Tri-Gon Jinn by Michael O’Brien

The magician removes a small purse from his pocket and hands it to a spectator to open. The spectator opens the purse and removes three half dollar coins. The magician takes back the purse and places it onto the table as he asks the spectators to examine the three coins. The magician takes the three coins back and explains, “Holding onto what little money you have can be extremely difficult.” He places a coin into the left hand and, with just a rub of his fingers, the coin vanishes. The magician rolls up his sleeves and shows both hands to the audience explaining that the coin is completely gone. He holds the second coin in his left hand and with just a squeeze, it also completely vanishes. Last, but not least, the final coin is placed into the left hand and, with just a squeeze, it vanishes, leaving the magician completely empty-handed. “It’s times like these that make me wish I had a backup, you know? Somewhere to keep my money so that it does not simply slip through my fingers.” The magician looks down at the purse on the table. He very slowly and cleanly picks it up and shakes it, allowing the audience to hear that there is something jingling inside. The purse is opened and the magician pours the three half dollar coins out of the purse.