Magic Shop

Grown-ups

👂 The Coin From Behind Your Ear

★

Ooh, a good one. Here's what they'll see.

What your audience sees

You show both hands empty, reach behind somebody's ear, and bring out a coin. You hand it to them to keep.

  • 🎩 Level 3: Wizard
  • ⏱ 2 to 4 days to learn
  • 🪙 Coins
  • 🎒 Ages 8+

A real secret move, or a longer routine. Practise over days.

Small parts! Keep them away from little brothers and sisters, and never put one in your mouth. Coins are a choking risk for little ones under 4: keep them off the floor and out of small hands.

What you need

The secret

All tricks

Questions about this

What is sleight of hand?

Sleight of hand means secret moves made with your fingers, like holding a coin in a hand that looks completely empty. "Sleight" is an old word for skill or cleverness. It takes real practice, and it's one of the best feelings in magic.

How long does it take to learn a magic trick?

An easy trick takes five or ten minutes. A trick with a secret move takes a few days of practice. Here's the rule magicians use: practise until you can do it ten times in a row without looking at your hands, and then perform it.

More in Ask the Magician.

The Coin From Behind Your Ear for kids: the whole trick

You show both hands empty, reach behind somebody's ear, and bring out a coin. You hand it to them to keep. It's a level 3 wizard trick for ages 8 to 13 (grades 3rd–7th), takes 2 to 4 days to learn, and needs one thing you already have. Flick, the shop's rabbit, reads every step aloud with a picture, so a child can follow it alone.

The secret

The coin is held in the curl of your fingers the whole time, which is called a finger palm. Your hand looks relaxed and empty, and the coin only appears when your fingers straighten.

What you need

  • A coin

How to do it

  1. Rest the coin in the curl of your fingers, halfway down, and let your hand hang naturally.
  2. Show your other hand empty, front and back, and keep talking.
  3. Reach behind their ear with the hand holding the coin.
  4. Straighten your fingers so the coin comes to your fingertips, and bring it out.
  5. Hand the coin over and tell them to keep it.

Magic words to say

“Hold still. You've got something back there. No, don't touch it, I'll get it. How long has that been there? You should really check more often.”

Pro tips

  • The finger palm is the thing to practise, and it is practised by doing nothing: walk around the house with a coin curled in your fingers until you forget it is there.
  • Never touch anyone's ear. Your hand goes behind their head, the coin appears, and that is all.
  • Giving the coin away is what makes this the best trick in the shop for a younger brother or sister.

If something goes wrong

If the coin drops, pick it up and say "there it is, it's been trying to get out for ages". Hand it over anyway.

Safety notes

  • Small parts! Keep them away from little brothers and sisters, and never put one in your mouth.
  • Coins are a choking risk for little ones under 4: keep them off the floor and out of small hands.
  • Practise in a mirror.
  • Only from the front.
  • No fire, no flames and nothing sharp in a child's hand anywhere in the Magic Shop. Nothing ever goes in a mouth, a nose or an ear.

What kind of trick is this?

🎩 Production. Something appears out of nowhere. Almost every trick ever invented is one of eight kinds, and knowing which one you're watching is how magicians work out how a new trick is done.

The skill it teaches: Practise like a pro. Ready means ten times in a row without looking at your hands. Perform it and it counts towards the Coin Conjurer badge.

Questions about the coin from behind your ear

What is sleight of hand?
Sleight of hand means secret moves made with your fingers, like holding a coin in a hand that looks completely empty. "Sleight" is an old word for skill or cleverness. It takes real practice, and it's one of the best feelings in magic.
How long does it take to learn a magic trick?
An easy trick takes five or ten minutes. A trick with a secret move takes a few days of practice. Here's the rule magicians use: practise until you can do it ten times in a row without looking at your hands, and then perform it.

More from The Coin Counter

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