Magic tricks with banknotes: recommended tricks for parties and performances
Magic tricks using everyday items like banknotes are beloved classics.
Watching the bills we use all the time transform brings surprise and delight.
In this article, we’ve collected ideas for bill-based magic that people of all ages—from children to adults—can enjoy.
We’ll introduce eye-catching tricks, such as making a hole appear in a bill or making something pass through it.
Learn these intriguing bill tricks—whose secrets everyone wonders about—and perform them with confidence!
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Magic tricks using banknotes. Recommended tricks for parties and performances (1–10).
Magic where banknotes appear from a smartphone
This is a magic trick where a bill displayed on a smartphone screen is pulled out into the real world.
You move a photo of the bill on the screen, and in sync with that motion, you slide out a real bill hidden behind the phone.
It’s important to take the photo from a distance, and by cleverly using image enlargement, you create a blank space on the screen when you slide it.
I recommend practicing the technique of instantly enlarging the image to the exact size of a real bill, as well as smoothing your movements so the audience doesn’t realize you’re taking it from behind.
A magic trick where a coin passes through a banknote
Let me introduce a magic trick where a coin passes through a banknote.
In general, having an object pass through another without damaging it is difficult, not just with banknotes.
It’s a common sight in magic, but how does it actually work? There are probably various methods.
For example, if it’s a coin passing through a banknote, it would be possible if you had a coin that looks real but is actually magnetic.
In that case, the magician can simply move the banknote while keeping the magnetic coin in place.
It seems there are other clever penetration methods devised by magicians as well, so it might be fun to look into them.
A banknote that maintains balance
A light, thin banknote.
What happens if you fold it in half and balance it on your thumb while moving your thumb up and down? Most notes will slip off.
But in the world of magic, it’s possible to keep the note perched on a moving thumb.
The secret is simply to prepare a 500‑yen coin.
Place the part of the folded 1,000‑yen note that contains the 500‑yen coin on top of your thumb.
That alone stabilizes the note, making it less likely to slip and allowing it to stay balanced even in unstable positions.
It might take a bit of practice to get used to, but it’s an easy trick to perform.
Why not show it off during little pockets of free time?
Bill magic. Recommended tricks for parties and performances (11–20)
A banknote magic trick where the number decreases each time you recount them
In everyday life, when money you’re sure you had suddenly goes missing, it can really cause a panic.
That’s how surprising it is when money disappears.
So today, I’ll show you a magic trick where banknotes vanish.
You count the bills, and when you count them again, there are fewer—like magic.
First, let’s set up the gimmick.
Take a few bills and attach one end of each stack together with double-sided tape.
Then, depending on the direction you count them, it will look like the number of bills has decreased.
It’s a simple setup, but be careful with your hand movements so the audience doesn’t figure out the secret.
A 10,000-yen bill that vanishes in an instant
Do you know what a reel key holder is? You can attach things like a pass case or a keychain to it.
It’s a retractable reel, with a cord that extends from the metal fitting.
Here’s a magic trick that makes a 10,000-yen bill disappear in an instant using this reel key holder.
Attach a clip to the end of the reel and clamp it onto a 10,000-yen bill.
Put the metal fitting part into your clothing pocket, extend the reel, and let go of the bill.
The reel’s cord will retract back to the metal fitting, making it look as if the 10,000-yen bill has vanished.
Using this mechanism, you can perform tricks where the 10,000-yen bill instantly turns into coins or jumps back into your wallet.
Give it a try!
A magic trick where the old 1,000-yen bill instantly turns into the new 1,000-yen bill
Since June 2024, Japan has switched to new banknotes, right? When you get change while shopping, isn’t it possible to receive both the new and old 1,000-yen bills? Here’s a special magic trick that uses both the old and new bills.
Right before your eyes, the old bill will transform into the new one in an instant.
It looks unbelievable, but the secret is simply attaching the bills together cleverly with double-sided tape.
With this simple setup, you can perform a trick that will amaze everyone—give it a try!
A magic trick where sunglasses drawn on a bill move
If the drawing on a banknote started moving, it would really surprise anyone watching, wouldn’t it? While that’s impossible in reality, there’s a trick that makes it seem like it happens.
Prepare two banknotes of the same denomination.
Since you’ll be cutting and pasting, it might be better to use a commercially available play-money set.
For example, let’s say you draw sunglasses on the face on the bill and perform a trick where the sunglasses appear to move.
First, draw the sunglasses slightly off from where the eyes are on one bill.
From the other bill, cut out the face area and draw the sunglasses so they’re positioned correctly on the eyes.
Lightly paste the cut-out face onto the face of the first bill to set up the gimmick.
Then, when you perform, use your fingers to conceal the fact that two faces are layered, and reveal the effect.