Price$6.99
Media TypeTrick
CategoryGeneral, Close Up
Date AddedNov 01, 2016

Grifters

Murphy's Magic

Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc.

(Based on 1 review)
As the tale goes, the hobos of the Great Depression used to spend excruciatingly long hours, or even days, about trains moving from one place to another. They would bide their time by carving their signature imagery into the famed "Buffalo Nickels", turning them into exclusive works of art to be traded, and more importantly, recognized for their craftsmanship and prestige within this subculture. The Hobo Nickel originators are now famed for creating, not just a modified coin, but an exclusive, sculpted work of art. If you held one of these coins, it was your key to the underground.

The Grifters coins are imagined reality based on the legacy of the Hobo Nickels of the early 1900s. With an antique style, patina-silver finish, the Grifters have been handworn in the Murphy's manufacturing lab to reduce 'talking' and increase the glide that many top coin men cherish. Grifters have a fine-milled edge for stable gripping and have been shaped and weight matched to the specifications of a US Kennedy Half Dollar so that most coin workers can be immediately familiar.

- Antique silver-patina finish
- Finely milled edges for best handling and noise reduction
- Hand-worn surface for smoothness and glide
- Scuff and scratch resistant, built for toughness
- Matched weight and dimensions of a Kennedy Half Dollar

Included with the package are seven classic beginning coin effects and several handling techniques that are perfect for taking your first step into coin magic.

Grifters are your tokens of access to a hidden world and accepted by only those who know... "Fallaces sunt rerum species".

Reviews

Stephan Sloan

Official Reviewer

Dec 23, 2023

Overview

Grifters is a coin / instructional set released by Murphy’s Magic which is geared for beginner magicians. The Grifter coin is definitely an oddity as it depicts what appears to be a skeletonized John F Kennedy on the front and a gnarled tree surrounded by a laurel wreath on the back. The design of the coin allows for some backstory if you so choose to tell one.

Effect

The Grifter set includes an instructional video for very basic coin handling techniques.

Method

The method used are standard put vanishes, take vanishes, color changes and other very basic coin moves. The video also includes a segment on softening coins.

Product Quality

The coin itself is well made, but a bit too slippery for my liking. If you like an odd looking coin to match your performance style whether it is appearance or a story based performance, the coin is interesting by itself. The video instruction is 25 minutes long and includes very basic coin handling tips. A major portion of the time, one fifth actually, was devoted to how to soften the coin. This I think was not time well spent since I believe a beginner would benefit more from additional sleight than to learn how to soften coins. The video is well lit and the pacing is good.

Ad Copy Integrity

The trailer in the ad is misleading. If you watched it casually. It displays incredible coin sleight making one think that that is what is going to be taught. However, there is a on screen blip of words that flashes on and says only basic coin moves will be taught. Other than that the ad copy is acceptable.
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