Most people are surprised when I pull out this huge wooden box. When I set it down I go, "It's a coin box. I keep coins in it."

I pull out a coin, get them to sign it, make it disappear. Get them to open the box and go, "See, I even collect signatures!"

Anyone else have alternate presentations?!

David Parr published a Lippincott Box routine called Lucky Penny in his book Brain Food.

It is an excellent routine!

I'm actually at a loss as to how to introduce the Lippencott Box myself. Consequently, it's sat in the drawer waiting for me to come up with a decent presentation.

Definitely check out David's book. He has a whole essay about your exact situation.

I begin by asking if they would like to help me with a rather unusal experiment that I have been working on involving the transmutation of matter. (Made that word up but it sounds good). I keep everything inside a black cloth drawstring bag so when they agree I tell them we will need a few things to prove one way or another that something is actually happening. I pull out the bag and reach inside to get a coin and Sharpie and ask them to sign both sides of the coin so that if the experiment goes wrong, we will be able to see exactly what happened.

While they are busy doing that I produce a coin hank and hang it over my arm like a waiter till they are done then say, "You call this a tip" and put the coin under the hank. (This very often gets a laugh, but not always.) I tell them that it is extremly important that no matter what they hear or see they they continue to pinch their coin very tightly, and if their fingers cramp they must fight it and stay in complete control of the target item for the experiment to work.

At this point I tell them we need a couple more things to get ready. (Some people will clench their jaw tightly and some will make faces and this is a humorous thing to the people watching.) By now their fingers are turning a bit white and I look close at the fingertips and tell them maybe a little harder (taking my sweet time to bring out the box and positioning it as if to find the perfect spot for it).

Now I know most folks can't do this but I can snap my toes like those medium ladies from the turn of the century and tell them to be quit and make the noise that seems to come from nowhere. I tell them that noise is how I know it's time and on the count of three when I pull away the handkerchief they need to let go of their coin at exactly the same time I take away the hank. Sometimes I snap the hank towards the ceiling and sometimes I don't. Some people swear they see it go up and vanish but I know they can't.

As soon as it's obvious their coin has vanished I point straight at the box and motion for them to retrieve it. I fish the key out of my pocket and tell them to notice the lock must have the key to unlock and lock the box (mine does) and let them reveal the marked coin to the spectators. At times I have began a mystery box routine and then do a double finish with the mystery box while they are unlocking. The Lippincott Box is one you will hear them talking about among themselves for a while after you are done and hits 'em pretty hard.

Here's what I do with a Lippincott-type box.

I ask them to take one of their own coins, look at it and remember the date, and hand it to me date side down. Take it in the right fingertips.

“My fingertips are so sensitive that I can read the date by feel.”

Perform the Tunnel Vanish. (Don't ask, it's in Bobo.) This is a lovely vanish, but is far from being a casual move. Here however we have a reason for specifically putting the coin into the other hand, so it's appropriate to use this sleight.

Load the coin into the box which is in your pocket, and put the box on the table. “Before I forget, we'll need this for the next piece of magic.”

“It's 1961, no, it can't be. Oh, sorry, I'm holding it backwards, that's not 61, it's 19. So it's 19 something .....”

…..rubbing the fingers against “the coin” all the time…..

“.....sorry, I can't read it, I nearly had it, but it's gone. No, you don't understand, it's really gone.”

Open your hand, the coin has vanished.

Get them to open the box. The date proves that it's their coin.

Dave