Review on "Artifact coins" by Ellusionist

la0o9 · 09-01-2011, 03:33 PM

i just got one from a magic supplier nearby, and i wanted to do a small review on it( since all i've been doing lately is replying, never actually starting one)

Quality: the way the coin have handled so far, it's of good quality, it's not as heavy as a Morgan dollar but still have a certain weight to it, so it's probably part silver( i'm not a pro, so i can't tell for sure). The surface of the coin have a rust-proof coating so it's quite smooth, and doesn't scratch easily.

Usage: since it's a bit heavy, you can control it quite easily( most air-borne moves would keep it near your body, unless you throw it like a baseball, it won't go anywhere out of a radius of 2 meters of your body. The coin is a bit thicker than a real dollar, so it might hurt if you apply too much pressure to it.

Pricing: it stands at $11.99 per dollar-sized coins and $6.99 per half-dollar-sized coins, so unless you're a collector, an investor or simply want a cool thing to play around with, this coin isn't worth your attention. Try looking for a real coin... it's probably cheaper if you do so( unless you look for a real silver morgan dollar...)

Thoughts: the design on it looks cool, and it will look really good when you give it out for examination after doing a trick. But the design SCREAMS gimmick to the eyes of a layman, and it's... very hard to do anything with your prop being possibly yanked from your hands any moment, plus, there's no jumbo version for it so one of coin magic's biggest crowd pleaser is unusable. so it's staying on my display case, but it's not gonna see any action anytime soon, not unless i lose my silver dollar.

@below: exactly!

Fin · 09-02-2011, 02:23 AM

Mmmm, coins

I love my 4 Morgan Dollars + Shell set. If only I was good at coin magic I'd bust them out more often but for now cards have taken over. I saw the Artifact coins when I was shopping around and I do like the look of them, and other similar offerings from other companies; however I'd always rather have the beauty of a handful of well worn real silver dollars.

s13zeTheDay · 09-03-2011, 10:04 PM

Personally I love my walking liberty halves

Mark · 11-30-2011, 02:10 PM

Something I really really like about the Artifact coins is that there is zero branding on them and they look really stunning. I dig the quotes too. I suppose they make any magician look smart.

Something that may be arguable is whether the coins are a bit too heavy or not. And the sizes are perfect for me but if you have smaller hands you may never be able to use the full dollar sized ones since those are really big. I guess they should have made a smaller version too, rather than just extra-large (dollar size) and medium (half dollar size).

What I really don't like is that the silver coins feel rough there where the copper ones feel slippery and the silver ones are way less shiny than the copper ones. In very bright color change situations this latter aspect would be a plus because the contrast would be bigger, but in average or low light situations (which are far more common) this is a really bad thing, especially when wearing dark clothes because the silver coins would be amazingly difficult if not impossible to see.

That said, nothing beats your average currency coins. Remember that magic is about making the impossible happen with props your spectators are familiar with.

theheron · 11-30-2011, 02:50 PM

With things that look like they could be gimmicked, be it cards or coins, I like to use the patter saying that they really are, well not gimmicked, but magical. If you tell them that there is something strange with the coin, if you try to grab it, it vanishes and appears somewhere else, it seems like the object has magical properties, and I find it actually takes spectator's attention away from what you are doing. I get less of "How did you do that?" and more of "How did that happen?"

Mark · 11-30-2011, 03:43 PM

But you can do the exact same thing with normal looking props and you would end up with the same if not better reactions. If I would do a one coin-routine with a 2 euro coin over here in the Netherlands, I get better reaction than if I would do it with an American half dollar because people don't recognize that over here.

Even if they can examine everything and can be sure it's just a regular coin, there will always be a subconscious suspicion when using props they have never seen before, as little as it may be.

theheron · 11-30-2011, 05:27 PM

that's true... For unfamiliar things like the Artifact coin, I guess it's better than nothing in terms of patter, if you absolutely had to use that coin. and it's a 7 dollar coin, it'd be a waste not to try it out :P

09-01-2011, 03:33 PM	#1
la0o9 Move monkey atm Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Not where you'd want to go :P Posts: 747	Review on "Artifact coins" by Ellusionist i just got one from a magic supplier nearby, and i wanted to do a small review on it( since all i've been doing lately is replying, never actually starting one) Quality: the way the coin have handled so far, it's of good quality, it's not as heavy as a Morgan dollar but still have a certain weight to it, so it's probably part silver( i'm not a pro, so i can't tell for sure). The surface of the coin have a rust-proof coating so it's quite smooth, and doesn't scratch easily. Usage: since it's a bit heavy, you can control it quite easily( most air-borne moves would keep it near your body, unless you throw it like a baseball, it won't go anywhere out of a radius of 2 meters of your body. The coin is a bit thicker than a real dollar, so it might hurt if you apply too much pressure to it. Pricing: it stands at $11.99 per dollar-sized coins and $6.99 per half-dollar-sized coins, so unless you're a collector, an investor or simply want a cool thing to play around with, this coin isn't worth your attention. Try looking for a real coin... it's probably cheaper if you do so( unless you look for a real silver morgan dollar...) Thoughts: the design on it looks cool, and it will look really good when you give it out for examination after doing a trick. But the design SCREAMS gimmick to the eyes of a layman, and it's... very hard to do anything with your prop being possibly yanked from your hands any moment, plus, there's no jumbo version for it so one of coin magic's biggest crowd pleaser is unusable. so it's staying on my display case, but it's not gonna see any action anytime soon, not unless i lose my silver dollar. @below: exactly! __________________ "Doubt isn't the same as saying people are bad, it simply means you actually care, 100% trust is nothing more than ignorance"~ Akiyama Shinichi- Liar Game "It's not the destination but the road to it that is worth the trip" "Be careful what you wish for... it might just come true"~ old saying "It's a small world, but only relatively" "Reality is not the world, it is the way humankind depicts the world, thus when you alter a person's way of seeing the world, you alter reality itself"

09-03-2011, 10:04 PM	#3
s13zeTheDay Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 150	Personally I love my walking liberty halves __________________ What you do in this world is a matter of no consequence. The question is, what can you make people believe you have done. --Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study In Scarlet

11-30-2011, 02:50 PM	#5
theheron Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 117 Donor Score: 50	With things that look like they could be gimmicked, be it cards or coins, I like to use the patter saying that they really are, well not gimmicked, but magical. If you tell them that there is something strange with the coin, if you try to grab it, it vanishes and appears somewhere else, it seems like the object has magical properties, and I find it actually takes spectator's attention away from what you are doing. I get less of "How did you do that?" and more of "How did that happen?" __________________ "Doomed to obscurity forever"

11-30-2011, 05:27 PM	#7
theheron Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 117 Donor Score: 50	that's true... For unfamiliar things like the Artifact coin, I guess it's better than nothing in terms of patter, if you absolutely had to use that coin. and it's a 7 dollar coin, it'd be a waste not to try it out :P __________________ "Doomed to obscurity forever"

09-02-2011, 02:23 AM	#2
Fin Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 530	Mmmm, coins I love my 4 Morgan Dollars + Shell set. If only I was good at coin magic I'd bust them out more often but for now cards have taken over. I saw the Artifact coins when I was shopping around and I do like the look of them, and other similar offerings from other companies; however I'd always rather have the beauty of a handful of well worn real silver dollars.

11-30-2011, 02:10 PM	#4
Mark Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 935	Something I really really like about the Artifact coins is that there is zero branding on them and they look really stunning. I dig the quotes too. I suppose they make any magician look smart. Something that may be arguable is whether the coins are a bit too heavy or not. And the sizes are perfect for me but if you have smaller hands you may never be able to use the full dollar sized ones since those are really big. I guess they should have made a smaller version too, rather than just extra-large (dollar size) and medium (half dollar size). What I really don't like is that the silver coins feel rough there where the copper ones feel slippery and the silver ones are way less shiny than the copper ones. In very bright color change situations this latter aspect would be a plus because the contrast would be bigger, but in average or low light situations (which are far more common) this is a really bad thing, especially when wearing dark clothes because the silver coins would be amazingly difficult if not impossible to see. That said, nothing beats your average currency coins. Remember that magic is about making the impossible happen with props your spectators are familiar with.

11-30-2011, 03:43 PM	#6
Mark Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 935	But you can do the exact same thing with normal looking props and you would end up with the same if not better reactions. If I would do a one coin-routine with a 2 euro coin over here in the Netherlands, I get better reaction than if I would do it with an American half dollar because people don't recognize that over here. Even if they can examine everything and can be sure it's just a regular coin, there will always be a subconscious suspicion when using props they have never seen before, as little as it may be.