Card Vanishes

• There are lots of ways to vanish a card. The most common technique for doing so is to palm a card. There are lots of different types of palm. Two of the best known are the Tenkai palm in which the magician holds a card between his palm and thumb and then hides the thumb behind the other fingers, and the Top palm in which the magician holds the card flat against his palm, keeping it in place between the heel of his hand and the tip of his pinkie finger. An example of a nonpalm-related card vanish is the Tabletop Vanish. To perform this, grasp the pack in your left hand and begin to slide the top card onto a table. Once the card is almost fully on the table, cover it with your right hand. Simultaneously pull the card back on top of the deck with the thumb while moving the right hand away toward the center of the table. If performed quickly, the spectator will believe that the card is under your right hand.
  
  

Coin Vanishes

• Coin vanishes are as numerous as card vanishes. The most famous is the French Palm in which the magician pretends to transfer a coin from between his left index finger and thumb into his right hand while secretly dropping it between his left palm and ring finger. Another method is to place a coin on a table and slide it toward your lap with your right hand. Allow the coin to drop into your lap while pretending to make a fist around it. Pick up the coin from your lap with your left hand and rap it sharply against the underside of the table while simultaneously slapping your right hand onto the tabletop. This gives the impression the coin is under your right hand, creating a powerful effect when the hand is lifted and the coin is not there.
  
  

Thumb Tips

• Thumb tips are popular magic props designed to facilitate vanishing effects. The thumb tip is a realistic hollow cast of a thumb, designed to be worn by the magician. They come in all sizes and tones. The magician typically makes a fist around the thumb tip, surreptitiously removes his thumb and then places objects into the thumb tip under the guise of forcing them into his fist. The thumb tip and its contents can then be secretly transferred to the other hand.
  
  

Topits

• A topit is a pouch used by magicians to secretly hide various objects. Topits are traditionally stitched into the lining of the performer's jacket. The magician can then secretly dispose of objects in the process of rolling up his sleeves or fishing a different item out of an inside pocket.