]
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- You shouldn't be able to tell that there is a piece of paper taped to the rim.
7
Begin the trick. Place a quarter on the paper next to the clear drinking glass. To lend the illusion authenticity, ask an audience member for the quarter or another coin.^{[4]
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- If you like, read aloud the year on the quarter and emphasize that the quarter must be real since it came from the audience. Show it around, give it a flip, knock it against the table to prove that it is solid.
- By directing your audience’s attention to the quarter, you direct focus toward an ordinary object and give it magical weight. This misdirect also keeps your audience engaged so there is less focus on the glass.
- Your glass should be on another piece of paper which is the same color, or on one piece of paper which is large enough to fit the quarter and glass.
8
Drape a scarf, handkerchief, or towel over the glass. The purpose of draping something over your glass is to cover up your cutout.^{[5]
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- If you want to give your audience a reason as to why you’re putting a handkerchief or scarf over the glass, you can explain how this is a magic teleporting scarf. You will use the power of this scarf to make the quarter disappear.
9
Move the covered glass on top of the quarter, making sure the paper circle covers the quarter completely. As you move your glass, hold it level and don't expose the cutout paper.
- Wave a magic wand, tap the base of the glass three times, or say the magic words, whatever you prefer to add more of a show to the trick.
- This sort of embellishment helps to show that the disappearance happens by magic.
10
Remove the scarf with a flourish to reveal that the quarter has disappeared. If you want, you can say that you will bring the quarter back. Place your scarf over your glass again and summon the quarter back.
- Simply remove your covered glass to reveal the quarter.
- If you didn’t read out the year of the quarter at the beginning of the trick, you can pull out another quarter from behind someone’s ear.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Disappearing a Coin in Your Hand

1
Grab a quarter. You can either use one of your own quarters or ask your audience for one. Though because this trick is fast, it’s often easier to use your own quarter.
- This is a great street magic trick, party trick, or quick opening trick to get your audience warmed up.
2
Place the quarter in your hand. It doesn’t matter which hand you place the quarter in. Put the quarter in your hand and position it so that it rests on the pad of your middle finger closest to your palm.^{[6]
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- Placing the quarter where your middle finger and palm meet is an ideal place because you can easily hold the quarter in place with your thumb from this position.
3
Hold out both your hands, palms up. Hold both of your hands out to show your audience the quarter resting in one hand with the other hand empty.^{[7]
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- At this point you want to be talking to the audience. This trick moves fast and the more you can do to distract your audience, the easier time you will have misdirecting as you make the quarter disappear.
- You can grab the quarter and show it to the audience, explaining that it is an ordinary quarter. Just make sure to place it back in that spot on your middle finger before you move into the next part of the trick. You can continue to explain that the magic lies in your hands, not the object.
4
Make the quarter disappear. This part will take some practice to make it look convincing and smooth. You will bring your empty hand under the hand holding your quarter. As you move your empty hand in, you will turn the quarter hand over as if to drop the quarter into your empty hand. However, you will keep the quarter in your original hand by holding it in place with your thumb. ^{[8]
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- As you turn over the hand with the quarter, start to make a fist with your empty hand, as if you’re catching the quarter. To make it look more convincing, close your hand so your fingers extended to the bottom of your palm. Don’t make a small, tight fist, this won’t look as realistic.
- Move your hands in opposite directions from one another after you “transfer” the coin. The coin is still in your original hand, but the audience will think it’s in your other hand. To keep the focus on your hand, bring it up toward your face or about eye level with the audience. Simultaneously palm the quarter in your original hand and move it down to your side. ^{[9]
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5
Reveal that the quarter has vanished. As you bring up the hand that the audience thinks the quarter is in, you can do a number of little flourishes to show that you have disappeared the coin.
- You can tap your knuckles a few times with a magic wand, or even a pen.
- You can also squeeze your fist really tight. Rub your fingers together as you slowly open your hand, as if you dissolved the coin.
- Another option is to blow into your fist and open your hand quickly.
- As you are doing this, you can either hide the quarter in a pocket or palm it. If you palm it, you can pull it out of someone’s ear as a second part to the trick.
- If you aren't going to make the quarter reappear, put it in your pocket. Then you can show that it's not in your other hand.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Performing a Palm Penetration Trick

1
Get two quarters. For this trick, you need to do a little bit of prep. You may also want to use a small piece of clear double sided tape or magician’s wax. In one hand, you will palm a quarter, hiding it. With your other hand, you will be showing your audience another quarter.
- Before going in front of your audience, place your tape or a small bit of wax in the palm of the hand you will slap the quarter with. If you are skilled and quick enough you don't need to do this. The adhesive helps the quarter stick to your palm.
- Explain to your audience that you will place the quarter on the top of your hand. You will then magically transfer it through your hand into a spectator's palm.
- As you are explaining this, ask a spectator to hold a hand out palm up.
2
Place your “empty” hand, the one with the palmed quarter face down on top the spectator’s hand. As you do this, tell your spectator to really push up into your hand. If you place your hand on top of your spectator’s quickly and really press into it, your spectator won’t feel the coin that is there.
- You can even grab the spectator’s hand and position it with your other hand to further distract.
- Tell your audience that you can transfer the coin from the top of your hand into the spectator’s palm.
- Tell your spectator to concentrate very hard and envision the quarter in your spectator’s palm.
3
Place the coin on top of your hand. You will now take the coin that the audience has been aware of and place it on the top of your hand. The other coin is already in the spectator’s palm.
- Explain that by slapping the top of your hand hard enough, you can magically transfer the quarter through your hand into your spectator’s.
4
Transfer the coin. Slap the top of your hand quickly. You need to hit your hand hard enough that the coin will stick to the adhesive in your palm. Quickly palm the quarter and bring your hand away.
- Hide the quarter in your pocket so you can reveal that your hand is empty. After you reveal that the coin traveled through your hand into your spectator’s palm, you can show your other hand is empty.
- If you are skilled enough, you don’t have to use an adhesive. You can simply palm the quarter as you slap your hand down. However, this is much harder and requires plenty of practice.
5
Reveal that the coin has passed through your hand. Slowly take your hand away from your spectator’s to reveal that the quarter has magically passed through your hand.
- If you want, you can show that there’s nothing in your other hand as well.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I do the behind the ear coin trick?

Community Answer

All you have to do is take a quarter, say something to direct attention away from their ear, then say, "what's behind your ear?" Quickly put the quarter in your palm, so it's not visible. Then put your hand next to the person's ear, acting like you're grabbing something. Quickly put the quarter behind their ear, then reveal the quarter.
Question

Can I use anything circular to do the magic?

Asher Y

Community Answer

It doesn't need to be any shape in particular. It just needs to be see-through.
Question

How do I do the trick where I "hold fire"?

Community Answer

In order to hold fire you will take a small piece of metal and tilt your hand toward yourself. On the metal have a small pack of any flammable gas and light it secretly. Keep your hand tilted toward you as it is on fire. Blow out the fire, gesture your other hand toward them and pocket the metal. Now reveal your hand empty.