Where Did the Coin Go?

Bonaparte also shared this disappearing-coin trick with us. To do it, you'll need construction paper (or any unlined paper you can't see through); newspaper (optional); a glass; and a quarter. The secret materials you need are scissors, a pencil, and tape.

The setup: Make a paper cone (you could use yesterday's Monitor!) that will fit over the glass. You need to be able to grip the glass through the paper cone and pick up both at once. Put the glass (upside down), the cone, and the coin on a sheet of paper.

Now call your audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen," you'll begin, or maybe "Brother and sister," or perhaps just "Mom, I will now make this quarter disappear!" Jazz it up some more if you like. Make up a story about how you learned this trick. Be sure to practice and practice the trick beforehand.

Now place the paper cone over the glass. Pick up the glass and the cone together and put them over the quarter. Tap the cone three times, and take away the cone. The coin is gone!

Never fear. Put the cone back on the glass. Now take away the cone and glass together and - presto! - the coin reappears. Take the cone off the glass so everyone can see that it's empty.

Can you guess how the trick is done?

The trick: It's the glass. Before you do this trick, trace and cut out a circle of paper that's the same size as the opening of the glass. Make the circle from another sheet of the same paper on which you'll do the trick. Tape it over the top of the glass. Use tiny pieces of tape so it doesn't show.

When you put the glass over the coin, you covered up the coin with the paper circle that's over the top of the glass. The paper cone helps hide the secret.