Practice first with a half-dollar. Lay it in the right hand as shown in Fig. 1. Then slightly contract the palm by pressing the ball of the thumb inward, moving the coin about with the forefinger of the left hand until you find it is in a favorable position to be gripped by the fleshy portions of the hand. Continue to practice this until you can turn the hand over without letting the coin fall.
Fig. 1.—PALMING COIN
When this can be accomplished with ease, lay the coin on the tips of the second and third fingers, steadying it with the thumb, as in Fig. 2. Then, moving the thumb aside to the right, bend the fingers, and pass the coin up along the side of the thumb into the palm, which should open to receive it, and where, if you have followed the instructions carefully, you will find no difficulty in retaining it.
Fig. 2.—PALMING COIN
Practice this movement with the right hand in motion toward the left, as if you really intended to place the coin in that hand. To get the movement perfect, it is advisable to work in front of a mirror. Take the coin in the right hand and actually place it in the left several times; then study to execute the same movement exactly, with the exception that you retain the coin in the right hand by palming.
The student who desires to become a finished performer should palm the various objects with equal facility in either hand.
When you can hold a coin properly, as described, practice with other objects of a similar size. In this case, however, owing to the greater extent of surface, it will not be found necessary to press the object into the palm, but simply to close the fingers round it, in the act of apparently placing it in the left hand.
The Pass. Second only in importance to the palming is the pass. Hold the coin between the fingers and thumb of the left hand (Fig. 3), and then appear to take it in the right by passing the thumb under and the fingers over the coin.