Foreign Exchange by Mozzie

[eostresh]

Foreign Exchange by Josh Janousky

Where to buy: Foreign Exchange by Josh Janousky :: The Wire - theory11.com
Price: $4.95

Effect: The magician holds three coins in one hand, an English Penny, a U.S. half Dollar, and a Chinese coin. One by one the three coins leap from one hand to the next. It is basically Three Fly with three different coins.

Overall Thoughts: In the interest of full disclosure I must point out that I am a friend of Josh and that I am not particularly fond of the Three Fly plot. So understand that some points made in this review may be skewed favorably towards a friend and others are skewed unfavorably towards that plot as a whole. All in all it should even out. Overall I think this is a good addition to an over done plot.

Gimmicks and Materials: This is a download so nothing is provided. There is a gimmick used in this effect but it is one that most coin magicians will already have. In addition you will need a half dollar, an English Penny, and a 1/2 dollar sized Chinese coin.

The Method: There are very few original moves taught in this effect so mostly what you are learning is specific handling that allows you to perform three fly with three different coins. Some of the moves were new to me but they are moves I have seen performed before so I doubt that they will be new to people who put more effort into coin magic. I have studied a few three fly routines and the fundamental moves and routine haven’t been altered too much. I do find the routining clever.

There are two fundamental flaws I see in most 3 fly routines. First, is the moment in the routine where one coin is moved from one hand to the other “slowly”. This is usually passed off as a comedy bit and I have also seen some styles where this move as done with a flourish, such as the muscle pass. Josh does a good job of finding a nice “comedy” solution to this that makes the comedy solution both humorous and, more importantly, gives this bit a reason behind the comedy. So I think this effect does a good job of solving this fundamental 3-fly flaw.

The second flaw I see in many 3-flys is “what to do with the last coin?” This I wasn’t as happy with. I’m glad to say he doesn’t end the routine with one of those weird palms that make the magician look as if he/she suddenly developed an acute case of arthritis just moments after deftly displaying a barrage of graceful coin vanishes and appearances. The final vanish is certainly better than those but it doesn’t fully resolve this issue. So all and all I’d say that solving one of these two major problems is a good contribution.

Final analysis: So all things considered this is a good effect and an admirable contribution to the 3-fly plot. Methodologically he has come up with a very good solution to one of the “awkward” moments in 3-Fly and an average solution to the other. Routining is where this effect shines. This is a way to structure a 3-fly that uses three distinct coins and different coins are seen to “jump” in each phase. In one phase in particular he even asks the spectator which coin they want to use. That was certainly a nice touch in my opinion. Though this plot has seemingly been “done to death” I think Foreign Exchange is a practical addition and not just a different way to wave your hands around. If you are someone who does three fly I think you will be happy with this download.

[haroldross]

Not a bad version of a 3-Fly routine. If you are unfamiliar with the basic 3-Fly routine, $5.00 is a good investment to learn it. If you have trouble following Chris Kenner's routine in 'Out of Control', this video will help you.

It is essential that you always show as much of the coins as you can in order that the effect be convincing. The idea of three different coins does help with the overall effect.

It will take quite a bit of practice to get this effect down.

The real problem I have with this effect is that your hands come into contact with each other too much. Good mis-direction is a must.

Thanks for the review! I think it was well balanced.