No, this post isn't a levitating bottle of apple juice (that would be cool though). It's about a coin in bottle. Yeah, this bottle here (well, without the juice in it).
So there is a story that goes along with this... those who know me understand the there is always a story. I was trying to make my own Duck Sauce to dip in deep fried homemade egg roll wrappers (yes, I know, my life is that exciting). One of the recipes called for apple juice. I didn't want to get a half gallon, so I found a four pack of these little single serving bottles. Again, those that know me know I like unique objects - boxes, bottles, etc. - and that I have an assortment of them in... well... other boxes just awaiting a magic trick that will require the perfect bottle or box (like the one that I keep my invisible mouse in). Unfortunately, the recipe really didn't need the apple juice (I ended up using apricot and plum jelly rather than starting with fruit and apple juice). However, after my son had one of the apple juices and raved about how good it was, I had to try it. So I opened a bottle and had some (it didn't disappoint) and shared it with my lovely wife (she like it too). I then went into the kitchen and was ready to put the bottle out in the recycle bin in the garage when I just couldn't help admiring its shape (after of course putting on my reading glasses to read the embossed print on the bottle). In my hands, it just felt magical, so I reached in a drawer and pulled out the quarter we use to take the blade off the meat slicer for cleaning after having roast beef or ham (you see, a screwdriver doesn't work and you need a coin and I can never find one, so there is one that is permanently in the second drawer from the right under the counter). I put the coin on the palm of my right hand and placed the jar over it. I showed it to my wife and said, "look the quarter is inside of the jar." My wife, ever being the skeptic, pointed out that the jar was just sitting on the coin and it only looked like it was inside. I lifted the jar showing the coin in my hand and said "True, but watch..." I bounced the jar on my hand holding the quarter and you heard a jingle and could see the coin in the bottom of the jar as I swirled it around and handed it to my wife. She looked at the coin in the jar and then looked at me as I did the "I don't know" gesture showing my hands empty. Her response was "what the heck?" Even the dog was amazed, trying to sniff my hands to find the coin the had been there moments ago. Now recognize, that my wife isn't the easiest spectator... she knows a lot of methods and isn't afraid to use the word "flashed" with the modifiers "big time." This was, as someone named Paul said long ago, true astonishment.
The method I used wasn't anything beyond the skill level of a sixth grader with a copy of Bobo's book. Later that night, I began to think about the effect... could I hand out the jar and lid for inspection and use that as cover for switching on of the props, could I use that thing I use when I use that string you can't see, could I do a switch involving the coin, could the coin be signed, could a spectator put the lid on the bottle and twist it as tight as they want, could the coin be placed in a spectator's hand (that on was a hard no), could the spectator hold the bottle and be guided to bang it on my hand? Then, I realized that all of my ideas just made the effect more complicated and didn't, in fact, make it any better. More props, more steps, more preparation vs. just a coin and a bottle. Ultimately, nobody sees the method and the effect is just a bottle standing in front of a coin, asking it to... well you get the point.
So there is a story that goes along with this... those who know me understand the there is always a story. I was trying to make my own Duck Sauce to dip in deep fried homemade egg roll wrappers (yes, I know, my life is that exciting). One of the recipes called for apple juice. I didn't want to get a half gallon, so I found a four pack of these little single serving bottles. Again, those that know me know I like unique objects - boxes, bottles, etc. - and that I have an assortment of them in... well... other boxes just awaiting a magic trick that will require the perfect bottle or box (like the one that I keep my invisible mouse in). Unfortunately, the recipe really didn't need the apple juice (I ended up using apricot and plum jelly rather than starting with fruit and apple juice). However, after my son had one of the apple juices and raved about how good it was, I had to try it. So I opened a bottle and had some (it didn't disappoint) and shared it with my lovely wife (she like it too). I then went into the kitchen and was ready to put the bottle out in the recycle bin in the garage when I just couldn't help admiring its shape (after of course putting on my reading glasses to read the embossed print on the bottle). In my hands, it just felt magical, so I reached in a drawer and pulled out the quarter we use to take the blade off the meat slicer for cleaning after having roast beef or ham (you see, a screwdriver doesn't work and you need a coin and I can never find one, so there is one that is permanently in the second drawer from the right under the counter). I put the coin on the palm of my right hand and placed the jar over it. I showed it to my wife and said, "look the quarter is inside of the jar." My wife, ever being the skeptic, pointed out that the jar was just sitting on the coin and it only looked like it was inside. I lifted the jar showing the coin in my hand and said "True, but watch..." I bounced the jar on my hand holding the quarter and you heard a jingle and could see the coin in the bottom of the jar as I swirled it around and handed it to my wife. She looked at the coin in the jar and then looked at me as I did the "I don't know" gesture showing my hands empty. Her response was "what the heck?" Even the dog was amazed, trying to sniff my hands to find the coin the had been there moments ago. Now recognize, that my wife isn't the easiest spectator... she knows a lot of methods and isn't afraid to use the word "flashed" with the modifiers "big time." This was, as someone named Paul said long ago, true astonishment.
The method I used wasn't anything beyond the skill level of a sixth grader with a copy of Bobo's book. Later that night, I began to think about the effect... could I hand out the jar and lid for inspection and use that as cover for switching on of the props, could I use that thing I use when I use that string you can't see, could I do a switch involving the coin, could the coin be signed, could a spectator put the lid on the bottle and twist it as tight as they want, could the coin be placed in a spectator's hand (that on was a hard no), could the spectator hold the bottle and be guided to bang it on my hand? Then, I realized that all of my ideas just made the effect more complicated and didn't, in fact, make it any better. More props, more steps, more preparation vs. just a coin and a bottle. Ultimately, nobody sees the method and the effect is just a bottle standing in front of a coin, asking it to... well you get the point.