Cylinder and Coins

Cylinder and Coins was created by John Ramsay, and published in 1948 by Victor Farelli in the manuscript John Ramsay's Cylinder and Coins. Later, the routine was republished in Andrew Galloway's book The Ramsay Classics (1977), and even later, the full routine together with the original Ramsay footage was published in the Genii 2008 November issue.

John Ramsay's effect was inspired by the Stack of Pence, but instead of being a simple penetration, Cylinder and Coins is a longer transposition routine, where a number of coins disappear from the hands, and appears inside a small cylinder on the table. The routine is by many considered to be a lesson in misdirection.

Variations and publications

• John Ramsay's Cylinder and Coins by Victor Farelli (1948)
• Cylinder and Coins by Dai Vernon, page 37 in The Gen, Vol. 18, no. 1, May 1962.
• "Easy Ramsey" by Jonathan Townsend in Apocalypse July 1982 p. 649.
• Streamlined Cylinder and Coins in Carneycopia by John Carney (1991)
• Doug Brewer on The Unexpected Visitor DVD (2001) (performance only) and Red Light DVD (2012)
• Dan Watkins on Coin Man Walking DVD (2005) (performance only)
• R. Paul Wilson on Extreme Possibilities vol 2 DVD (2008)
• R. Paul Wilson on Close Up Magic Vol 2 DVD (2008) in the "Worlds Greatest Magic by the Worlds Greatest Magicians" series of DVDs by L & L Publishing]
• Genii 2008 November, page 67, The Cylinder and Coins by John Ramsay, which also featured a DVD insert with Ramsay performing the Cylinder and Coins from Fantasma Magic.
• Giacomo Bertini and Ginjiro (who used poker chips instead of coins) on European Coin Magic Symposium Vol 1 DVD (2011)
• Eric Mead video performance at The Entertainment Gathering 2011 (available on youtube)
• Jean Emmanuel Franzis in The Linking Ring Apr 2013 p 90