I'm working on a Miser's Dream routine, the main move is holding out a
stack of coins in Downs Palm and producing them one at a time.

I may post a video later so I can get some feedback on my technique.
Will anyone here be able to help?

Is there even anyone left here? :)

Mitch,
There are many ways of doing Miser's Dream, all easier than producing one
coin at a time from the Downs Palm. The best use of the Downs Palm I can
remember is to hold the bucket with the same hand as the stack of coins and
drop them one at a time when false-dropping-and-repalming one. That way,
you get a lot of clinks and can even use a glass jar while only palming and
re-producing one coin. It is also easier to let the pressure of the bucket
(jar, glass, etc.) help in getting one coin at a time from the Downs Palm.
I know Downs himself could produce one out of 40 coins in his palm, but I
have not seen anyone today do a great job of it.

Good luck with your routine. I don't perform but like to watch Miser's
Dream. A great basic idea.

The routine I'm learning uses 6 in Down in the right hand, and 4 in
finger palm in the left.

You get about 15 coins out of it, with false drops.

I can.

I perform this often.

If I had one and only one trick, miser's dream would be it.

It is -at least- a solid 5 minutes of great entertainment to your act
(kids, family, or otherwise). Finding material to fill the rest of any
show once you have 5 minutes is easy. (at least I think so). It is a
VERY inexpensive trick, and packs easy. What more could any magician
want!

Jeff McBride and Chris Capehart perform it as thier stage show & even
one of our former members who is an award winning children's magician
performs it in thier kids show into a paper bag!

Just 3 caveats about the routine that will save you from frustration:

*Downs Palm...pppppppppt! overrated! damn sleight discouraged me when
I first tried learning this routine. Yea it is ideal and pretty, and
get recognition from others who have a hard-on for coin magic. Screw
that, you want to entertain. What plam is -YOUR- best palm? USE IT!
I even know some who use a classic palm by flapping their hand right
before miming the coin into the bucket part. I use a thumb palm.

Mitch wrote:

You young guys always do things the hard way. Us old bastards found
far easier ways around all this "palming multiple coins" crap decades
ago.

You've no doubt read about holding multiple coins against the side of
the bucket, then dropping them one at a time along the side as you
repeatedly produce, pretend to drop, then re-palm (Downs palm), etc.

Well I've got an even better method than that, and it's so much fun
you'll wish someone woud have told you about it when you began.

You're going to do the repeated production of a single coin via the
Downs palm, then pretending to drop it in the bucket and re-palm it.

..just one more thought,

this is the MOST annoying trick to PRACTICE in the history of magic!

*clank-clank-clank clank-clank-clank SHAKE, clank-clank.. (*dog runs
into the other room*)

*clank-clank-clank clank-clank-clank SHAKE, clank-clank.. "your father
and I are trying to watch TV, take that outside!!"

*clank-clank-clank clank-clank-clank SHAKE, clank-clank.. (your
neighbor's start to bitch you out), you go into the woods.

*clank-clank-clank clank-clank-clank SHAKE, clank-clank.. (the
neighborhood kids doing thier recreational drug du jour get peeved
your ruining their buzz.)

T Nelson Downs must have had a deaf wife/family...

-A

LOL! I'm sure you're right.

I've been practicing that move, too. I think I'm getting pretty good
at it. I get it into Downs and then do a throwing motion with an open
hand.

Yeah, I haven't been practicing with the bucket. I just work on the
moves, and drop the coins onto a towel.

I'm using one of those stainless steel milkshake cups. I use it
occassionally to check my progress, but most of my practice is quiet.

That's perfect!! I just realized that I should have just used my
martini shaker! DOH!

by the way, thanks for the brainstorm idea mitch! Now that I think
about it, I have a martini shaker/chop cup from SME. 2 effects in
one! I gotta dust that thing off now....

-A

On Thu, 09 Aug 2007 12:42:51 -0000, I said, "Pick a card, any card"
and Al Hastings hotmail.com> instead replied:

Something you may want to keep in mind is that the Miser's Dream is
not about being efficient with a prop but about the audience's
imagination at filling a bucket with coins. Filling a milk shake cup
may seem cute and clever but it doesn't have the same impact as
filling a large bucket with coins.