Trick from the Vault #2 - Geek Coin on Head

Geek Coin on Head

During my years bar-tending and doing magic, occasionally someone would ask me to teach them a trick. If they didn’t ask, I offered. My ‘go to’ effect was the Amazing Quarter On Head Trick, later renamed Geek Coin on Head. This is a classic, simple trick for entertaining grandkids, that morphed into a geek trick. I’m not aware of its origins. I learned it 30 years ago, from a magician.

Show a quarter, concentrate, then slap it agains your forehead and press. Remove your finger and the quarter sticks to your head. Remove the coin and drop it in your subject’s hand. They see the tack glued to the back and laugh as you rub your forehead.

You probably know the method: Two quarters, one with a tack epoxied to the back. For my kicker, you’ll need a third quarter with a fat nail glued to the back. (A)

This (small) tack coin is finger palmed while the other hand slaps the non-gimmicked coin to your forehead. (Be sure you don't mix them up!) The hand palming the tack coin removes the normal coin from your forehead. Point to your forehead as you ask your spectator if the coin left a mark? The hand with two coins drops the tack coin into a spectator’s hand and finger palms or clips the normal quarter.

When the spectator looks at the coin in his or her hand, go to your pocket and ditch the tack coin and palm the nail coin. The coin is nail side down against the palm side of your fingers, the nail goes between two fingers and sticks out the back side of your hand. This way, you can display the coin flat on your palm. Be careful not to expose the nail coming out the back side of your hand.

Bring your hand out, keeping it relaxed. You don’t care if it looks suspicious, if someone saw you go to your pocket, or if a little of the coin is seen.

After the initial laughs, one of two reactions generally occur:

1. They are happy with the good laugh and give you your coin back.

2. They know its a joke and ask where the other quarter went. Sometimes they point to the hand palming the nail coin. The kicker serves either response well.

Take back the tack coin as you open your hand and show the extra coin laying on your palm. Say something like, “I switched to this coin (holding up the tack coin), because this one was killing me!”

Turn over the nail coin for your ‘rim shot’ laugh.

Note: I’ve had a third reaction, generally in a bar, generally with someone who has had too much to drink: They try sticking the tack coin to their forehead. You should avoid letting that happen.