Magic with money: tricks that liven up parties and performances
It’s pretty cool to be able to casually perform a magic trick at a party or as entertainment, isn’t it?
That said, many people probably think, “Magic is a hassle because you have to prepare props in advance.”
But with money magic, you can perform using the coins or bills you’re already carrying, so it’s easy and convenient.
In this article, we’ll introduce plenty of magic tricks that use money.
Some of them do require solid technique, but there are also self-working tricks that you can do just by following the steps.
Give them a try!
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- How to Perform Coin Magic: Revealing the Secrets and Techniques of Simple Tricks
- With Explanations: Easy Magic Tricks for Lower-Grade Elementary School Children — How to Do Simple Tricks
- A simple summary of coin magic: beginner tricks where palms and gimmicks are easy to try.
- [Easy] A Beginner’s Guide to Card Magic: Tricks Even Elementary School Kids Can Do Right Away
- [Easy] Magic tricks that will liven up the classroom: Recommended tricks you can do even during recess
- Magic tricks using cups. Tricks you might want to try for entertainment or performances.
- [Card Magic] Amazing Magic Revealed: Difficult Tricks for Advanced Magicians
- [Coin, Cards, Pen, etc.] Compilation of Magic Tricks Where Objects Disappear
- Super easy magic tricks kids can do! Fun tricks you can play right away
- Magic with money: tricks that liven up parties and performances
- Simple magic tricks using stationery: recommended tricks for parties and performances
Magic with money: Tricks that will liven up parties and performances (41–50)
A magic trick where a bill passes through a spoon
It’s a magic trick where you sharply strike the crease of a folded bill with a spoon, the spoon appears to pierce through the bill, but when you remove the spoon and unfold the bill, it’s back to normal.
You prepare two spoons, hold them slightly offset so the back spoon sticks out, and place the folded bill between them.
By pressing the front spoon against the inside of the crease, the back spoon sticks out farther and becomes visible first, making it look as though it pierced the bill.
To avoid revealing that you’re holding two spoons, it’s best to use plain, flat spoons with minimal decoration.
Pen magic that produces a coin
It’s a magic trick where, after signaling with a ballpoint pen to a hand that should be empty, a coin appears in the hand.
In fact, a coin is fitted into the pen’s clip from the beginning, and while keeping that part out of view, you move it into the hand.
Pay attention to how you hold the pen when showing that your hand is empty, and how you conceal the coin when moving the pen.
If the clip or coin catches inside your hand, people will suspect a gimmick, so it’s also crucial to judge the position where it can be removed smoothly.
A cigarette pierces a 100-yen coin
It’s a magic trick where you appear to push a cigarette through the center of a coin.
The cigarette has a gimmick: a magnet-attached extension piece for the tip and a colored film in the filter that can slide.
By operating these smoothly, it looks like the cigarette penetrates the coin.
The routine is to attach the extension piece (which you’ve been palming) as you press the tip against the coin, then hide the extended tip while slowly moving the filter so it appears the cigarette is sinking into the coin.
Finally, by holding it in a way that conceals the filter’s movement, you show the tip as if it’s passed through—trick complete.
Be sure to reverse the steps cleanly to restore everything to a normal-looking state.
Since the gimmick is on the cigarette side, performing it with a borrowed coin is also recommended.
A coin that fits inside a plastic bottle
This is a magic trick where you press a coin against a sealed plastic bottle and make it appear to penetrate inside.
You proceed using a bottle that looks unopened: remove the cap along with the tamper ring, place the coin and water inside, then reattach it.
The key is the coin’s position in the water—hide it along the bottom rim so it’s concealed by refraction.
Then cover a second coin with your hand, gradually change the bottle’s angle, and reveal the coin inside to complete the effect.
Be sure to clearly show the step where you open the bottle to emphasize that it appears sealed.
Retention Vanish
For those who want to dive into serious magic, I also recommend the retention vanish.
It’s one of the techniques used in coin magic.
First, open your right palm and place a coin onto it with your left hand.
In reality, though, you quickly move your middle finger to return the coin back into your left hand.
At the same time, you close your right hand, and when you open it, it looks as if the coin has disappeared.
There are many variations, so if you’re interested, look them up.
The key is to minimize the time the coin is hidden.
