Purchasing Coins |
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When buying coins for magic there is no need to pay a premium for highly graded or mint coins since you will be handling your coins daily and any untouched coins will immediately lose value. You can use replica coins, common currency, antique coins, or even foriegn coins as long as they are a good fit and you like working with them.
In the U.S. the best place to buy real silver coins is from a local coin shop. Morgan Dollars and Peace Dollars from the turn of the century can be worth a lot of money but most coin dealers will have a stash of "junk silver" sometimes called "slicks". These coins have lost their collectable value due to being too "soft" or having damage from being dropped or having been cleaned etc. Usually you can find very worn soft coins that are perfect for magicians but you may need to visit every few weeks to find a matching set. These coins are sold for slightly more than the value of their weight in silver. They will have Barber and Walking Liberty half dollars if you prefer a smaller coin.
There are hundreds of great collectable coins designed around every topic from holiday coins with Santa Clause on the front to coins with the Aztec calendar or to celebrate sobriety. These can be purchased to match the theme of your personality, hobbies, or character. If you like a large coin there is always a steady supply of new 1oz copper and silver rounds or "bullion" available at coin dealers. The only downside to using these coins is you are less likely to find "gaff" or "trick coins" designed around these uncommon coins. Gaff coins are coins which have been modified in a way to give them special abilities. These coins are not necessary for the coin magician and in fact many coin magicians try to avoid any gaff coins and feel guilty using them. These special coins are very expensive and can be easily lost but used at the right moment will create an impossible miracle. These coins can be purchased from a handful of very skilled machinists/magicians some of which are listed below:
Roy Kuepper's World of Magic Craig Ousterling's Okito Boxes Copeland Coins Airship Magic |
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When buying coins for magic there is no need to pay a premium for highly graded or mint coins since you will be handling your coins daily and any untouched coins will immediately lose value. You can use replica coins, common currency, antique coins, or even foriegn coins as long as they are a good fit and you like working with them.
In the U.S. the best place to buy real silver coins is from a local coin shop. Morgan Dollars and Peace Dollars from the turn of the century can be worth a lot of money but most coin dealers will have a stash of "junk silver" sometimes called "slicks". These coins have lost their collectable value due to being too "soft" or having damage from being dropped or having been cleaned etc. Usually you can find very worn soft coins that are perfect for magicians but you may need to visit every few weeks to find a matching set. These coins are sold for slightly more than the value of their weight in silver. They will have Barber and Walking Liberty half dollars if you prefer a smaller coin.
There are hundreds of great collectable coins designed around every topic from holiday coins with Santa Clause on the front to coins with the Aztec calendar or to celebrate sobriety. These can be purchased to match the theme of your personality, hobbies, or character. If you like a large coin there is always a steady supply of new 1oz copper and silver rounds or "bullion" available at coin dealers. The only downside to using these coins is you are less likely to find "gaff" or "trick coins" designed around these uncommon coins. Gaff coins are coins which have been modified in a way to give them special abilities. These coins are not necessary for the coin magician and in fact many coin magicians try to avoid any gaff coins and feel guilty using them. These special coins are very expensive and can be easily lost but used at the right moment will create an impossible miracle. These coins can be purchased from a handful of very skilled machinists/magicians some of which are listed below:
Roy Kuepper's World of Magic Craig Ousterling's Okito Boxes Copeland Coins Airship Magic |