YES/NO coin

[SimonC]

I was looking at a deck of cards based on seances and spirit boards called 'oracle' I comes with a double back yes/no card and it reminded me of a yes/no coin I used to have as a wee pup. I've been away from my laser for a week so I drew up a design this morning and managed to cut myself one by the end of the day, this satiating my urge to make.
rather than it being a positive/negative coin I wanted to do something more neutral and actually make something to help me make decisions. I have a sun on the yes side and a moon on the no, in a kind of 'sieze the day' vs 'sleep on it'. it also has a few words round each side depending on the type of decision you're making.
YES has : INTUITION - ACT - IMPULSE - SPEND
NO has : ANALYSIS - WAIT- THOUGHT- SAVE

I was surprised at how much detail the laser got to, I think using a hardwood helped. anyway I was quite chuffed with it so thought I'd share. (I asked the coin first)

my next challenge is to have 'MAYBE' around the edge

[Rob Rand]

As a tarot lover, this is something that appeals to me very much. The keywords are nice too and make sense. This is probably also a reference to the OUIJA card with YES and NO left and right.
Yes or No .... this is something everything is occupied with, actually every second you have to make decisions, choose the right words, and sometimes decide not to post something.

On the other hand, is this something you could use in a magic effect? A mental effect for sure?

Anyway, they look very good, and it is amazing that you cut these by hand! How did you do that? With a heated pin?

[SimonC]

cheers rob no I didn't cut them by hand! i meant that ive been away but now I'm back with my laser, I drew the designs up on my computer then cut/etched using the laser. I do t have the skill/patience to work that fine! it takes a while to get the settings right especially when you are etching on both sides, you want a good depth but you can make it too thin if you're not careful. I thought of making a yes/yes and no/no version to switch out, it could make quite a nice set. or can you imagine a set of wooden tarot chips with the major arcana represented! getting carried away again

[VictorS]

Really2 nice design Simon ! It reminds me also to Harvey "Two-Face" Dent on Batman who always decides his actions by flipping his coin Would be great if we can develop a metal routine out of this as Rob said. There is also trick developed by Outlaw Effect that I forgot the name which the mentalist can always guess what symbol facing up in the spectator`s palm. But it would be more complicated because we need some electronic device installed into the chip /coin. I`m really sure that you can develop a routine out of this. Just pop up in my mind, talking about "seances and spirit boards" , Tenyo Syncro Boxes could be a nice additional prop for the routine, it has the sun and moon symbol too How about Sun and Moon Tube ? Are we cooking now ?

[BluBob]

Wonderful work, Simon. I like the Yes/no, (Ying/Yang, entropy/chaos) idea. It may be used for any "two out" situation. I find the word possibilities VERY VERY interesting. Certain words could be used as "code" for an effect. (I.e., such as using the first letter from each word to indicate an outcome, etc.) The words could be used in a mentalism routine, and as a "kicker" YES of NO could be the answer to a question, prediction, etc.

I also LOVE the idea of having a three set combination! (yes/no, yes/yes, no/no)

[SimonC]

Yes! we are cooking now! (and I was supposed to be taking a break )
I've made a set of three coins today (Y/N, Y/Y, N/N). I trialled them on a lighter wood (the same as used in Mystery Rabbit) so as to increase the contrast of the design against the background. I liked the hard wood but it was a little hard to read.
I've also made a sneaky little case to switch out a gaff coin for the Y/N one. I'm just thinking what design to put on top. Hopefully I'll have some pics for you this evening
I think this would be a utility device, something you'd use like a shell coin as part of a routine.

[Pete1805]

Very interesting Simon

[SimonC]

ok got a bit obsessed with this today, drew, redrew, made, remade a while bunch of tests and arrived here...
I wanted to keep it simple, this isn't a mechanical gimmick, just a discreet, sneaky switch. what you have is a small wooden box a bit like a match box, with a tray which slides out holding the coin. there is no way two coins could fit in the tray together and the simple graphic on the cover is designed to subtlely suggest the coin is more central than it is. the switch is very simple, you just flip the box over much like you would a wild wallet style trick. in the video it's super obvious what I'm doing but there are a million ways to flip it discreetly. the video shows you how the tray works. it's designed as a utility device for switching out a yes/no coin for a yes/yes or no/no.
I like the lighter wood it's much easier to read.
the video is just processing on YouTube, link to follow...

[Rob Rand]

Where's the video Simon?

This is a great and innocent looking prop, very good designed, curious how this works in the video!

[SimonC]

Here's the video
http://youtu.be/6N100qXIXNs

[Rob Rand]

What a clever device! Never expected that it would work like this! Very deceptive!
It could have been invented by Ian Adair

[Pete1805]

Excellent again Simon

[SimonC]

I wondered whether it would work as well with a square box over a rectangular one and made a "micro" version.
Pros:
It's much more deceptive and there appears to be no room for a second coin. When the coin is removed, the thin sheet of veneer between the two layers of the slide gives the impression that you are looking at the bottom of the slide when in act it is the middle.

It makes more "sense" to store your coin in a square box.

Cons:
You can't show the portion of the back of the slide in the same way you can with the rectangular one.

I'm leaning towards the micro version but I'd be interested to know what you guys think. The micro one has only had the first layer of finishing applied so doesn't look quite the same, it still has two to go but will eventually look the same.

[SimonC]

The obsession continues! Here is the YES/NO Stealth
http://youtu.be/GR-5YryYrig
I figured I could bring the overall size down dramatically with a match-box style box.
Pros: super-thin, discreet easier to perform a 'flip' without raising suspicion
Cons: less durable, cardboard sleeve may get worn more quickly than wood

[KirkW]

I actually like the size and look of the larger wooden case better. The laser etching really looks classy.

For durability when making the micro version, you could make the outer slip case using a thin styrene plastic instead of cardboard. I believe these styrene sheets are commonly available in white and black. Other colors may be harder to find.

[David DeTenyo]

Clever and well made Simon, congratulations

[Rob Rand]

The first version is more deceptive, when you see the square one you think: there's room for another coin at the opposite side.

[SimonC]

it's interesting looking at them all. I really like the black one for sneakiness and looking inconspicuous. I tried with some think styrene but it doesn't like sticking very much, and it discolours when bent (or splits when scored). plus the card looks nice and matt. but I like the etching on the wooden one. I think I'd take the square wooden one out of the running and go for just the rectangular wood and black cardboard sleeve. I've fooled myself with the stealth one a couple of times already! ive been using my coin all day with my students. mostly the no/no one I must admit

[VictorS]

Simon, really nice! I'm thinking on using Super Spike mechanism and magic butterfly principal to be adapted here. But with a little bit modification.

[SimonC]

sounds interesting! I'm going to make a set tomorrow with the three coins, a wooden case and a stealth sleeve, just trying to think of a nice way to present it.
so what's more popular out of
a) the first, rectangular case or
b) the second square case?

[Rob Rand]

Rectangular!

[VictorS]

If there will be 3 coins then I think rectangular would be perfect. How about triangle ? Would be a unique case to see

[BluBob]

sounds interesting! I'm going to make a set tomorrow with the three coins, a wooden case and a stealth sleeve, just trying to think of a nice way to present it.
so what's more popular out of
a) the first, rectangular case or
b) the second square case?

Rectangular ...

AND, I am in BIG favor of keeping the eye-appeal of the wood in tact.

I MUCH prefer the lighter wood for contrast, but what is the tradeoff regarding wear & tear?

Would you want to invent an add-on in the future? If so, you may want to consider if you would need a stock of "like" wood when making your final decisions. I can imagine many possibilities for further additions to the "line," especially if you want to look at it as a continuing "work in progress."


This has super possibilities Simon.

[BluBob]

Simon,
Just a "quickie" thought. Once the YES/NO reveal takes place, the spectator is asked to mentally select a word from either side of the coin. When the "thought" of the chosen word is locked in, the Magi produces an envelope which contains the prediction. (many many methods may be used) Spectator announces the word and the Magi reveals the prediction, which, of course, it correct.

[BluBob]

The words on the coin could be used as an "INDEX" for a Mentalism reveal in the "spirit" of the "Brain Echo" index. (Syl Reilly) The words are not all that noticeable unless pointed out.